The Invisible Kingdom

Reimagining Chronic Illness

De: Meghan O'Rourke

Narrado por: Meghan O'Rourke

A landmark exploration of one of the most consequential and mysterious issues of our time: the rise of chronic illness and autoimmune diseases

A silent epidemic of chronic illnesses afflicts tens of millions of Americans: These are diseases that are poorly understood, frequently marginalized, and can go undiagnosed and unrecognized altogether. Renowned writer Meghan O’Rourke delivers a revelatory investigation into this elusive category of “invisible” illness that encompasses autoimmune diseases, post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, and now long COVID, synthesizing the personal and the universal to help all of us through this new frontier.

Drawing on her own medical experiences, as well as a decade of interviews with doctors, patients, researchers, and public health experts, O’Rourke traces the history of Western definitions of illness, and reveals how inherited ideas of cause, diagnosis, and treatment have led us to ignore a host of hard-to-understand medical conditions, ones that resist easy description or simple cures. And as America faces this health crisis of extraordinary proportions, the populations most likely to be neglected by our institutions include women, the working class, and people of color.

Blending lyricism and erudition, candor and empathy, O’Rourke brings together her deep and disparate talents and roles as critic, journalist, poet, teacher, and patient, synthesizing the personal and universal into one monumental project arguing for a seismic shift in our approach to disease. The Invisible Kingdom offers hope for the sick, solace and insight for their loved ones, and a radical new understanding of our bodies and our health.

©2022 Meghan O'Rourke (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“An authentically original voice and, perhaps more startlingly, an authentically original perspective….The book is not only a memoir of her illness, but also a document of years of research.” —Andrew Solomon, National Book Award-winning author of The Noonday Demon, in The New York Times Book Review

“The Invisible Kingdom is an important and powerful book in many ways, but perhaps its most valuable contribution is the way it articulates the loneliness and frustration of having symptoms that superficially resemble the pains and pressures of contemporary life in the United States while being much more severe.”—The Nation

“[O’Rourke] gives shape and color to the invisible life of patients whom society has failed. She offers hope for patient-driven change. Most important, she provides an account that many will be able to relate to—a ray of light into those isolated cocoons of darkness that, at one time or another, may afflict us all.” —The Wall Street Journal

Excellent account of the chronic illness odyssey

I both read and listened to this. It was read by the author. It was a great account of the journey of discovering, managing, naming, and coming to terms with being sick in today’s medical system designed so much around acute care. She gave words to so many things I haven’t been able to. Worth it for those with chronic health conditions, especially ones such as Ehlers-Danlos, POTS, long COVID, Lyme, and other poorly understood conditions. Also very worthwhile if you are a healthcare provider. I think this would help convey the patient experience of navigating a complex healthcare system with complex, chronic, and/or poorly understood medical needs. Very important, affirming book for me.

Resonated!!!

So strange the very few bad reviews. I don’t know how anyone who has ever struggled with chronic illness doesn’t relate to this even if only some of it. For me it was just about all of it. I’ve done it all as well for my MS diagnosis. Mines been such a similar path on every level. I thought for sure I’d be totally healed, but I’m still a “spoonie” who lives in pain everyday and has to manage this. I’ve had bouts of being about 75% better but then it doesn’t take much to “trigger” me. It’s a real bummer. Only thing I was shocked by was the amount of times she mentioned having active EBV but yet none of the doctors connected that. That’s my belief. And maybe why she does still struggle. In the MS world it’s now being fully recognized the connection between the 2. I believe that will continue with other conditions as well. Regardless, thank you to Megan for her vulnerability and sharing her story. I got sick around same time as her and there were no books or support groups like there is now.

I see myself

I see myself in this book and have been able to prepare for my appointment with a functional NP. I am so glad I found this book. I recommend it to anyone with unexplained health issues or someone you know.

a mirror of my lived experience.

I find myself feeling both blessed and cursed by some of the differences between this and my own story, but the contrasts are fare less striking than the similarities.
I hope anyone aflicted with chronic illness in general, and hEDS and/or Lyme as I do, come to know this book. the validation conveyed is beyond therapeutic.

Most important read of my life

This could have been my story replacing Lupus with MS; otherwise my journey been the same. Thank you for committing your story to paper. I have been struggling to put the puzzle pieces of my health together in the way that would come together as my whole person and not if my poor health as something I need to overcome to live the life I want. I know what I need to do next. I will be forever grateful to you and hope someday we might connect and share our stories.

Chronic illness

The author doesn’t pull any punches. Chronic illness is awful and victories are rare. I’m not sure I would recommend this book to someone with a chronic illness but I would surely recommend it to friends and family of those with a chronic illness- especially those with long COVID, ME-CFS, Lyme disease, and autoimmune diseases. I’m glad that I listened to the audiobook and that I didn’t read the book jacket - I listened based on a friend’s recommendation.

Knowledge is power!

Nobody should judge anyone’s illness. Doctors are not the know all of our bodies; trust ourselves

Insight into auto-immunity disease

Meghan’s journey through the jungle of symptoms, traditional and non-traditional medical treatments and experiences gave me a better understanding of my own and family members’ fight against auto-immune disorders. Thank you.

Comforting, Validating with Fact Finding Reports

Thank you Meghan O'Rourke for your travel log and destination IK journal entries. As a fellow IK explorer, and now a guide for advanced hikers, you had me laughing and crying as so many of your expressions mirror my feelings and experience. One obstacle Ii haven't overcome on this adventure is finding the words to convey my own perspective. Thank you for giving me a better handle on the language and introducing new idioms to me. I hope all those struggling to accept their current quality of life while staying hopeful and motivated enjoy this book as thoroughly as I did. @hp_wellnesscoach for @chronicwellnesscollective I'd love to meet you for a Washington hike and see the whales.

So informative!

I loved everything! As someone with an autoimmune condition, I learned so much from this book