I find myself frequently recommending books both to support the coaching I do and when people email asking for ideas. My bookshelf is overflowing (the only hardcopy books I still buy) . I thought I’d share the ones that I find have staying power. This is hardly an exhaustive list– just some highlights.
- In the Kingdom of the Sick: A Social History of Chronic Illness in America, Laurie Edwards. It’s been two years since publication and it continues to be the book I find most useful for giving me a context to the issues we face.
- The Last Best Cure: My Quest to Awaken the Healing Parts of my Brain and Get Back my Body, My Joy and My Life, Donna Jackson Nakazawa . Not everyone shares her precise story, but all whom I’ve suggested this to find comfort and value in reading about her journey.
- Why Do I Hurt?: A Patient Book about the Neuroscience of Pain, Adriaan Louw. I have dozens of books on the latest science behind understanding pain but Louw, a Physical Therapist, has distilled it to simple and easy messages.
- Forgive for Good: A Proven Prescription for Health and Happiness, Dr. Fred Luskin. I continue to use his prescriptions for myself and suggest to others.
- Transitions, Making Sense of Life’s Changes, William Bridges. First published in 1980, this 2nd edition continues to be a powerful tool, whether you’re looking to make a career change or learning to live with a change you didn’t ask for, such as chronic illness.
- Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, Atul Gwande. Although the stories focus on people who are at end of life, this is a book for all of us, especially those of us living with debilitating illness that require making choices daily.
- Business from Bed: The 6 Step Comeback Plan to Get yourself Working Again after a Health Crisis, Joan Friedlander. After co- authoring our book, Joan wrote this ‘how to’ offering useful strategic and tactical ideas on this tough topic.
And one article that continues to resonate each time I read it, “What’s Wrong With Me“, Megan O’Rourke, The New Yorker.
What would you add to this list?
Tom Seaman says
Thanks for this great list of wonderful books, Rosalind. I am excited to share with you and everyone that I just had my book published earlier this month! I am very excited about it. The title is Diagnosis Dystonia: Navigating the Journey. It is a combination autobiography, self help, education, inspirational book. It provides treatment options, coping strategies, skills for daily living, and tools for dealing with the physical and mental challenges of life with a chronic health condition. Although the focus is on dystonia, it contains valuable information for anyone with any life challenge, health or otherwise. I hope you will all take a look and share your thoughts about it. You can learn more about the book and how to order a copy at http://www.diagnosisdystonia.com.
Rosalind says
Thanks for sharing about your book, Tom