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A review by reader_of_books88
The Puzzle Solver: A Scientist's Desperate Quest to Cure the Illness That Stole His Son by Tracie White
4.0
This book was very informative, and if you don't know anything about ME/CFS, this is a good book to learn more about it and its history in the US. I have ME/CFS myself, and felt very seen. It's not common to see books that take the illness as seriously as this book does. I really enjoyed Ron Davis' story of how he became a scientist, and how he turned to ME/CFS as his field of interest after previously working on DNA. Whitney Dafoe's story was interesting to me as well, and it was wonderful to read about his family's love and care for him.
The reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is because I was uncomfortable with some of the things the author did. For example, when she stares through the keyhole of Whitney Dafoe's bedroom door without him knowing, and studies his body, and describes it for the reader? That's creepy and not okay. She also wants to interview a couple with ME/CFS. After contacting them and not getting an invite, she drives to their house anyway. This would be rude in any situation, but when you know these people are ill and have to be very careful with their energy, and that your visit will likely cause them to crash, as the author acknowledges, it's beyond selfish to show up on their doorstep unannounced and uninvited. Bringing flowers hardly changes that.
The book also falls into the trap of legitimising ME/CFS by throwing mentally ill people under the bus. It repeatedly says ME/CFS is a "real" disease and that more money is needed for research, and more help needed for patients, because it's not caused by mental problems and people with ME/CFS aren't "crazy" and it isn't "just depression" (as if depression isn't a serious illness as well). ME/CFS is indeed a real disease, because it exists, but if it were a mental illness it would still be a real disease, and more money would still be needed, and patients would still deserve help. As someone with both ME/CFS and mental illness, this way of thinking is not something I appreciate.
The reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is because I was uncomfortable with some of the things the author did. For example, when she stares through the keyhole of Whitney Dafoe's bedroom door without him knowing, and studies his body, and describes it for the reader? That's creepy and not okay. She also wants to interview a couple with ME/CFS. After contacting them and not getting an invite, she drives to their house anyway. This would be rude in any situation, but when you know these people are ill and have to be very careful with their energy, and that your visit will likely cause them to crash, as the author acknowledges, it's beyond selfish to show up on their doorstep unannounced and uninvited. Bringing flowers hardly changes that.
The book also falls into the trap of legitimising ME/CFS by throwing mentally ill people under the bus. It repeatedly says ME/CFS is a "real" disease and that more money is needed for research, and more help needed for patients, because it's not caused by mental problems and people with ME/CFS aren't "crazy" and it isn't "just depression" (as if depression isn't a serious illness as well). ME/CFS is indeed a real disease, because it exists, but if it were a mental illness it would still be a real disease, and more money would still be needed, and patients would still deserve help. As someone with both ME/CFS and mental illness, this way of thinking is not something I appreciate.