A review by leahjanespeare
The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness by Meghan O'Rourke

hopeful informative

5.0

This was the first book I've read that managed to make me feel seen as a fellow resident in the so called Invisible Kingdom. My RA diagnosis was not as wholly mysterious as the author's journey with her chronic conditions, but I was able to relate strongly with her emotions tied to her illnesses and newfound limits. There is frustration, anger, helplessness, just to name a few offhand. As much as I would never wish someone to experience chronic pain or fatigue or any other symptom of my RA, it was such a relief to hear someone else describe things that before I thought was unique and much of which made me feel isolated or crazy or overreactive. Since I'm relatively new to my now-disabled identity, people who have been dealing with illnesses like the author's their whole lives will likely receive this narrative differently than I did. Additionally, able-bodied people will definitely read it with a different lens. 
But I am hoping everyone reads this book because the more we share information about autoimmune diseases especially relating to COVID (which is what triggered my RA at age 28) the more research and funding and attention will go toward pain management, proper testing, and care for those with chronic illnesses. 
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