A review by emfass
What Doesn't Kill You: A Life with Chronic Illness - Lessons from a Body in Revolt by Tessa Miller

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Part memoir, part journalism, 1000% vulnerable and a must-read, especially if you love someone with chronic illness. I cannot speak from an #OwnVoices perspective, but I hope it would also help a reader with chronic illness feel seen. I listened to this on audiobook, and it was made even more powerful by listening to Miller tell her story in her own voice.

Content warning: the author is descriptive throughout concerning the effects of IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), C. diff, and Crohn's disease) and does not hold back about what it does to her body. She also shares openly about many different traumas she has faced throughout her life. (I love The StoryGraph website for more detailed content warnings, if you need them!)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Vomit, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Medical content, Grief, and Excrement

Moderate: Eating disorder