A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFINALIST FOR THE 2022 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTIONNamed one of
the BEST BOOKS OF 2022 by NPR The New Yorker Time and VogueRemarkable.” –Andrew Solomon The
New York Times Book ReviewAt once a rigorous work of scholarship and a radical act of
empathy.”—EsquireA ray of light into those isolated cocoons of darkness that at one time or
another may afflict us all.” —The Wall Street JournalEssential.—The Boston GlobeA landmark
exploration of one of the most consequential and mysterious issues of our time: the rise of
chronic illness and autoimmune diseasesA 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.
