“When was the last time you had the luxury of forgetting about your body?”

As a person with chronic pain this book resonated with me & made me feel like I’m not alone in my struggle.

My only complaint is a formatting problem. I’m not sure if it was a mistake or if it was an artistic choice, but in the Kindle edition, a lot of the words are scrunched together making them harder to read. But, I was able to read them, even though it took more effort, so it didn’t take away from my experience with the book. 

I don’t have much to say other than how much this book spoke to my experience with chronic pain and also introduced me to new experiences as well. Here are some of my favorite quotes (besides my favorite quote which is the opening line to this review):

“I’ve always looked at books for salvation, a departure from my body to another in movement, in love, in action, in difference, in change.”

*if you ever wonder why I read books, THIS is why!

“If I could look at the inside of my body, I would. I might even show you. Is the rotting pain in my stomach actually visible as it flinches, jerks, pinches, needles? The writhing pain in my back that won’t stop twitching, what’s that look like from the inside? My joints, are they actually the way I imagine them, lacking enough fluid between them, the bones just clashing against each other, bone damaging bone, two files whittling each other down?”

“I want to honour those, like me, forced to slow down by the occurrence of chronic pain, by the occurrence of fatigue, by the reminder of a body not made to survive through capitalism. I want to honour all those surviving in the best ways they can. I want to honour all those challenging the ways we are told to live. I want to tell you all, I believe you.”