Publication year 2017
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Equality, Race, Community, Politics & Government
Tags Health, Race & Racism, Politics & Government, Social Justice, Poverty, Business & Economics, Sociology
Health & Medicine
The Health & Medicine Collection showcases hand-picked fiction and nonfiction titles that focus on the physical and mental health of the human body. This diverse Collection represents the breadth of literature examining human health throughout history, from nonfiction accounts of historical epidemics to novels whose protagonists face mental health conditions.
The Death Gap
The Deepest Well
The Demon in the Freezer
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Doctors Blackwell
The Doors of Perception, and Heaven and Hell
The Elephant Man
The Empathy Exams
The Emperor of All Maladies
The End of Science Fiction
The Female Brain
The Gene
The Ghost Map
The Gift of Therapy
The Gifts of Imperfection
The Girl in His Shadow
The Good Food Revolution
The Good Nurse
The Great Influenza
The Great Trouble
Publication year 2017
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Equality, Race, Community, Politics & Government
Tags Health, Race & Racism, Politics & Government, Social Justice, Poverty, Business & Economics, Sociology
Publication year 2018
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Family, Social Class, Community, Mental Health, Science & Technology, Memory, The Past, Disability, Future, Perseverance, Nature Versus Nurture, Education, Childhood & Youth
Tags Trauma & Abuse, Mental Illness, Science & Nature, Health, Education, Education, Parenting, Psychology, Psychology, Self-Improvement
Publication year 2002
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Safety & Danger
Tags Science & Nature, Military & War, Health, Horror & Suspense, World History
Richard Preston’s The Demon in the Freezer is a nonfiction account of the recent history of bioweapons and epidemic diseases; his focus for much of the book is smallpox, the “demon” of the title. The book begins with a discussion of the lethal bioweapons attack that took place early in October of 2001. In this instance, letters containing anthrax were mailed to publications and Senate offices in the United States. However, researchers at the United... Read The Demon in the Freezer Summary
Publication year 1997
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Tags Health, French Literature, Disability, Classic Fiction, Biography
This memoir is a series of autobiographical vignettes that was composed over the span of two months (July-August, 1996) by Jean-Dominique Bauby, with the help of a publishing assistant named Claude. He dispatches from room 119 of the Naval Hospital at Berck-sur-Mer, France. The vignettes do not follow a chronological order, and interweave recollections of various eras in Bauby’s life with his contemporary reality. Bauby suffered a massive stroke on December 8, 1995 that left... Read The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Perseverance, Gender Identity, Siblings, Social Class, Education, Equality
Tags Biography, World History, Gender & Feminism, Health, Science & Nature, Women`s Studies
Publication year 1954
Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction
Themes Art, Religion & Spirituality, Fear, Joy, Memory, Indigenous Identity, Language, Mental Health, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Objects & Materials, Place, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, Beauty, Good & Evil, Literature, Music, Order & Chaos, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies
Tags Philosophy, Psychology, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Nature, Health
Publication year 1979
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Disability, Love, Community
Tags Drama, Life-Inspired Fiction, Disability, Health, Relationships, Victorian Period, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction
The Elephant Man, a one-act play by American playwright Bernard Pomerance, was first produced in London at the Hampstead Theatre in 1977. The play transferred to New York and played Off-Broadway in 1979, moving to Broadway three months later, where it ran successfully for two years. The play won many awards with its Broadway debut, including a New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play, a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play, and... Read The Elephant Man Summary
Publication year 2014
Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction
Themes Community, Mental Health
Tags Health, Gender & Feminism, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Biography, Psychology, Relationships, Trauma & Abuse, Addiction & Substance Abuse
The Empathy Exams: Essays by Leslie Jamison is a collection of nonfiction essays that are connected thematically by pain and caring. Jamison uses a combination of personal experiences and journalistic approaches to ponder essential questions about both physical and emotional wounds, tenderness, and how people connect through pain. First published in April 2014, this collection premiered at #11 on the New York Times bestseller list and has received considerable acclaim from reviewers across the world... Read The Empathy Exams Summary
Publication year 2010
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Tags Health, Science & Nature, World History, Biography
Siddhartha Mukherjee’s book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, is nothing less than an account of the 4,000-year quest to understand and treat cancer, a malady that continues to plague us over the centuries. Mukherjee, an Indian-American oncologist and author, received a Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction for the 2010 work. The autobiography opens with Mukherjee’s fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he treats a 31-year-old mother named Carla Reed, who has... Read The Emperor of All Maladies Summary
Publication year 2016
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Science & Technology, Future
Tags Lyric Poem, Technology, Health, Arts & Culture
Publication year 2006
Genre Reference/Text Book, Nonfiction
Themes Science & Technology, Femininity, Masculinity, Gender Identity, Childhood & Youth, Aging, Midlife, Marriage, Mothers, Nature Versus Nurture
Tags Psychology, Science & Nature, Health, Self-Improvement, Gender & Feminism, Relationships, Love & Sexuality
Publication year 2016
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Family, Politics & Government, Fate, Science & Technology
Tags Science & Nature, Health, World History
The Gene: An Intimate History (2016) by Siddhartha Mukherjee weaves a family narrative with the tale of the evolution of genetics. Informed by Mukherjee’s experience as an oncologist and researcher, the book showcases both the life-changing potential, as well as danger, of gene-editing technologies. Mukherjee uses the cautionary tale of eugenics to examine what the power to change the genetic structure of human beings means in a fraught, fragmented world. Refuting notions such as biological... Read The Gene Summary
Publication year 2006
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Tags Health, European History, British Literature, Science & Nature, World History
The Ghost Map: The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic—and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World is a nonfiction book by Steven Johnson. It was published in 2006 and was named a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times and a Best Book of the Year by Library Journal and Entertainment Weekly.The immediate subject of The Ghost Map is the cholera outbreak that took place in London in 1854... Read The Ghost Map Summary
Publication year 2001
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Community, Mental Health, Conflict, Self Discovery, Equality, Trust & Doubt
Tags Education, Education, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Mental Illness, Health, Psychology, Self-Improvement
Publication year 2010
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Mental Health, Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Joy
Tags Self-Improvement, Inspirational, Psychology, Religion & Spirituality, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Mental Illness, Health
The Gifts of Imperfection: Your Guide to Wholehearted Living (2022) by Brené Brown (originally published as The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are in 2010) introduces the key concepts that have become a signature of Brown’s research, such as reclaiming the importance of vulnerability and defining shame as an obstacle to self-development and connection. The original book spent 75 weeks on The New... Read The Gifts of Imperfection Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Femininity, Death, Social Class, Education, Justice, Science & Technology
Tags World History, Historical Fiction, Romance, Health, British Literature
Publication year 2012
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Family, Environment
Tags Food, Business & Economics, Science & Nature, Social Justice, Arts & Culture, Health, Biography
Will Allen, author of the 2012 book The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People, and Communities, co-written with Charles Wilson, is an important figure in the American urban farming movement. Born into a farming family, Allen spent much of his adolescence and early adulthood hoping to avoid the agricultural life; however, after a career in professional basketball and later in corporate sales and marketing, Allen finds himself farming full-time, with idealism in his heart... Read The Good Food Revolution Summary
Publication year 2013
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Science & Technology, Politics & Government, Safety & Danger, Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies, Hate & Anger
Tags Crime & Law, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Biography, Health, US History, Depression & Suicide, Mental Illness, Trauma & Abuse
The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder by Charles Graeber is a true crime biography of the life of Charles Cullen, one of the most prolific serial killers in US history. Graeber is an American journalist who spent time as a medical student before moving on to journalism, writing for many prolific news outlets. His joint history in medicine and writing provides him with the necessary expertise to explain the intimacies... Read The Good Nurse Summary
Publication year 2004
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Science & Technology, Good & Evil
Tags World History, Science & Nature, Technology, US History, Health
The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History is a 2004 nonfiction work by American historian John M. Barry. It traces the history of the worst pandemic in world history, the influenza pandemic of 1918 and 1919. Barry approaches the subject with a broad audience in mind, placing the story of the flu inside the broader story of medical and scientific history. While focusing on the men who fought the pandemic, Barry... Read The Great Influenza Summary
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Perseverance, Hope, Social Class, Community, Art, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology
Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Health, British Literature, Children`s Literature, Grief & Death, World History
The Great Trouble: A Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel (2013) is a middle grade historical fiction novel by American author Deborah Hopkinson. Hopkinson is a prolific writer of books for young readers and has published over 70 books, including biographies, picture books, middle grade historical fiction, and long-form nonfiction. The Great Trouble explores themes of class disparity and scientific inquiry and is set against the background of the 1854... Read The Great Trouble Summary