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 Hot Zone

by Richard Preston

Publication year 1994

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Environment, Globalization, Community

Tags Science & Nature, Health, Horror & Suspense, World History

The Hot Zone by Richard Preston is a non-fiction thriller, published in 1994, two years after his article “Crisis in the Hot Zone” appeared in The New Yorker. Preston writes often on Ebola, bioweapons, and emerging viruses. The Hot Zone deals with the breaking of Ebola into the human species and a 1989 incident in which an Ebola-like virus, the Reston virus, sweeps through a monkey quarantine facility outside of Washington, DC. The book served... Read The Hot Zone Summary

The House of God

by Samuel Shem

Publication year 1978

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Trust & Doubt

Tags Satirical Literature, Humor, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction, Health

The House of God is a novel written by American author and doctor Samuel Bergman under the pseudonym Samuel Shem and originally published in 1978. The book is heavily based on Bergman’s own experiences as a medical intern in the early 1970s, and the fictional hospital “the House of God” is a thinly veiled fictional version of the Beth Israel teaching hospital associated with Harvard Medical School. The novel is a satire in the vein... Read The House of God Summary

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

by Rebecca Skloot

Publication year 2010

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Tags US History, Health, Science & Nature, World History, Biography

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot is a non-fiction book that tells the story of Lacks and her HeLa cells, or the immortal cell line that doctors retrieved from her cervical cancer cells. Crown Publishing Group published the book in 2010, and it won a National Academies Communication Award the following year. This guide refers to the Crown 2010 first edition. Henrietta Lacks was a black American woman who died of cancer... Read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Summary

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

by Oliver Sacks

Publication year 1985

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Disability, Perseverance, Science & Technology

Tags Science & Nature, Psychology, Health, Disability

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales (1973) is British neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks’s fourth book. Sacks is a renowned physician, professor, and writer whom the New York Times calls “the poet laureate of medicine.” Sacks is best known for his 1973 memoir Awakenings, in which he explores the history of the encephalitis lethargica epidemic. In 1990, the story was adapted into a critically acclaimed movie starring Robin Williams... Read The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat Summary

The Mountain Is You

by Brianna Wiest

Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Mental Health, Religion & Spirituality, Self Discovery, New Age, Conflict

Tags Self-Improvement, Psychology, Relationships, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Mental Illness, Health, Religion & Spirituality

... Read The Mountain Is You Summary

The Music of Bees

by Eileen Garvin

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Community, Friendship, Environment, Perseverance, Mental Health, Self Discovery, Animals, Plants, Beauty, Politics & Government, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hope

Tags Animals, Science & Nature, Disability, Coming of Age, Agriculture, Education, Health, Grief & Death, Depression & Suicide, Mental Illness, Social Justice, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read The Music of Bees Summary

The Nature Principle

by Richard Louv

Publication year 2011

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Nature Versus Nurture, Environment

Tags Science & Nature, Education, Education, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Health

In The Nature Principle, journalist and environmentalist Richard Louv calls for action against the nature-deficit disorder, a term he introduced in his bestselling novel Last Child in the Woods. Nature-deficit disorder is the mental, spiritual, emotional and physical detriment caused by a lack of connection with our natural environment. Written in five parts, Louv makes a compelling argument for decreasing the nature-deficit disorder in adults and presents recommendations for how to do so. Louv bases... Read The Nature Principle Summary

The Omnivore's Dilemma

by Michael Pollan

Publication year 2006

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Animals, Food, Environment, Plants

Tags Food, Health, Science & Nature

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan is an exploration of what people eat and why. Pollan is an immersive journalist who has studied and written on a wide range of topics including gardening, food, architecture, and psychedelics. Pollan is the Knight Professor of Science and Environmental Journalism at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Each of Pollan’s books examines the intersection of humans and nature. Pollan’s 2001 book... Read The Omnivore's Dilemma Summary

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot

by Marianne Cronin

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Community, Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Gratitude, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Hope, Joy, Death, Self Discovery, Art, Truth & Lies, Guilt

Tags LGBTQ+, Romance, Arts & Culture, Grief & Death, Health, Love & Sexuality, Mental Illness, Parenting, Relationships, Religion & Spirituality, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot Summary

The Organ Thieves

by Chip Jones

Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Death, Social Class, Community, Education, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags World History, US History, Science & Nature, Health, Race & Racism, Crime & Law

... Read The Organ Thieves Summary