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 Tennis Partner

by Abraham Verghese

Publication year 1998

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Friendship, Mental Health, Grief, Loneliness

Tags Health, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Sports, Mental Illness, Biography

The Tennis Partner: A Story of Friendship and Loss (1998) is a memoir by physician Abraham Verghese. It follows his friendship with David Smith, a medical student recovering from drug addiction, and the regular games of tennis that lie at the heart of their relationship. The book explores the themes The Disease of Addiction, The Power of Ritual, and Navigating Loneliness and Conflict in Relationships.Verghese is a physician, professor, and best-selling author. His first book... Read The Tennis Partner Summary

The Tiger Flu

by Larissa Lai

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Femininity, Environment

Tags Science Fiction, LGBTQ+, Gender & Feminism, Health, Science & Nature, Chinese Literature, Fantasy

The Tiger Flu by Larissa Lai is a work of dystopian speculative fiction first published in 2018 by Arsenal Pulp Press, an independent publisher based in Vancouver, Canada. With its focus on futuristic technologies that merge and manipulate human biology, The Tiger Flu can be subclassified as a cyber/biopunk thriller. The book won the 2019 Lambda Literary Award, which recognizes and celebrates the best LGBTQ books of the year. A Chinese Canadian, lesbian writer, Larissa... Read The Tiger Flu Summary

The Untethered Soul

by Michael A. Singer

Publication year 2007

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Mental Health, Religion & Spirituality, Self Discovery

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

Michael A. Singer’s The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself, originally published in 2007, is a spiritual self-help book about living life from the point of view of centered consciousness. Identifying with the nonstop chaos of thinking, emotion, and stimulus in our minds causes most of our problems, and Singer offers insight about how to identify as pure awareness and simply notice our experiences pass by without identifying with them. He discusses how our levels... Read The Untethered Soul Summary

Think Like a Monk

by Jay Shetty

Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Forgiveness, Love, Perseverance, Order & Chaos, Truth & Lies

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

... Read Think Like a Monk Summary

This Is Your Mind on Plants

by Michael Pollan

Publication year 2021

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Environment, Indigenous Identity, Colonialism, Politics & Government

Tags Science & Nature, Psychology, Health, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Agriculture, Anthropology, Business & Economics, European History, US History, Politics & Government, World History, Journalism, Religion & Spirituality, Psychology, Food

... Read This Is Your Mind on Plants Summary

Thrive

by Arianna Huffington

Publication year 2014

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Self Discovery, Death, Science & Technology

Tags Self-Improvement, Business & Economics, Psychology, Health, Psychology, Biography

... Read Thrive Summary

Together

by Vivek Murthy

Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Mental Health, Loneliness, Family, Community

Tags Psychology, Self-Improvement, Health, Relationships, Sociology, Science & Nature, Psychology, Mental Illness

... Read Together Summary

Twisted Hate

by Ana Huang

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Loyalty & Betrayal, Beauty, Self Discovery, Friendship, Family, Appearance & Reality, Hate & Anger

Tags Romance, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Health

... Read Twisted Hate Summary

What Made Maddy Run

by Kate Fagan

Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Psychology, Sports, Depression & Suicide, Journalism, Mental Illness, Psychology, Biography, Health

Kate Fagan’s What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen (2017) centers on Madison Holleran, a promising young athlete at the University of Pennsylvania who committed suicide in 2014. This is a work of narrative journalism that grew out of Fagan’s award-winning ESPN essay “Split Image” (2015). Fagan brings her experiences as a college athlete on a Division I team and her expertise as a sports journalist to explore... Read What Made Maddy Run Summary