The Invisible Kingdom

Reimagining Chronic Illness

By: Meghan O'Rourke

Narrated by: Meghan O'Rourke

A landmark exploration of one of the most consequential and mysterious issues of our time: the rise of chronic illness and autoimmune diseases

A 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.

It is excellent

This is the most realistic explanation of living with chronic illness I have ever come across. I’m so grateful she wrote this book now. I’m high risk and the complete isolation covid quarantining has caused has been absolutely brutal. I’ve been abandoned by friends, family, medical professionals, and now society as you all force the embrace of a new normal. No matter the cost. I wish my family would listen to it, but they won’t. If you have a chronically ill friend or family member it would probably mean the world to them if you read this book and talked to them about it.

the high i wont forget!

I've read lots of medical texts and different accounts on various topics but this one has lifted the curtain on people like me exposed us through the plight of our times

Diagnosed with Endo on 3/14

I have been fighting for a diagnosis since 2011. Finally was diagnosed and treated for endometriosis at the beginning of this year, and was thrilled this book came out while I was in recover. Thank you so much for sharing your story, Meghan. And I’m so glad you narrated. I hate that it’s this way, but your story is so freaking relatable. It was amazing to feel seen and heard while listening to you. Thank you.

A must for anyone suffering from ( mysterious) illness

O’Rourke bares her soul as she pours out metaphor after analogy of what it’s like living with chronic illness ( read: Lyme Disease, ME, EDS, autoimmune issues, and more). Her approach is candid, frank, yet friendly- the listener feels as if they are sitting with a friend unpacking the goings-on of health woes. I doubly appreciate the numerous literary references woven into the story. Anyone who is suffering from allopathic medicine failure will appreciate O’Rourke’s memoir.

Enlightening

As the mom of a chronically Ill daughter, this book was like listening to her/our story. It’s sad that only now when doctors are getting these illnesses do they take notice to the true suffering that is among us. This book gives anyone who hasn’t fully understood or recognized the depth of illness that can be hidden in those around us. May this help those who suffer in their masked illnesses and awaken the caretakers to rise to this challenge.