A Dangerously High Threshold for Pain

By: Imani Perry

Narrated by: Imani Perry

A groundbreaking new work from National Book Award winner Imani Perry.

Imani Perry’s Audible Original A Dangerously High Threshold for Pain tells the dramatic story of her ongoing struggle with lupus—an autoimmune disease that attacks multiple organ systems—and what we can all learn from those who are grappling with chronic illness. It’s a powerful and poetic story that evokes the works of Susan Sontag, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Audre Lorde.

We follow Perry as her body sends her the first warning signs that something is wrong—“One afternoon something hurt in a way that folded my body in two...the pain felt biblical.” We are then taken on a journey through a medical labyrinth as she seeks solutions to her suffering and struggles to juggle illness, her high-flying career, and her personal life.

This is a story not just about pain, but about hope, as Perry learns to coexist in her body with her disease and finds comfort in sharing her story. As she puts it, “I write to care for myself."

©2022 Imani Perry (P)2023 Audible Originals, LLC.

A mighty and necessary read

Everyone should give this a read in the name of love, hope, justice, compassion, and empathy - especially with a catered lean towards those of us who are suffering in silence to some kind of disabled terror.

Imani I see you Beautiful Lady

A Dangerously High Threshold For Pain was a very eye-opening story about Imani Perry.

Imani, I really feel you and see you and I say this with respect and admiration, I felt sad reading what you had to endure in the hands and voices of a bunch of ignorant racists who felt so entitled and think and thought they were the chosen ones when in reality is just laughable to see these people from whom they really are, a bunch of sheep ignorants who can't see farther than their wallets and their skin.

Imani's story is the story of many around the world who is suffering from lupus or any other chronic illness that doctors don't even know how to treat, and they will usually give a wrong diagnosis or dismiss you when they don't even know what they're even treating.

Imani went through so much, many different symptoms and pain and illnesses and treatments, without ever getting any hope, most of the doctors will say a bunch of things but will never find a reasonable treatment or cure.

Imani, have you tried Anthony Williams's approach? I hope one day people give their bodies a chance to try and heal themselves with food rather than listen to a bunch of idiots saying "fruit is bad" if a doctor ever tells me to stop eating fruit I will run away as far away as I can never to return.

I come from a family of Doctors and I can say they don't have all the answers and they are not always right, sometimes they will miss diagnose, and sometimes they will even lie to you or even say something just to put you at ease when the reality is even farther. We live in a world where pharmaceutical corporations pretend to be more powerful than God and nature, we live in a world where humans and doctors feel like they can do whatever they want and diagnose and treat you as they please, and if you even dare to mention something holistic or alternative they will make you feel like a weirdo or like you're insane.

May I remind you that medicines come from a plant?????? have you forgotten that ?? and now you're telling the world that plants and food are irrelevant to your body??? wow

all my love and admiration for Imani, you're a warrior Imani never forget that, and no one should ever feel entitled to tell you how to feel and what to say, and how to act you're unique and beautiful.

the narrations by Imani thank you for your story and your beautiful voice

love this audiobook.

Beautifully written

This is a poignant piece. It is a beautifully human meditation on a life and life in general.

Invisible

I loved this book! So perfectly descriptive of how it is to live with an invisible illness!

Incredible

Beautifully written, poetic, insightful, and wise, moving, brilliant and important. Her voice is calming. Her message is clear, unwavering and real. As someone diagnosed with an auto immune disease immediately following a COVID infection, my life forever changed, this felt like a life ring thrown to me by a woman who has learned to life with disease and reality, with humility and grace. It’s so good that upon ending it just now, I have decided to listen to all of it again in a few days. Thank you Imani.

Relief

Also having polyautoimmunity, some of the author’s descriptions of what her pain felt like really hit the nail on the head. I don’t care if I get dirty looks for parking in the handicapped spots. If people knew the tremendous effort it takes to do the simplest tasks, they might not judge.

Imani Perry gives poignant voice to trauma

Imani Perry has changed the way I perceive my body and what it means to be healthy. When she speaks of the human body being in a constant state of fragility, a light turned on in my brain. Of course it is, I thought. And with that simple truth, I began to see myself in the world with more clarity. That is the mark of an ingenious storyteller, in my opinion. I look forward to further illuminations by the phenomenal Imani Perry.

Lupus is a delusive and often debilitating condition.

Although the author is quite articulate, The content of this book would have been more effectively verbalized by a professional narrator. Listening to the author’s voice was annoying and flat most of the time. I continued listening because her description of the myriad ways her body was affected by lupus is very well documented. The information in this book is something everyone needs to know and understand in order to have compassion for others living with a lupus diagnosis. The book contains information well worth being aware of especially for friends and family of someone with a lupus disease.

Best Explanation of the Interior Battles

I've only managed to find a few people who can speak to chronic illness that is both ever present and never visible and she does it so well. I really appreciate her honesty and openness, her perspective on humiliation and the intimate recollection of her struggle with doctors and experts and family and friends. Beautifully done. And she somehow manages to express all of this while also taking on the issues of racism and apathy and victim blaming in the medical world. Cannot recommend this highly enough. It was exceptionally cathartic and vindicating even as her view challenged me to look even further into my own advocacy and self-care. I hope I can speak to my own experience as well as she does at some point.

Thank you!

Loved every minute of this; I just wished it were longer! Highly recommend listening to this book.