Purchase
Riverhead
July 2008
On Sale: July 3, 2008
272 pages
ISBN: 1594489912
EAN: 9781594489914
Hardcover
Add to Wish List
Non-Fiction Memoir
A hilarious first-person account of life as a
hypochondriac, as well as a look at the condition’s history
and broader cultural context, from the critically acclaimed
author of Devil in the Details. The good news is Jennifer Traig does not have lupus,
multiple sclerosis, Huntington’s disease, Crohn’s disease,
or muscular dystrophy. She discovers that she does not have
SUDS, the mysterious disorder that claims healthy young
Asian men in their sleep, nor does she have Foreign Accent
Syndrome, the bizarre but real neurological condition that
transforms native West Virginians into Eliza Doolittle
overnight. What she does have is hypochondria. Jenny Traig’s inquiry into her ailment is not only an
uproariously funny account but also a literary tour of
hypochondria, past and present: the implied hypochondria of
the Talmud, the flatulence-obsessed eighteenth century, and
the malady’s current unfortunate lack of a celebrity
spokesperson. At the same time, Traig provides an intimate
look at the complement of minor conditions that have
concealed her essential health and driven her persistent
self-diagnosis: the eczema, the shaky hands, and, worst of
all, the bad hair. To her surprise, she ends her journey
more knowledgeable than she was when she started out, a
little less neurotic, and—one might say—healthier. Well Enough Alone is the definitive book on being worried
well, in all of its gruesome and hysterical detail, from
one of our funniest and most distinctive literary voices.
Comments
No comments posted.
Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!
| 
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy