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Riverhead
July 2008
On Sale: July 3, 2008
272 pages
ISBN: 1594489912
EAN: 9781594489914
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction Memoir
A hilarious first-person account of life as a hypochondriac, as well as a look at the conditionβs 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, Huntingtonβs disease, Crohnβs 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 Traigβs 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 maladyβs 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, andβone might sayβhealthier. 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.
 Media BuzzTalk of the Nation - July 7, 2008
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