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.

Publication year 2007

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Disability, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Society: Community, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Equality

Tags Health / Medicine, Psychology, Disability, Japanese Literature, Psychology, Mental Illness, Biography


Publication year 1999

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Beauty

Tags Education, Education, Health / Medicine, Biography

The Scalpel and the Silver Bear: The First Navajo Woman Surgeon Combines Western Medicine and Traditional Healing (1999) is the autobiography of Dr. Lori Arviso Alvord. It details her journey to become the first Navajo female surgeon, overcoming the challenges presented to her by her own Navajo culture as well as the prevailing stereotype at the time that only men could be surgeons. Along this journey, Lori realizes that western medicine is facing a crisis... Read The Scalpel and the Silver Bear Summary


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Society: Community

Tags Historical Fiction, Health / Medicine, Roaring Twenties, History: World, Drama / Tragedy, Romance


Publication year 2022

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: Mortality & Death

Tags Science / Nature, Health / Medicine, History: World, Technology


Publication year 1997

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Disability, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Health / Medicine, Science / Nature, Sociology, Immigration / Refugee, American Literature, Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, History: World, Biography

Anne Fadiman’s nonfiction book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures chronicles the life of Lia Lee, a Hmong girl who lives with her family in Merced, California, in the 1980s and 1990s. The book examines the cultural misunderstandings and conflicting belief systems that result in Lia’s poor medical treatment after she is diagnosed with a severe form of epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome... Read The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Summary


Publication year 2013

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Nurture v. Nature

Tags Science / Nature, Sports, Psychology, Psychology, Self Help, Health / Medicine

The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance is a 2013 non-fiction book by David Epstein that investigates the role of genetics in athletics. The Sports Gene became a New York Times best seller and was nominated for the 2014 PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing. Epstein, an investigative reporter and a passionate runner, combines data from scientific research, interviews with experts, and biographies and anecdotes of individual athletes to paint a complex... Read The Sports Gene Summary


Publication year 1927

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Colonialism, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Society: Class, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Indian Literature, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality, Politics / Government, History: Asian, History: World, Health / Medicine, Poverty, Military / War, Race / Racism, Relationships, Social Justice

The Story of My Experiments with Truth is the autobiography of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, more widely known as Mahatma Gandhi. A key political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence movement, Gandhi penned this work to narrate his quest for truth and the principles that underpinned his life’s journey. Originally published in 1927, this memoir provides a meticulous account of Gandhi’s spiritual, moral, and political evolution. The literary era in which this was... Read The Story of My Experiments with Truth Summary


Publication year 2010

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Environment

Tags Science / Nature, Climate Change, Business / Economics, Sociology, Health / Medicine, Politics / Government

The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession with Stuff is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health—and a Vision for Change (2010) is a book by Annie Leonard. It is based on a short animated documentary with the same title (2007) written and narrated by Leonard. Leonard criticizes American consumer society that values novelty, accumulation, and low prices for being unsustainable. Overconsumption affects our health, our happiness, and our planet. Leonard travels from factories, to... Read The Story of Stuff Summary


Publication year 2013

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Food, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags Anthropology, Anthropology, Science / Nature, History: World, Health / Medicine


Publication year 2014

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Society: Education, Relationships: Daughters & Sons

Tags Psychology, Parenting, Science / Nature, Education, Education, Psychology, Self Help, Health / Medicine

The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults (2014) is by American neurologist Frances E. Jensen with journalist Amy Ellis Nutt. A New York Times bestseller, the book was nominated for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Prize for Literary Science Writing. The Teenage Brain is a guide to the workings of the adolescent brain aimed at parents. Using scientific research data combined with real-life stories and anecdotes, the author explains the changes... Read The Teenage Brain Summary


Publication year 2011

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags Science / Nature, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Health / Medicine


Publication year 1998

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness

Tags Health / Medicine, 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


Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Identity: Femininity, Natural World: Environment

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, LGBTQ, Gender / Feminism, Health / Medicine, 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


Publication year 2007

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Self Discovery

Tags Self Help, Religion / Spirituality, Inspirational, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Mental Illness, Health / Medicine

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


Publication year 2019

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger

Tags Race / Racism, Health / Medicine


Publication year 1986

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Society: Community, Identity: Sexuality, Emotions/Behavior: Grief

Tags LGBTQ, Health / Medicine, American Literature, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction


Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Self Help, Philosophy, Psychology, Health / Medicine, Religion / Spirituality, Psychology, Philosophy, Mental Illness


Publication year 2017

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Health / Medicine, Humor, Science / Nature


Publication year 2021

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Environment, Identity: Indigenous, Society: Colonialism, Society: Politics & Government

Tags Science / Nature, Psychology, Health / Medicine, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Agriculture, Anthropology, Business / Economics, History: European, History: U.S., Politics / Government, History: World, Journalism, Religion / Spirituality, Psychology, Food


Publication year 2014

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Self Discovery, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags Self Help, Business / Economics, Psychology, Health / Medicine, Psychology, Biography