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 1995
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Education, Education, Grief / Death, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Classic Fiction, Health / Medicine
Wit—sometimes spelled as W;t—is a Pulitzer-Prize winning play by Margaret Edson first published in 1995. The play follows the story of Dr. Vivian Bearing, a 50-year-old professor of 17th-century poetry who has recently been diagnosed with stage-four metastatic ovarian cancer. The plot itself is nonlinear; for example, the opening scene of the play takes place two hours before Vivian dies, but the play switches between Vivian’s childhood, career, and treatment milestones to tell her whole... Read Wit Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Life/Time: Aging, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Emotions/Behavior: Joy
Tags Self Help, Psychology, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology, Psychology, Mental Illness, Health / Medicine
Publication year 2001
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Historical Fiction, Health / Medicine, British Literature, History: World
Year of Wonders (2001) is a historical fiction novel by Geraldine Brooks, tracing the 1666 outbreak of the bubonic plague in the English town of Eyam. When the town’s zealous rector, Michael Mompellion, and the community submit to a voluntary quarantine, young widow Anna Frith serves with the rector and his wife Elinor to minister to the townsfolk as the plague wreaks havoc. Through the eyes of 18-year-old Anna, the novel explores what happens when... Read Year of Wonders Summary
Publication year 2014
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology
Tags Self Help, Psychology, Health / Medicine, Religion / Spirituality, Science / Nature