At the Will of the Body: Reflections on Illness

by Arthur W. Frank

A medical sociologist who has been seriously ill twice (heart attack and cancer) explores his experiences and examines what they taught him about how to live. An important resource for caregivers and patients.

In this deeply affecting memoir, Arthur W. Frank explores the events of illness from the transformation from person to patient, the pain, the wonder, and the ceremony of recovery.

To illuminate what illness can teach us about life, Frank draws upon his own encounters with serious illness—a heart attack at age thirty-nine and, a year later, a diagnosis of cancer.

In poignant and clear prose, he offers brilliant insights into what happens when our bodies and emotions are pushed to extremes. Ultimately, he examines what it means to be human.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Health, Disability, Medicine, Psychology, Death

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really changed the way that I think about people facing life threatening illnesses. Especially revealing was Frank's analysis of the interaction between medical providers and patients with serious illnesses. He made a statement about doctors interacting with him less the sicker he got that really stuck with me and helped frame who I strive to be as a doctor to patients with serious illnesses.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

For Arthur Frank, a Canadian professor of sociology, having a heart attack at 40 was not as crucial as winding up with testicular cancer the following year. In AT THE WILL OF THE BODY: REFLECTIONS ON ILLNESS his experiences become a springboard for positive growth. Yet Frank's ruminations are too difficult to be simply inspirational. We can see that although cancer treatment has improved since the late '90's, patients even today are still treated as objects rather than as people, both by themselves, in their tendency to echo and live med speak, and by those in the "caring" professions. For someone who has cancer, Frank's book shows that the path of resistance and continuous growth lies in seeing critical illness as part of the human condition rather than as an impediment or stigma. For those in the medical profession it will be much more challenging to wake up and be human after years of practice. The final sections of the book illustrate how the personal is political by drawing a straight line between the value society places on ill persons and the need for universal insurance coverage to guarantee that all receive the benefits of the best care available.

[Mary Karpel-Jergic · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thought provoking personal narrative about living with chronic, life threatening illness. Illness, much like death is a taboo subject for many yet an inevitable truth that has to be faced. Frank faces this head on and manages to articulate the experience of illness exceptionally well, giving voice to the patient in what is normally medical accounts of disease.

He has a wonderful way with words and offers hope and encouragement to us all. Rather than aiming for recovery and a return to 'normal', we are better equipped if we try to discover what else we may be. Frank provides the possibility to find value in the experience of illness and focuses less on recovery than renewal.

[Bre F · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read about what it means to be ill. Through the authors personal journey with illness, this book challenged my own beliefs about Canadian healthcare. Frank discusses such things as stigma with illness, language around illness, as well as the emotions accompanying being ill. I thoroughly enjoyed this read on "what it means to be human".

[Yenny Gomez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent narrative, it makes you feel and think differently about life, and more importantly, about little things maybe you're missing in the daily life, it's a reflective book. And if you have or had an ill relative, or even you are passing through sickness right now, it's a good way to help you understand how to deal with it.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poignant memoir that addresses what it means and looks like to experience illness, to be a patient, and to be at the mercy of a body that will do what it will do. If you have a body, I recommend that you read this book.

[Andrew Griffith · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best reflective books on illness and life that I have read.

[Debi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most powerful books I've read. It is a beautifully written reflection on the nature of illness.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

transformative for me with chronic illness.

[Hoda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction to the concept of the illness experience. I was particularly fond of Frank's description of physicians as reducing themselves to medical technicians when they have great transformative power in their role.

What I don't understand is how he can say that the gifts of life just happen after recognizing them as gifts. So they just come from nowhere? No Giver? No Sustainer? No Creator?

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Difficult to get through Will be worth a reread maybe after Christmas

[Samantha Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

ANTH 311

[Neil Gilbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book at a rummage sale and discovered the local connection to Calgary later. It was heart-felt and honest but written less like a book and more like a sociology paper (which is excusable considering his profession). It dealt intelligently with reclaiming your mind and body from the ravages of illness and resisting the pull of becoming a product of the medical system which tries to relabel you a disease to be treated. The challenges faced by the author in feeling sincerely cared for by medical professionals and friends in the face of such a personal experience is one, I'm sure, many people in his position face. It's not an easy gap to bridge. True care is an art and a gift many people need to earn by suffering first-hand before using. Very interesting to listen in on his personal thoughts as he grieved loss and then reclaimed life. This book may provide great support to patients, caregivers, and friends suffering through Cancer treatments together.

[Howard Mansfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frank has twice been a patient, suffering a heart attack and cancer. In this short, insightful book, Frank zeros in on what is wrong with modern medicine. His observations about the difference between disease and illness, and about living in “Remission Country” are a good guide for anyone who will ever be ill – which is all of us. (One of the misconceptions of the debate over health care, he says, is that we talk about it as if we’ll never be sick.) Frank shows us the strong effort it takes to accept pain and to live through it so that when we heal we return to our daily routine with a deeper sense of life. At the Will of the Body is both wise counsel and a gift.

[Chris Nagel · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little thin for my purposes. This is halfway between a reflection on illness and pain, and a self-help sort of book: Frank invites readers to respond, and says that the value of this invitation is because so often illness is silenced. So my problem with the book is that I wanted more depth in the discussion of issues like that, but Frank stays more on the surface, just provoking reflection in readers who may not be given to reflection in the first place. Especially good are his discussions of stigma and blame for disease.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't tell you how much Arthur Frank's "pathography" and medical sociology books help me work through the psychological components of my own disease/health stuff. Life-changing in terms of looking backwards as well as ahead to future nursing career.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

For school.

[Sadia Kanwal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to read this for my Nursing course. Very repetitive and boring. Some parts of the book were relatable but it was more like an essay

[Lauren (Smolren) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Imani · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very thoughtful and philosophical book about illness.