Illness Fiction

Books are essential tools for the emotional and social development of children. Books expand the children's worlds. In this way, their ability to express themselves improves. Sam Levenson explained the importance of books for children with the following sentence: "A parent who is interested in him and a child who has plenty of books to read at home is not poor!"

¿Por qué es bueno dormir en múltiplos de 90 minutos? ¿Qué cantidad de agua podemos beber antes de ir a la cama? Pasamos una tercera parte de nuestras vidas entre sábanas. Los que tienen suerte, durmiendo, pero muchos otros dando vueltas en la cama tratando de conciliar el sueño. Las horas de descanso tienen un efecto directo en nuestro rendimiento. Nuestro estado de ánimo, humor, motivación, y desempeño están condicionados por nuestro tiempo de reposo.

In first grade, twins Alexis and Adam wrote down what they wanted to be when they grew up and put it in their teacher’s time capsule. Now entering their senior year in high school, they are surprised to find out what they wrote: Alexis wanted to "help people" and Adam wanted to be a fireman. But that was before Adam got sick and their family fell apart. Adam’s leukemia is now in remission but, sadly, so is the twins’ family. Their mother and father are always working - not only don’t they have time for Alexis and Adam, they don’t have time for each other. Alexis can’t even convince them to take a weekend off for one last family vacation to Disney World.

After receiving the news that in vitro would be her only hope for biological children, award-winning poet Emily Adams had to learn to live in a new world of needles, embarrassing tests, long waiting periods, and expensive doctor appointments.

Dani was born with her heart on the wrong side of her body. In her 15 years of life, she’s had more doctor’s appointments, X-rays, and tests, and eaten more green hospital Jell-O than she cares to think about. Fourteen-year-old Amanda is a competitive gymnast, her body a small package of sleek muscles, in perfect health. The two girls don’t know each other, don’t go to the same school, don’t have any friends in common. But their lives are about to collide. Acclaimed author Jill Wolfson tackles this fascinating story with her trademark honesty and wit.

Even though the cancer should be far behind him, Jeffrey still worries that it will return. He’s got normal teen stuff to deal with, too - friends, parents, girls, school. Normally, he’d ask his older brother, Steven, for advice. But Steven, always the trusty, responsible one, is finally rebelling and has taken off to Africa to join a drumming circle and “find himself”. Jeffrey feels abandoned. Meanwhile, his best friend, Tad, is hatching some kind of secretive, crazy plan involving eighth-grade graduation.....

The Discovery of Flight is a novel in two voices about the relationship between two sisters, the older of whom is disabled by cerebral palsy and only able to communicate with assistive technology (she can control her computer by moving her eyes). It interweaves the fantasy novel 16-year-old Libby is writing for Sophie’s 13th birthday and Sophie’s diary, in which she discusses the deteriorating condition of her older sister.

It’s been a year since 15-year-old Mia Hopkins was in the car crash that killed her older sister and left her terribly scarred. The doctors tell her she was lucky to survive. Her therapist says it will take time to heal. The police reports claim there were trace amounts of alcohol in her bloodstream. But no matter how much she tries to reconstruct the events of that fateful night, Mia’s memory is spotty at best. She’s left with accusations, rumors, and guilt so powerful it could consume her.

Virginia Hendricks, a beautiful country girl from Millry, Alabama, was swept off her feet at the age of 19 by a handsome and charming preacher’s kid. As they build a life around the military, Virginia is forced to test her unconditional love for Franklin as his genetic inheritance of bipolar disorder seeks to destroy their family. By God’s grace, they fight to persevere through tragedy, illness, despair, and heartbreak during a long battle with the ups and downs of manic love.

In early 2020, our lives were upended by a new virus that caused the most severe pandemic in over a century. Where did this virus, first called the novel coronavirus and later SARS coronavirus-2, come from? Did we see it coming? If so, why weren't we better prepared for it? How lethal is it really? How can we protect ourselves from it? How will the pandemic end? What will life be like once it is over? In this meticulously researched book, Anirban Mahapatra demystifies the virus and offers us a historical perspective.

Prologue to an Epitaph is an exciting, moving account in which the author relays a compelling narrative from four different viewpoints - the diametrically opposing perspectives of a neonatal intensive care unit nurse, the teen mother, her younger brother, and the preemie herself.

Only God could weave a story that would captivate people all over the world, bring thousands of people from 17 countries to a free-throw line, raise over a million dollars in international AIDS relief, and build a school and medical clinic in Zambia. And only God could do it through the hands of a nine-year-old boy. Austin made a difference by shooting hoops. Take Your Best Shot captures Austin’s amazing adventure and challenges listeners to make a difference.

It’s been a year since the shark attack that took Jane’s arm, and with it, everything she used to take for granted. Her dream of becoming an artist is in jeopardy, and part of her wonders if she’s duty bound to "give back" by becoming a nurse. Meanwhile, her former crush, Max, reappears in her life, this time as a science tutor, and Jane’s old feelings come bubbling to the surface. But Max couldn’t possibly be interested in her, could he? And would Jane be better off with the cute boy from her science class, who makes it clear that he’d like to see more of Jane?

Jessica McMillian and Jeremy Travino are a perfect couple. But now Jessica has been diagnosed as having kidney failure. She is on dialysis three days a week and is so depressed that she's not sure she wants to live. Her one hope for a normal life is a kidney transplant, but she's an only child and her parents aren't suitable donors. Jeremy is determined to donate one of her kidneys to her, but his parents are terrified of losing their only child. Will Jeremy find the strength to go against his parents' wishes and do what he must to save Jessica?

When circumstances throw these two polar opposites together, they find they have more in common than they imagined. CJ discovers Russ's talent for art and arranges for Russ to create a mural in the hospital foyer, which leads to a tentative scholarship to the Art Institute. As life changes in ways neither of them could have expected, Russ must work harder than ever to better himself as CJ struggles with his deteriorating health.

With breathtaking lyricism and a vulnerability that pierces the heart, April Gibson journeys through the emotional abysses, the daily pleasures, the frustrations, and the joys of being a Black woman living with chronic illness. Gibson offers a unique perspective on “the body,” viewing disability and healthcare through both feminist and socio-economic lenses filtered by race and faith. Through gorgeous sensory language that migrates memories, from carefree innocence to the ravages formed in its absence, Gibson bears witness to grief, courage, and resistance to redefine herself on her own terms.

Just as Daniel is trying to fit in at his new school, his mum, the head teacher, stops taking her medicine. As she starts behaving more and more weirdly, Daniel realizes that his mum is ill - and he is the only person who can help her.

Kann man hier bitte schön mal in Ruhe pubertieren?! Karlis Familie ist eine echte Vollkatastrophe: Seine Mutter isst Unmengen an Haferkeksen, während sie lauter nutzlose Sachen erfindet, die sowieso nie funktionieren, sein Vater sitzt im Rollstuhl, möchte aber unbedingt an einem Rennen teilnehmen, was nur oberpeinlich enden kann, und seine Patentante ist sich nicht sicher, ob sie ein Mann oder eine Frau ist.

"The Horla" is the chilling tale of one man's descent into madness. Maupassant established a reputation in France as an absolute master of the short story, before himself succumbing to the mental illness that ravaged his later life. This story is the terrifying tale of an invisible vampire, told by a narrator himself on the brink of insanity, and written by a master of the macabre clearly at the peak of his powers.

A todos nos sucede: a veces nuestro "runrún" interior no nos deja descansar, porque tenemos un tiovivo de pensamientos recurrentes girando por nuestra cabeza. ¿Cómo podemos "apagar" ese ruido mental para aumentar el reposo y la creatividad? De la mano de Xavier Guix, uno de los grandes psicólogos del momento, aprenderemos cómo funciona nuestra mente para hacernos amigos de ella y acallar estos procesos que nos desgastan.