Once

Once is a memoir by poet and critic Meghan O'Rourke that chronicles her experience with chronic illness and her quest for answers within the medical system. The book documents her years-long journey through symptoms, diagnoses, treatments, and the profound impact of sustained illness on her life and relationships. O'Rourke examines the complex world of autoimmune disease and the gaps in modern medicine's understanding and treatment of chronic conditions. She integrates research on the immune system, medical history, and emerging science with her personal narrative of navigating an often-bewildering healthcare landscape. The work moves between intimate personal accounts and broader investigations of how society and medicine approach invisible illnesses. O'Rourke includes voices of other patients and medical practitioners while exploring the evolution of medical knowledge about autoimmune conditions. The memoir raises questions about the nature of illness itself and how humans make meaning from physical suffering. Through her dual perspective as both patient and researcher, O'Rourke builds a larger meditation on what it means to live in an unwell body and seek restoration in an age of medical uncertainty.

Readers note O'Rourke's precise imagery and metaphors that explore grief, love, and memory. Many highlight her creative use of white space and line breaks to reflect emotional states. Readers appreciate: - Musical quality and rhythm of the poems - Depth of emotional investigation without sentimentality - References to mythology woven through personal narrative Common criticisms: - Some poems feel too abstract or distant - A few readers found certain sections repetitive - Collection's tone described as overly academic by some Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (433 ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (22 ratings) Notable reader comments: "The poems about childhood memory hit hardest" - Goodreads reviewer "Her use of space on the page creates its own kind of meaning" - Amazon reviewer "Sometimes too cerebrally removed from its subject matter" - Poetry Foundation forum comment

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🌟 Author Meghan O'Rourke spent 15 years visiting doctors and specialists while battling mysterious chronic illness symptoms before finally receiving diagnoses of autoimmune conditions and Long COVID. 🔬 The book delves into the history of "medical gaslighting," particularly how women's chronic health conditions have often been dismissed as psychological rather than physical problems. 📚 O'Rourke, who previously served as culture editor for Slate and poetry editor for The Paris Review, wrote much of this memoir while bedridden during severe illness flares. 🧬 Research cited in the book reveals that autoimmune diseases have tripled in prevalence over the past 50 years, with women representing approximately 80% of patients. 🏥 The title "Once" reflects the author's meditation on how chronic illness divides life into a "before" and "after," creating a permanent shift in one's relationship with their body and the world.