This book, the fifth volume in the "Lexington Studies in Health Communication" series, features a collection of women's narratives regarding health disruptions and illness. All volumes in this series emphasize the importance of communication in health care, aiming to assist providers with hearing and interpreting individual stories of patient experiences. Kellett (Univ. of North Carolina at Greensboro) and Hawkins (St. Cloud State Univ.) have organized 13 narratives in terms of life development stages, forming the three parts of the book: "Beginnings," "Middles," and "Endings and Legacies." Contributors focus their interviews on questions related to communication, relationships, disruptions, and the impact of those disruptions on women's lives. Several chapters include follow-up discussions and references. Helpfully indexed, this compilation provides clear, unique perspectives and analyses of women's experiences as consumers of health care, with the purpose of enlightening students, faculty, and providers about the little-known perspectives, challenges, and conclusions of their clients. A real contribution to health communication scholarship. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. General readers.

Choice Reviews

This book offers powerful accounts of health, uncertainty, suffering, and strength achieved during loss and disruption of health. Contributors skillfully situate narratives within larger literatures such as resilience, support, and advocacy. Through a variety of case studies, in-depth interviews, autoethnography, and personal narratives, contributors position narrative and theoretical and empirical insight throughout varied experiences of humanity. This book will appeal to a broad audience and provides a selection of compelling stories that highlight the varied experiences of women’s health disruption.

Maria K. Venetis, Purdue University