Summary:
Karen Thornber is the Harry Tuchman Levin Professor in
Literature and Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard. In
this expansive nearly 700 page book, she draws on work from global literature to
explore the many ways societies view illness, stigma and healing. She defines global literature as “narratives
that grapple with challenges and crises that have global implications or
counterparts globally, whether at present, in the past, or likely in the
future” (p.10).
The book is divided into three sections: Shattering Stigmas, in
which she looks at Leprosy, AIDS, and Alzheimer’s disease; Humanizing
Healthcare; and Prioritizing Partnerships.
Among the topics she addresses are patient-focused care as an
imperative, the need to advance partnerships in caregiving, and support that
extends beyond family and friends to the patient’s relationships with health
professionals. Healing, she notes,
involves “changing the circumstances that exacerbate or even trigger a health
condition, enabling the individual to obtain long-term wellbeing liberated from
as much distress, if not disease, as possible.” (P331).
Thornber has selected literature that addresses the
illness experience and the need to reduce suffering and promote healing, which she
places within three interwoven
frameworks:
“Societies/communities, healthcare settings, and families/ friendships”
(p.583). She looks at both positive
approaches to care as well as the negative impact of suffering, whether from
stigma, inaccessibility to care, or dehumanized care. The book considers literary works from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania,
many that will be new to readers.
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