The writer pulls no punches.  Speaking from personal experience informs her critiques of unhelpful public policies, inadequate medical attention, and public ignorance.  But the book is by no means all complaint. The author brings force and intelligence to bear in showing how greater awareness can profoundly change the contexts in which healing may be possible for those who rely on a social environment that can enable or impede their daily lives in practical ways.  She encourages readers to take a critical look at the norms and attitudes that shape medical practice and public policy and to add their voices to the ongoing conversations about the needs and rights of those whose vested interests in an adequate healthcare system put them on the front lines.