Why read The Sleeping Beauties?

Book cover of The Sleeping Beauties: And Other Stories of Mystery Illness

Book description

Shortlisted for the Royal Society Science Book Prize.

A gripping investigation into an extraordinary medical phenomenon, from Wellcome Prize-winning neurologist Suzanne O'Sullivan.

'To compare any book to a Sacks is unfair, but this one lives up to it . . . I finished it feeling thrillingly unsettled, and wishing there…

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Sweden

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Sleeping Beauties as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Sasha Ayad

Author

I love this book because the writing gripped me from the first story of girls in Sweden falling into a sleep-like state.

I loved the richness of the case studies and the compassionate humanity with which O’Sullivan recounts mysterious psychogenic illnesses from all around the world. I found myself intrigued by some of the exotic locations and fascinating spiritual beliefs of the people she interviewed while, at the same time, clearly recognizing the way we, too, have our own illness narratives that shape our understanding of distress and suffering here in the West.

I couldn’t put this book down!

From Sasha's list on exploring the fascinating relationship between culture, the individual, and psychological diagnoses.