Books like Unexpected blessings by Roxanne Black

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks follows the story of Henrietta Lacks, a poor black tobacco farmer whose cancer cells were taken in 1951 without her consent and later became the first immortal human cell line, HeLa, driving major scientific breakthroughs while raising questions of ethics, race, and medical exploitation.

Anorexia is a harrowing autobiographical account of Katie Metcalfe’s battle with the eating disorder, her journey through hospital treatment, and the profound effects on her family.

Terese Marie Mailhot's memoir follows her journey from a turbulent upbringing on Seabird Island to healing through writing, confronting PTSD and bipolar II while honoring her mother and reconciling with her father.

"In the tradition of Brain on Fire and Darkness Visible, an honest, beautifully rendered memoir of chronic illness, misdiagnosis, addiction, and the myth of full recovery that details author Porochista Khakpour's struggles with late-stage Lyme disease. For as long as writer Porochista Khakpour can remember, she has been sick. For most of that time, she didn't know why. All of her trips to the ER and her daily anguish, pain, and lethargy only ever resulted in one question: How could any one person be this sick? Several drug addictions, three major hospitalizations, and over $100,000 later, she finally had a diagnosis: late-stage Lyme disease. Sick is Khakpour's arduous, emotional journey--as a woman, a writer, and a lifelong sufferer of undiagnosed health problems--through the chronic illness that perpetually left her a victim of anxiety, living a life stymied by an unknown condition. Divided by settings, Khakpour guides the reader through her illness by way of the locations that changed her course--New York, LA, New Mexico, and Germany--as she meditates on both the physical and psychological impacts of uncertainty, and the eventual challenge of accepting the diagnosis she had searched for over the course of her adult life. With candor and grace, she examines her subsequent struggles with mental illness, her addiction to the benzodiazepines prescribed by her psychiatrists, and her ever-deteriorating physical health. A story about survival, pain, and transformation, Sick is a candid, illuminating narrative of hope and uncertainty, boldly examining the deep impact of illness on one woman's life."--

Emily Halban’s memoir, *Perfect*, chronicles her descent into and recovery from anorexia nervosa, offering a candid, intimate portrait of the disease’s impact on a young woman’s life.

A journey of healing and self-love for those struggling with eating disorders.

An autobiographical account of a Black woman’s battle with bulimia, exploring cultural barriers, self‑esteem struggles, and the scarcity of race‑sensitive eating‑disorder treatment.

Abby Norman’s memoir recounts her battle with endometriosis, from chronic pain and misdiagnosis to self‑education and activism, revealing the gender bias that often dismisses women’s medical complaints.

John Diamond's witty account of his cancer diagnosis and treatment, an instant bestseller that captures the humor and heart of a man facing mortality.

At 53, Chairman and CEO Eugene O’Kelly’s life is upended when he is diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Within months he documents his final days, reflecting on death, meaning, and the human spirit.