Through the Shadowlands by Julie Rehmeyer

She writes, “I tried to explain that running off after every quack treatment my friends pushed on me just made me feel desperate and hopeless. That audience will feel, along with Julie, what this is like. In fact, I think she is talking primarily to people not familiar with ME. We’ve all been there.īut Julie isn’t just talking to ME patients with this book. She faced victim blaming, where someone insists that if the suggested treatment didn’t work then she must not be trying hard enough, or must not want to get well. And Julie entered the same labyrinth that so many of us did: the trips to different doctors, the suggestion or diagnosis of a psychological problem, the lack of scientifically established treatments. Each of us has that point of recognition that our bodies have shifted out of health in a serious and fundamental way. She describes knowing, “Something is really, really wrong with me.” We’ve all had that moment – before diagnosis, perhaps even before seeking medical care. Julie’s story of getting sick, and how her life began to shrink, will feel very familiar to people with ME. Julie can explain facts and details so clearly, and then write passages like, “The straw of my house gleamed golden against the brown patches of mud plaster, as if the house were the love child of the sun and the earth.” The experience of reading this book is a pleasure. She tells her story with honesty and clarity, and the narrative tugs the reader along her winding path from childhood through illness and on to the other side. The first thing to know about this book is that Julie can write. But before publication, I was able to read the final version from start to finish with the perspective of a reviewer, and I offer my comments here.

First, I had the opportunity to read Julie’s early drafts and provide feedback as her friend.

I have read this book from two perspectives. But today, she publishes Through the Shadowlands, a book about her personal journey through ME and back to life. Julie Rehmeyer is a science writer and person with ME who has written extensively about research and controversies like the PACE trial.

Through the Shadowlands by Julie Rehmeyer