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Hysteria: A memoir of illness, strength and women's stories throughout history by Katerina Bryant

by
May 2020, no. 421

Hysteria: A memoir of illness, strength and women's stories throughout history by Katerina Bryant

NewSouth, $29.99 pb, 208 pp

Hysteria: A memoir of illness, strength and women's stories throughout history by Katerina Bryant

by
May 2020, no. 421

I read this book about a young woman falling into the dislocating world of a puzzling mental illness at a time when the global pandemic was disrupting many people’s equilibrium. I started to wonder: might living through this time of enhanced anxiety encourage empathy towards people who experience extreme anxiety in non-pandemic times? If those living in the ‘kingdom of the well’ (as Susan Sontag puts it) now start to recognise the contingent, temporary, and often accidental nature of well-being, could that trigger a deeper understanding of those who always live with chronic illness or disability?

Rachel Robertson reviews 'Hysteria: A memoir of illness, strength and women's stories throughout history' by Katerina Bryant

Hysteria: A memoir of illness, strength and women's stories throughout history

by Katerina Bryant

NewSouth, $29.99 pb, 208 pp

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Comment (1)

  • Dear ABR readers,

    In the midst of the current crisis, we have delayed some of our May releases. Hysteria will now be published in September 2020. We can't wait to share it with you then.

    All best,
    NewSouth Publishing
    Posted by Caitlin Lawless
    05 May 2020

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