The Lady's Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Myasthenia Gravis and our BookBrowse Review of The Lady's Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. WOMI (a woman with a mysterious illness) exist all around us. So do MOMIs and POMIs (a man of mysterious illness, or person of mysterious illness). The author, Sarah Ramey, explains that many people she has spoken to "either knew a woman with a mysterious illness, were married to a woman with a mysterious illness, or were themselves a woman with a mysterious illness" (pg. 18). How does this new term resonate with you? Do you identify WOMIs in your everyday life?
2. What is it like going to the doctor as a woman, and how is that different than a man's experience? How does the book explore this topic?
3. One of the most frustrating experiences for WOMIs is that doctors often suggest their symptoms are psychological. Why do you think this happens so frequently? Why is it more common for women, and how did this book expose that discrimination? What other kinds of discrimination have you experienced or heard about in a medical setting?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Anchor Books. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.