The Other excellent books on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis section includes:

• Myalgic encephalomyelitis and postviral fatigue states: The saga of Royal Free Disease by Melvin Ramsay MD
• ME: The New Plague by Jane Colby
• In the Shadow of Memory by Floyd Skloot
• The Night Side: CFS and the Illness Experience by Floyd Skloot
• A World of Light by Floyd Skloot
• The Doctor's Guide to CFS by David S. Bell MD
• The Disease of a Thousand Names by David S. Bell MD
• A Parents Guide to CFIDS by David S. Bell MD
• Faces of CFS by David S. Bell MD
• Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Clinical Working Case Definition by Carruthers et al.
• America's Biggest Cover-Up: 50 More Things Everyone Should Know About The Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Epidemic And Its Link To AIDS by Neenyah Ostrom
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Biological Approach by Patrick Englebienne
• Enteroviral and Toxin Mediated Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Other Organ Pathologies by John Richardson

Novels (etc) involving M.E. and/or M.E. sufferers:

• Diana's Story by Deric Longden (a novel)
• The Bounty Hunters by Gurli Bagnall (a novel)
• stranger and stranger by Robert McMullen (non-fiction/a memoir)

(Note that not all of these books have been reviewed yet, merely categorised)

Myalgic encephalomyelitis and postviral fatigue states: The saga of Royal Free Disease by Melvin Ramsay MD.

The title of this book may be misinterpreted to mean that Ramsay is saying that M.E. and post-viral fatigue states are one and the same, but this is not the case! This book explains exactly why post viral fatigue and fatigue states (for example, as caused by glandular fever/mononucleosis) are NOT the same as authentic neurological Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

This book is an essential read for anyone interested in the history of M.E. It really is mind-blowing to know how much was know about M.E. in 1986 - BEFORE the definitions of 'CFS' were released and it was claimed that this was such a 'mysterious' illness where 'no abnormalities' had been found on testing. This book clearly exposes the 1988 definition of CFS as pure fantasy, and as completely unscientific - along with each of the subsequent CFS definitions.

Melvin Ramsay was the recognized authority in ME from 1955 until his death in 1990. However, research has advanced further in the understanding of M.E. since this time (particularly regarding cardiac involvement in ME) and so this book is included on this list for its historical significance rather than this book constituting the totality of our current state of knowledge on the illness. Having said that, few authors or doctors involved in M.E. today are as accurate in their observations about the illness as Ramsay was, all those years ago. It really is still amazing how much of what we know now, was already known before 1986. M.E. NEVER WAS a mysterious and unexplained illness that may could be psychological! These theories have been disproven right from before they were invented.

See the Dr Ramsay page for an explanation of Dr Ramsay's contribution to M.E. research and advocacy - and to every patient with M.E. - in more detail. We are all deeply indebted to the many years of work on M.E. by Dr Ramsay.

Dr Hyde's ME textbook also contains papers by Dr Melvin Ramsay, as well as other more excellent papers by Dr Hyde and others. It is perhaps a better idea to read Ramsay's papers in this excellent 700 page + textbook rather than in this small book by Ramsay (which is very short and quite expensive).

Second-hand copies of this book are available from Amazon.

In the Shadow of Memory by Floyd Skloot

17 essays reflecting on the author’s life experiences, some of them about living with his ME symptoms, particularly his cognitive ones.

Comments: I love this book.

Readability: Very high, he has a really easy to read style, he's extremely likable as well. Even the essays that aren’t about ME are good, he has some fascinating family members and family stories to say the least.

Any stupid bits? None.

Mentions of the severely affected: None really, Skloot focuses almost completely on his own cognitive deficits and to a much lesser extent his physical limitations as well. He doesn’t really acknowledge that he is moderately affected compared to many but then, his style is not about giving lectures and lots of facts and figures – just convincing with compelling and credible personal experience – and I think it works.

Rating: A really great read, fantastic for understanding how ME affects your brain. No other book explains cognitive problems in ME as well as he does. It gives you a deeper understanding of how changed the ME brain is, and from that, better ideas on how to cope with it. There is also an absolutely brilliant piece describing the latest physical he was forced to undergo to keep his disability payments – it’s a book worth reading for that particular essay alone.

Quote: "I used to be able to think. My brains circuits were all connected and I had a spark, a quickness of mind that let me focus well in the world. I could reason and total up numbers; I could find the right word, could hold a thought in mind, match faces with names, converse coherently in crowded hallways, learn new tasks. I had a memory and an intuition I could trust. All that changed when I contracted the virus that targeted my brain. More than a decade later, most of the damage is hidden. My cerebral cortex, the grey matter that MIT neuroscientist Steven Pinker likens to "a large sheet of two-dimensional tissue that has been wadded up to fit inside the sperical scull, " is riddled instead of whole. […] Invisible to the naked eye but readily seen through brain imaging technology are areas of scar tissue that constrict blood flow. The lesions in my grey matter appear as a scatter of white spots like bubbles or a ghostly pattern of potshots."

This book is available from Amazon..

Same as the previous one, 12 essays reflecting on the author’s life experiences, some of them about living with his ME symptoms, particularly his cognitive ones.

Comments: A really great read, fantastic for understanding how ME affects your brain. In this book Skloot also talks a lot about the search for a cure and how far you’ll go and all the mad things you’ll do to try to find one – whatever it takes. There’s a real optimism you can relate to but at the same time he never implies that it’s an easy illness to ‘cure’. Far from it.

Rating: If I had to choose between "In the Shadow of Memory" and this one, I think I’d have to choose the former, but both are excellent books well worth reading.

Quote: "Years have passed, patience has been exercised, but my body still doesn’t work right. Though I have no reason to believe it ever will again, I keep checking."

This book is available from Amazon.

A World of Light by Floyd Skloot.

Same as the previous two, a collection of essays reflecting on the author’s life experiences.

This time however, things are a bit different and his illness barely gets a mention (as he has decided to stop writing about it at this time, for reasons explained in the book). If you liked his previous two books, especially the essays which did not involve Skloot's illness (as I did), then this is another great read and more of the same, of the same quality. If you are more interested in writings which relate to M.E., then you'd be better off choosing either of his previous two books instead.

This book is available from Amazon.

The Doctor’s Guide to CFS: Understanding, Treating and Living with CFIDS by David S Bell MD

"David S Bell MD, a noted expert and pioneer in the diagnosis and treatment of CFIDS, has written this book to provide accurate, up-to-date, and accessible information for all those who need to understand this emerging health epidemic. The definitive guide to the history, symptoms, effects, theories, treatment, continuing research, and recent advances covers all that anyone who has been touched by this devastating illness needs to know to understand, treat and live with it."

Readability: High

Any stupid bits? It’s very good throughout… but then right at the end he writes "In regard to CFIDS, the need is simple. It is not billions of dollars for medical research, for those billions have more urgent needs; CFIDS is a horrible illness, but it is not as dangerous as AIDS or cancer." What a shame to include such an ignorant and dismissive statement in such an otherwise great book.

Mentions of the severely affected: None really, it’s a huge omission. The previous statement does kind of back up the idea he may not have seen too many really severe patients in his time though perhaps.

Rating: A good solid 'how to deal with ME' book.

Quote: "While patients suffering the despair of CFIDS may disagree, I do not feel that CFIDS is our greatest enemy. Our enemy is the apathy that has allowed CFIDS to go unrecognized, the same apathy that has allowed our society to fall to the present dangerous level"

This book is available from Amazon.

Information on the history, diagnosis, symptoms, theories, treatments and research into ME written by one of the experts and pioneers in the field.

Comment: This is an oldie but still a goodie. Bell speaks so eloquently about his experiences with 'CFIDS' (ME) patients and about the politics of the illness.

Readability: High.

Mentions of the severely affected: None.

Rating: I prefer this book to his more recent one, particularly for his diagrams and explanation of the possible disease processes in ME but both have something to offer - his later book does have much better and more up-to-date treatment information. But Dr Hyde's ME textbook is by FAR superior to both, or any, of the books by Dr Bell - it must be said.

This may be a controversial statement, but in some ways Bell very much seems be getting further and further away from describing and discussing pure neurological ME as time goes on. More and more his work is muddied by 'fatigue' and by the bogus definitions of 'CFS' and does not relate to actual pure neurological ME nearly as much as it should. This is, of course, of great concern...

Quote: "It is ironic that in this day of specialists, the generalists have been the only group of physicians able to recognize the spectrum of symptoms in CFIDS as a specific syndrome. But in our era of technology, it is rare for specialists to listen to generalists."

A Parents Guide to CFIDS by David S. Bell MD.

The same comments apply as to the book listed above. This book is definately worth buying of you have a child with M.E.

Faces of CFS by David S. Bell MD.

A free copy of the book in ebook format has just become available at this website

This book looks at a small number of case studies of the illness, all patients of Dr Bell. There is some interesting information here, and also much which is irrelevant and also a small amount which is quite disturbing (concerning exercise, as I recall).

This was an interesting read, but didn't really add much to my state of knowledge. If you can read it for free online, you'll probably be glad you did, but if you only have a limited amount of money to buy ME books then I wouldn't choose this one!

I also would not choose this book to give to a family member or doctor to explain about ME as much of the general information given is muddied by 'fatigue' and CFS. It does not provide a good overview or a good discussion of the history of ME, and (dispute significant good information) there are some very worrying statements made in the book you would not want to expose 'disbelievers' to!

(Also, as I said in the previous review, it may be a controversial statement, but in some ways Bell very much seems be getting further and further away from describing and discussing pure neurological ME as time goes on. More and more his work is muddied by 'fatigue' and by the bogus definitions of 'CFS' and does not relate to actual pure neurological ME nearly as much as it should. This is, of course, of great concern...Aspects of his new book, which he has written about but not yet published, sound very worrying indeed.)

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Clinical Working Case Definition, Diagnostic and Treatment Protocols

The Canadian Guidelines are far suporior to any others in existence and should be used to the exclusion of all others. It is not a perfect definition, but it is the ONLY modern definition which specifically describes at least some of the unique features of the distinct neurological illness Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (as classified by the World Health Organisation since 1969) and not merely a large variety of unrelated and non-specific 'fatiguing' conditions (with various etiologies including the psychiatric). 

For more infomation on the benefits and limitations of the guidelines (and where copies of the guidelines may be viewed/obtained) see the full-length Clinical Working Case Definition Review 

This text is available from Amazon.

America's Biggest Cover-Up: 50 More Things Everyone Should Know About The Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Epidemic And Its Link To AIDS by Neenyah Ostrom

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Biological Approach  by Patrick Englebienne

This book review is coming soon.

This book is available from Amazon.

Diana's Story, by Deric Longden (a novel)

The only novel I know of written with a main character who has ME, and severe ME at that! The book is told from Longden’s point of view and based on his own life experiences caring for his real-life wife’s severe ME.

Comment: You'd think a book like this might be very depressing, but Longden writes every sentence so lightly and wittily, even the tragic bits are sort of funny. The humour doesn't detract from the seriousness of the illness though somehow, it really is superbly written. As much as it’s about ME, it’s also about how strong love can really be, it’s a beautiful love story despite all the tragic and horrible bits.

Readability: It’s very easy to read and not very long.

Any stupid bits? None.

Mentions of the severely affected: Lots of them all through the book! Some great hospital scenes too.

Rating: It’s so rare to actually relate to a character in a book! This is a good one to give to family and friends too I think. I’d highly recommend it.

By Gurli Bagnall (Also known as: With Criminal Intent)

"The story is fiction based on fact. It takes place in New Zealand in the years 2002 and 2003, and concerns a pharmaceutical company which manufactures a range of drugs that cause serious physical and mental illnesses. To suppress complaints about the serious adverse reactions and give the company a financial edge in the market, political co-operation has been bought from three high ranking members of parliament.

The matter is brought to the attention of an investigative journalist, John Harmon, after the suicide of a woman who had taken the latest and still experimental drug, bendiazide. Harmon finds that the prescribing doctor, Brian Jackson, is particularly active in the testing field. He works for a number of companies who pay him $2000 for each patient upon whom he tests their drugs, earning him in the vicinity of $500,000 per annum. In exchange, he supplies the manufacturing companies with glowing reports which ensure approval for the marketing of the substances in question.

A suicide . . . leaks about the drug companies practices . . . a terrible beating . . . the disappearance of the Prime Minister, his colleagues and their families . . . everything culminates in a hold-your-breath court trial."

stranger and stranger by Robert McMullen (non-fiction/memoir)

'The true story of an unlikely encounter in an extraordinary life' - written by a ME sufferer.

Synopsis (back-cover text)

Books with some good bits BUT...,

Book Reviews Introduction