FRANCESCA GROSSMAN: NOT WEAKNESS
Francesca Grossman is no stranger to pain. In her 20s and 30s she endured thyroid cancer, Crohn’s disease, and other autoimmune conditions that left her feeling isolated in her suffering. Now Francesca shares her personal experiences and those of 20 other women with chronic pain in her new book, “Not Weakness: Navigating the Culture of Chronic Pain” (April 18th, 2023, She Writes Press), in which she challenges the toxic culture of shame, humiliation, and fear that surrounds pain, particularly in women.
With over 50 million people in the US living with chronic pain and almost 70% of them being women, Francesca set out to find answers to one big question; where are these people? Through her expert interviews with 20 remarkable women who share similar lived experiences, Francesca reveals a heartbreaking shared truth: chronic pain is a daily struggle for many women that leaves them with feelings of guilt, embarrassment, and anxiety about the future.
“Not Weakness” confronts the silencing and harmful stigmas women in pain experience in our society. Imbued with a deep respect for the women who tell their stories in its pages, as well as a healthy skepticism of the healthcare world and how it can stifle and ignore women in pain, it is a galvanizing memoir about living and loving with chronic pain.
Francesca Louise Grossman is a writer and writing instructor. Her work has been published in The New York Times, Brain, Child Magazine, The Manifest Station, Ed Week, Drunken Boat, and Word Riot, among others. She runs writing retreats and workshops internationally and leads an annual intensive workshop at The Harvard Graduate School of Education. She has a BA and MA from Stanford University and a doctorate from Harvard University in education. Her acclaimed book “Writing Workshop: How to Create a Culture of Useful Feedback” is used in universities and workshops all over the world. Francesca lives in Newton, MA, with her husband and two children. Find out more about her at https://francescagrossmanbooks.com/
