3 stars Thank you to Random House and Convergent Books for allowing me to read and review this book. Thank you to NetGalley for the digital download. Published October 26, 2021.

This was a very in-depth reading of one man and how he coped with Lyme disease. The way he felt, the doctor recommended cures, his own high controversial cures, his suicide ideation, the ups and downs he and his family went through. He was in the throes of this nasty little blood borne disease for 6 long years.

I was interested in this book due to my own grandson having contracted Lyme disease while hunting in Mississippi a few years ago. As Douthat states, 'every person has their own individual case - and cure'. Whereas my grandson could not eat red meat, which seemed to make him violently ill, Douthat could not tolerate even the smallest drink of alcohol.

Although it is said that Lyme disease is never 'cured', since it stays in the body just waiting for another irruption, my grandsons course ran right at a year under Drs care. Douthat was still suffering 6 years later, which obviously shows that Lyme disease is nothing to ignore. It is a very serious and dangerous disease that doctors still know very little about.

The Deep Places is a devastating reminder that our medical priorities discredit those that are truly suffering. That invisible illnesses impact people in extreme ways and the growth within medical advancements are still needed.

This book will take you deep into one mans journey with a sometimes debilitating chronic disease. It is very forthright and describes all he has gone through and endured in the last six years, the good as well as the bad. I wasn’t thinking I’d like this book much but the author grew on me and I feel it is a worthwhile read-doctors and doctors-to-be should all read it-as well as anyone interested in the memoir-type genre. I thank #netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review #thedeeplaces

What a harrowing journey. I am not sure I would be able to be as strong as the author was in all that he personally went through, and as a result of his illness, all that his family went through too. A very remarkable read.

Ross Douthat shares a compelling story of his life with chronic Lyme disease. I was unaware of how common Lyme disease has become in some parts of this country, and how awful the lingering effects can be for some patients, so I found this book quite informative. Douthat’s story is interesting, and also a little scary because something similar could happen to any of us.

I was shocked at some of the treatments Douthat tried, but as someone suffering from multiple chronic illnesses, I can relate to the lengths he was driven. He writes eloquently about the mental, emotional, social, and spiritual aspects of living with chronic illness, as well as the physical and financial aspects. He also points out how many ways he was lucky, because many people would not have had the support and resources that he did, and without those resources, a chronic illness can be absolutely devastating.

Douthat writes for a well-educated audience. If that won’t bother you, then I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys memoirs and is curious about Lyme disease or what it is like to live with a chronic illness.

I was provided an ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.

An eye opening account of Lyme Disease, the toll it takes on the human body and spirit, and the limitations of the medical establishment. The story resonates with those who are suffering and have been abandoned by the current medical establishment. Hopefully it inspires people to keep up the good fight and approach health in a holistic manner where medicine has a role but is not the end all.

A thoughtful and well written memoir about struggling for recognition and treatment for a disease which has polarized the medical community. Those who have had Lyme disease likely will find themselves nodding in recognition of Douthat's journey, which is not, of course, over. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read that never gets shrill and leaves the reader wishing the author good heath.

A well written memoir about struggling with a chronic disease that doctor's don't agree on. It ends with parallels to the COVID pandemic, making it an interesting and relevant read in a broader sense that the autobiography, which of course has it's own merits. The flip side is that it may just hit too close to home for some.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Friedrich Nietzsche, the German philosopher, famously said: “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” As I read Douthat’s book, this saying kept coming to mind. Could anything else happen to this family? It felt like one blow after another.

Ross and his wife, science writer Abigail make the decision to move away from the crowded Washington, DC area to a property in Connecticut. Ross had been longing for a small portion of land and a larger home since he visualize these things as perfect for raising a family. So when an older, much older, house on some property is located at a wonderful price, he and his wife jump at the opportunity. At last country living. Something that will be relaxing and good for their children.

But will everything work as they planned? Unfortunately, not so much.

This book captured my attention very quickly and had no trouble keeping me turning pages. As might be expected since Douthat is a columnist for the New York Times, the writing flows. Though the book chronicles a mix of medical information and memoir, the two blend seamlessly.

What Concerned Me
While this didn’t concern me since I love learning anything medically related, this memoir has more medical information than most. I think most readers will want to know the facts provided in the book, but I’m just noting what makes this story a little different than some memoirs.

Final Thoughts
I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read this. And even if you think you’re not interested in Lyme’s Disease, I think you’ll still want to read it. This story is enlightening and the information important.

I feel since Ross Douthat is still kickin’ that he has been made a stronger man by all that he has experienced. (Though he no doubt would be content with maintaining a weaker status, I felt it necessary to tie the ending in with the earlier quote.)

Thumbs up. If you like medical-related memoirs, definitely reach for this book.

Though this book was gifted to me, I was completely free to post my opinion if I wrote a review.

Unfortunately, I expected more from this book. I do believe that there is an audience for this book. I am not it.

This is a candid, insightful, and well-written account of the author’s struggle with chronic Lyme disease, which was difficult to pinpoint and was achingly frustrating as he tried to identify what was causing his illness. As a young husband and father in the prime of his life, with a good job and the world before him, he had everything to look forward to. Then the crippling disease hit him - mysterious and undiagnosable. The book takes us through his everyday struggle as he attempt to figure out what’s wrong, his dogged research for relief and remedies trying every avenue possible to beat the disease. Along the way, many in the medical profession doubted the severity of his illness wondering if it was all in his mind. Sometimes his wife thought the same. He points out that despite the fact that he is someone viewed as having his stuff together, his descriptions of what the illness he was experiencing was met sometimes with skepticism. What then of others who are ill with indescribable symptoms yet cannot be diagnosed because the number of cases is small and the patterns don’t fall into place as known symptoms by medical professionals. (I recall the book Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan who wrote about the rare form of encephalitis she had contracted but could not be diagnosed. She spent time confined to a mental health facility because people thought she had mental issues.) Douthat bares his soul as he documents the rollercoaster ups and downs of his life and physical, mental, and emotional toll the illness had on him and his family for more than five years. Not only that, the financial strain and burden as a result of his illness was significant. He was fortunate to have parents who supported and helped him financially. He wondered how those who are not as fortunate as him could handle and survive a debilitating illness on all fronts. He also points out how the medical industry has a long way to go in how they handle and support patients with rare forms of symptoms that don’t fall cleanly into the more commonly diagnosed diseases they generally encounter. The author does a nice job shining a light on Lyme disease and balances his personal struggles against the realities of a disease that can inflict anyone. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Ross Douthat, probably NYT Opinion's most talented and thoughtful writer, has delivered a moving and engaging memoir, <i>The Deep Places</i>, concerning his one-man guerrilla war against a disease that the medical establishment holds doesn't officially exist, chronic lyme disease. The body of work focuses on his family's fateful choice to move from the D.C. suburbs to pastoral Connecticut. During the inspection of his soon-to-be idyllic property, Ross is ostensibly bit by a deer tick carrying <i>Borrelia burgdorferi</i> and maybe some other nasty bacteria too, causing him to spiral deep into the turmoil of a seemingly inescapable medical malady.

Douthat intertwines his chronicles of illness and despair with accessible science writing on chronic lyme disease and social commentary on the limitations of bureaucratic, evidence-based medicine. His case for the existence of chronic lyme and advocacy for experimental efforts is persuasive, especially given that he acknowledges why such N of 1 experimental effort cannot be sanctioned by medical practitioners. Douthat's narrative opened my mind about medicine's approach to chronic illness, though I would still hold the only tenable, scalable solution for issues like chronic lyme disease will require rigorous, evidence-based practices otherwise everyone's journey will have to be through a dangerous and painful wilderness like Douthat's.

Douthat's story about his mysterious medical odyssey and personal growth is rendered in beautiful yet brief prose that moves the reader quickly yet thoughtfully through. I strongly recommend this work and am happy to hear that Douthat is on the mend.

I enjoyed reading this book and found the author's description of a personal journey interesting. However, I think the interest group of readers will be limited to a smaller group of readers. The book is well written and follows a specific path. I appreciate having had the opportunity to read the ARC. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

As someone with an unidentified chronic illness, I found a lot of his statements and problems really familiar. Doctors not listening to you, trying every specialist, medications, vitamins, supplements, or therapy you can. While I don't agree with some of his politics, I did really enjoy this book. I could feel his frustration, pressure, pain as it is almost all similar to things I have been through with my own health journey.

"..the growing American population of the mysteriously ill, who could be offered sleep aids and antidepressants but nothing that would actually fight an infection" is so applicable to my health. My husband just watches me in pain, unable to help in any real way.

"Pain is always new to the sufferer, but loses its originality for those around him" he quoted from Alphonse Daudet. Every new pain I experience, much like Ross did, feels like it might kill me or finally make me descend into complete madness.

A book of a written account of a disease that most people know nothing about. Really interesting read about his life with Lyme’s disease and beyond. I truly hope for his sake that a cure is found in his lifetime.
I enjoyed reading it!

The more I read memoirs by people who suffer from medical problems, long term illness, or the undiagnosed, I value good health. It is a gift no one should take for granted. Douthat suffers from chronic Lyme’s disease. He documents all the tests, numerous doctors, and both conventional and unconventional treatments he’s endured. I have a close relative who also suffers from the same affliction and has many health issues crop up over the last 31 years, most of which I am sure are directly related to Lyme’s. The author eventually realized he has to develop,his own regimen and tailor It to his body’s needs. He compares The Covid to his Chronic illness. Aside from the political pontificating, his analysis is a worthy read and he demonstrates many of the issues Covid sufferers have experienced, he shares a similar history.

This was a very well written account of a disease that most people, myself included, know nothing about. Really interesting read about his life with Lyme’s disease and beyond. I truly hope for his sake that a cure is found in his lifetime. Thank you to Netgalley and his publisher for allowing me the early read.

I was offered an ARC of this book through NetGalley. I accepted the offer because I have a very good friend who suffers from chronic fatigue and pain and has had much difficulty with doctors believing her and able to do anything to help her. I was hoping that reading this book would enlighten me and help me to better understand her situation so that I could be a better friend to her. I admire the courage it must have taken Ross Douthat to share his story and I am grateful that he did.

By the standard American measure of success, Ross Douthat had made it by age 29. Harvard educated, a writer for major magazines, editor at another, and then, just before turning thirty, a gig that christened him the youngest regular op-ed writer in The New York Times.

Happily married and blissfully healthy, “I was the guy who did things,” Douthat writes. And then, soon after relocating his family of four from DC to a Connecticut dream home in 2015, he woke up with a stiff neck. He looked in the mirror and made a discovery that marked his entrance into “the country of suffering” — a red, swollen lymph node six inches down from his ear. A tick bite.

Picture walking into a pristine, spotless HGTV home. The solid hardwood floors are the medical knowledge that modern people take for granted. When Douthat’s affliction was met with denial on the found floor—“Lyme disease is no big deal; perhaps you should see a psychiatrist”—he fell through into the basement with a group of “outside-the-consensus” doctors. When their treatments failed to deliver—“Lyme is devastating; try fistfuls of antibiotics nonstop”—he fell through the floor again.

The Deep Places, his new memoir of illness, ushers the reader into this underground, “where the lights are flickering and you’re groping with your hands, feeling weird shapes in the half darkness”. These deep places are where Douthat discovered firsthand that the human body “isn’t a clean machine that sometimes breaks or leaks or rusts,” an insight that challenges the secular conception of our corporeality that rules on the ground floor.

If you’ve never experienced chronic illness, Douthat’s vivid, brutal recounting of his struggle with Lyme will help you trace the contours of suffering you do not yet understand. If you do suffer with chronic illness—from Lyme to long-Covid—you can pick up The Deep Places and find in Douthat a friend who has been there, who offers hope that your “condition can be changed even if it can’t be eliminated”, and who is using his voice to help people understand suffering like yours.

As any regular reader of Ross knows, he is probably the most thoughtful and skilful writer on politics and religion on any op-ed page in America. You won't find much politics, however, in this book. Ross, instead, writes a beautiful, heart-wrenching memoir of his travails into the sclerotic, exasperating world of medicine and chronic disease. The book is particularly timely during this pandemic as so many claim to operate under the authority of the "experts" or "the science" or the CDC. Not so fast, claims Ross, as he details his exasperating struggle with chronic Lyme disease. Ross is a wonderful writer and he does not disappoint here. There is a lot to learn by Ross's experience, which is clearly why he wrote the book. A quick, enjoyable read and highly recommended.