As someone who struggles with chronic pain, I was eager to hear the author's perspective. When he was telling his story, I found it compelling and interesting. However, when he strayed into prescriptive language about how all pain can be overcome with the right attitude, he lost me. I am thrilled that his story has a happy ending; I was left wishing my illness was also in my head. I could see this being helpful for some readers though it was not for me.

Adam Smith's memoir, "Lost and Broken: My Journey Back from Chronic Pain and Crippling Anxiety" (Health Communications Inc, 2023), explores his journey from his first instance of heightened anxiety and pain to diagnosis and diminishment approximately five years later. The 20+ year-long serving Congressman from Washington State acknowledges early in the book that his prior understanding of therapy, the drudgery of the current health "care" system, and the challenges present in somatic diagnostic and treatment plans were limited.

While well-written and detailed, smattered with a touch of soul and childhood remembrances, I found this book particularly hard to digest--most likely because of my chronic pain and health experiences over the past decades (which is why I also selected the title). A long-term Democratic rep with decades of expertise highlighting a stigma in mental health care: I'm unsure if he is writing this as a reminder for himself, as a platform, or because he doesn't think other people in the country know. Perhaps because the book aimed to be all things for an audience of too many, I could not find the narrative thread homing in on his health conditions and experiences.

Thank you to the author, Health Corporations, Inc., and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

I appreciated how you brought up your personal mental health and chronic pain struggles and how you dealt with them. I needed to see that even government officials are human and deal with the same issues as all humans deal with.

Lost and Broken by Congressman Adam Smith was quite interesting and a bit sad in how the healthcare system, therapy, and pharmaceuticals can dictate the kind of care we receive or do not receive. The author had a friendly writing style with humor and easy-to-understand information.

Adam Smith, a 26-year member of Congress and Chair of the House Armed Services Committee for the last four years, offers a candid memoir about his years-long struggle with anxiety and chronic pain and the winding path to find the right diagnosis and treatment.

Dealing with chronic pain and not getting all the answers is exhausting, so I was interested to read this book and to see how Congressman Adam Smith navigates his trials and tribulations through the healthcare system, even with having access to good doctors and specialists.

I liked how he mentioned that it wasn't the amount of stress in a person's life that exacerbates anxiety but how we process it.

The author discussed muscle activation therapy, which I had never heard of. I found it quite interesting and will do more research on this to find out how it helps with chronic pain. The author provides links and resources.

Lost and Broken is an insightful book that details how difficult it can be to get answers about our health. I would recommend this book for anyone dealing with anxiety or chronic pain, or just a good memoir read, as the author has a nice, engaging writing style.

#LostandBroken #NetGalley @HCI_Books