Includes bibliographical references and index.

Front Matter -- Copyright Page -- Figures -- Notes on Contributors -- Introduction: Voices of Illness / Peter Bray -- The Story, Identity and the Voice -- Narrative Medicine and Storytelling: An Alternative Method for Healing / Victorria Simpson-Gervin -- Group Voices and Group Identity -- aids Awakens Ancient Stories / Deborah Freedman -- Life Story Sharing: A Therapeutic Intervention in Palliative Care / Miranda Quinney , Alison Ward and Jane Youell -- The Collective Production of a Shared Narrative Surrounding Sexual Violence Trauma / Elena Sharratt -- Irreconcilable Voices: Liminal, Empowered, and Authentic -- Stories of Journeys Home: Reuniting Ancestors, Images, and the Underworld / Alexandra Fidyk -- Making and Sharing Meaning out of Terminal Illness / Pam Morrison and Annie McGregor -- Toni Cade Bambara’s The Salt Eaters: Hearing the Silent Voice of Pain / Yomna Saber -- Voices of Depression: An Analysis of a Collective Narrative / Hans T. Sternudd -- Ethical Stories: Voices in Research -- A Shared Story of Professional Practice: Therapists Make Meaning of Spirituality / Peter Bray -- Dementia Fiction: Giving Voice to an Experience beyond Language / Naomi Krüger -- Developing a Relational Narrative about Diabetes: Towards a Polyphonic Story / Mirjam Stuij , Agnes Elling , Anja Tramper and Tineke Abma -- Challenges to the Institutional Illness Discourse -- Self-Reflexivity in Oral History Research: The Role of Positionality and Emotions / Verusca Calabria -- The Voiceless and the Vocal: Infection Literature and The Sign of the Four / Justyna Jajszczok.

This book is a scholarly collection of interdisciplinary perspectives and practices that examine the positive potential of attending to the voices and stories of those who live and work with illness in real world settings. Its international contributors offer case studies and research projects illustrating how illness can disrupt, highlight and transform themes in personal narratives, forcing the creation of new biographies. As exercises in narrative development and autonomy, the evolving content and expression of illness stories are crucial to our understanding of the lived experience of those confronting life changes. The international contributors to this volume demonstrate the importance of hearing, understanding and effectively liberating voices impacted by illness and change. Contributors include Tineke Abma, Peter Bray, Verusca Calabria, Agnes Elling, Deborah Freedman, Alexandra Fidyk, Justyna Jajszczok, Naomi Krüger, Annie McGregor, Pam Morrison, Miranda Quinney, Yomna Saber, Elena Sharratt, Victorria Simpson-Gervin, Hans T. Sternudd, Mirjam Stuij, Anja Tramper, Alison Ward and Jane Youell.