Incurable Optimist

Living with Illness and Chronic Hope

Non-Fiction - Health - Medical
360 Pages
Reviewed on 07/17/2023
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

Incurable Optimist: Living with Illness and Chronic Hope by Jennifer Cramer-Miller is a memoir as the author retells her battle with kidney failure and its consequences. Twenty-two-year-old Jennifer had a great job, an excellent life in Seattle, and a loving boyfriend. However, everything changed when her kidneys were damaged beyond repair. It all started with puffy eyes and ended with her struggling to survive. The pain and strangeness of her circumstances were enough to throw anyone off track, but Jennifer became more resilient. She went through many tests and doctors, but that didn’t stop Jennifer from fighting back and reclaiming her life.

Jennifer Cramer-Miller proved that fate will bend to your will if you want to survive. I was blown away by her courage and her tenacity to live. I cannot imagine what it felt like to lose organs, but I can imagine her pain. Incurable Optimist remained true to its title. Jennifer was an optimist until the very end. After the initial shock, she composed herself and handled everything with grace. After four kidney transplants, countless hospital visits, and many growing opportunities, Jennifer became an incredible human being who was a walking-talking motivational example. I loved how this was not a sob story to make readers feel sorry for Jennifer but to take courage from her journey. The narrative style was perfect. Divided into five parts, each revealed the intricacies of the disease and every step of how she battled with her body to live. The tone was cheerful and infinitely bright. I loved the vivid descriptions and how gentle yet open Jennifer became after the long battle. I highly recommend this memoir.