Science Memoir in Review: Heartbreak

Science Memoir in Review: HeartbreakTitle: Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey
Author: Florence Williams
Source: from publisher for review
Links: Bookshop (affiliate link) |Goodreads
Rating:four-stars

Summary: Fascinating science and engaging memoir, well blended!

Science memoirs are rapidly becoming one of my favorite genres. Like any something + memoir, I’m sure it could go wrong if the balance was off, but I found that both elements of this book were well blended. The author has gotten a divorce, at her husband’s instigation and after 25 years of marriage. As she goes through the difficult grieving process, she tries a lot of different ways to approach her grief. She takes on a multi-week, at times solo rafting trip. She tries getting back into dating. And, in one of my favorite parts of her story, she also does a lot of visiting scientists and learning about both how we grieve and how grief can impact the body.

I really enjoyed this book. A large percentage of it was memoir, so it’s fortunate that I found the author’s story and her voice engaging. She came across as very open about her struggles, warm and self-deprecating in a funny way. She also did a great job integrating the science into a chronological story of her divorce and the other efforts she made to help herself recover. The science was fascinating from beginning to end. Almost all of it was new to me and it was really incredible how much grief and trauma can impact biology. I also appreciated the quotes she engaged with from authors. It reminded me Leslie Jamison’s The Recovering in that way. Both felt like they were in conversation with their sources and made me want to go read all of those books too. A new favorite.

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