Sick: A Compilation Zine on Physical Illness

By Dashka Slater and Ben Holtzman

Sick collects peoples' experiences with illness in order to help establish a collective voice of those impacted within radical/left/DIY communities. The zine is meant to be a resource for those who are living with illness as well as those who have not directly experienced it themselves. Contributors discuss personal experiences and topics such as receiving support, providing support, and being an informed patient. These writings are meant to increase understandings of illness and further discussion as well as action towards building communities of care.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1934620483
• ISBN13: 9781934620489
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Microcosm Publishing
• Length: 88 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.5" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 13 years and up

Customer Reviews

A Courageous Voice for Some Who Suffer in Silence

What do the following have in common? Asthma, Cancer, Crohn's Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Degenerative Disc Disease, End Stage Renal Disease, Hepatitis C, Hypoglycemia, Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Leg-Calvé-Perthes, Marfan Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, Migraines, Polycystic Kidney Disease, Scoliosis and Supraventricular Tachycardia. If you guessed that they were all physical illnesses you are correct. However, another common thread is they are illnesses that a group of young people in the radical-alternative DIY (do-it-yourself) community have been diagnosed with and have written about (along with a few young people that care about them) in a publication entitled Sick, a compilation zine on physical illness. For the uninitiated, a zine (derived from magazine) is a topical publication typically intended for an alternative or underground audience. A zine tends to include written and visual work aimed at promoting and supporting a social movement. DIY represents an ideal or value for many young people who associate themselves with the punk subculture. One contributor, Luci, speaks for her fellow contributors when she asks, "How can a disabled person find allies and support?" This book will help supporters and supportees to find some answers, insight and inspiration. SICK editor and essayist, Ben Holtzman, who was diagnosed with cancer at age 26, introduces the collection by stating that, "Illness is considered taboo; it's seen by many as awkward, if not depressing, to bring up...The collective strength of these pieces...is meant to further... action toward building communities of care." The stories are gritty, no-holds-barred, first-hand accounts of what it is like to live and cope with physical illness and chronic disease, including the struggle to get and then find one's way through the maze that is health insurance. By openly revealing what it feels like to be young and sick, the authors - mostly young women - go a long way towards supporting Holtzman's vision. Hospitals and physicians would do well to have this publication, and ones like it, available as resources for young people with physical illnesses and their friends and family members. Giving voice to what it is like to suffer in silence, is a way that these young DIY authors have extended the bonds of belonging to create true communities of care.