Dizzy

Dizzy

A Memoir

Rachel Weaver

West Virginia University Press

West Virginia University Press

Connective Tissue

9781959000747

$21.99

Paperback

2026-02-10

2026-02-10

A memoir chronicling the author’s 18-year struggle with an undiagnosed illness, exposing the failures of the medical system while reflecting on resilience, uncertainty, and the search for joy amid hardship.
 

Beverly Donofrio, author of Riding in Cars with Boys, says “Dizzy is a testament to the power of hope. Weaver’s courage and strength are so inspiring they encourage the same in the reader.  If all of that isn’t enough, the beauty and agility of the prose may make you regret reaching the last page.” 

In her early thirties, Rachel Weaver woke up dizzy and unable to function. She spent the next ten years seeing more than thirty medical practitioners before receiving a diagnosis, and then another eight years before finding relief from her condition. Dizzy is amedical mystery and a cautionary tale about our broken healthcare system. It is a story about learning to live with life’s uncertainty, persevering in the pursuit of answers, and striving to find joy in an imperfect yet beautiful world.

5.500in x 8.250in x 1.000in

Weight data not found for this book.

Dizzy is a testament to the power of hope. Weaver’s courage and strength are so inspiring they encourage the same in the reader.  If all of that isn’t enough, the beauty and agility of the prose may make you regret reaching the last page.” 



Dizzy is a memoir of the highest quality. It brings beauty and urgency to the overall necessary conversation about the U.S. medical system, while also functioning as a beautifully written literary memoir. This high-stakes story is spiked with moments of uncommon wisdom,poignancy, and deep emotion. I was moved to tears many times.”



Dizzy evokes what life is in wreckage of chronic illness, with suffering compounded by abandonment by specialist medicine that has no means to care for those it cannot treat. Ill people will find a lifeline of companionship in Dizzy; healthcare professionals will face a challenge. Rachel Weaver never softens her story, and that gives it truth as a testimonial to the will to live fully in whatever conditions life throws at you.

324 Pages

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