Our Malady

Lessons in Liberty from a Hospital Diary

By: Timothy Snyder

Narrated by: Timothy Snyder

New York Times best seller

From the author of the number-one New York Times best seller On Tyranny comes an impassioned condemnation of America's pandemic response and an urgent call to rethink health and freedom.

On December 29, 2019, historian Timothy Snyder fell gravely ill. Unable to stand, barely able to think, he waited for hours in an emergency room before being correctly diagnosed and rushed into surgery. Over the next few days, as he clung to life and the first light of a new year came through his window, he found himself reflecting on the fragility of health, not recognized in America as a human right but without which all rights and freedoms have no meaning.

And that was before the pandemic. We have since watched American hospitals, long understaffed and undersupplied, buckling under waves of ill patients. The federal government made matters worse through willful ignorance, misinformation, and profiteering. Our system of commercial medicine failed the ultimate test, and thousands of Americans died.

In this eye-opening cri de coeur, Snyder traces the societal forces that led us here and outlines the lessons we must learn to survive. In examining some of the darkest moments of recent history and of his own life, Snyder finds glimmers of hope and principles that could lead us out of our current malaise. Only by enshrining healthcare as a human right, elevating the authority of doctors and medical knowledge, and planning for our children’s future can we create an America where everyone is truly free.

©2020 Timothy Snyder (P)2020 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“[Snyder’s] litany of the many ways the United States bungled the coronavirus response is eloquent and pointed.... His cry of rage is certain to get your attention.” (The Washington Post)

“Compelling ... Snyder combines moving personal experience with keen historical and political analysis in Our Malady.... A powerful argument for universal health care as a fundamental right.” (Chicago Tribune)

Some big truths here

As a retired Hospital financial officer, this book brought me back to pricing decisions, payor mix, staffing per bed, occupied beds and many other metrics we used to determine how efficient & effective the hospital ran. Having been retired 10+ yrs I'd actually forgotten a lot of it. Mr Snyder's Medical Industrial Machine analogy is spot on. We've been brain washed about the quality & thus the cost of our Healthcare in the US. This book tells an amazing personal story & talks about what we could do different. bravo!

A book that all doctors and patients should read

As a physician, I agree with this vilification of commercial medicine and with the remedies suggested in this important book As in his previous books Snyder tells us truth at a turning point in history when truth is most needed . Doctors will find support by this affirmation of the feelings they carry in secret.
This writer understands deeply the plight of medicine in America at this time.

Important and personal

The deficiencies of our US healthcare system are shown clearly through personal stories of someone being processed through that system. Very engaging. I hope we can shift away from profit-oriented medical care, where so much effort goes into denying the treatments prescribed by doctors.

Snyder at the height of hos powers despite illness

More specific in its focus than his other recent work, just as vast in its implications.

Read this book

Probably the most important book you will ever read to understand how society can be better and how Americans can be free

Honesty about the US Healthcare system.

Excellent narrative. His personal encounters are powerful.
Highly recommend to anyone who wants to learn about our healthcare system in the early part of the 21st-century. 

Had this jaded ER nurse close to tears

Wow, this short book was literally a brief summary of much of my everyday frustrations and a glimpse of how broken our healthcare system is. It's also sprinkled with specific evidence of how our government has failed to act appropriately during this pandemic. Although I can see how some may perceive this as a left point of view, it actually is based on factual events and statements, that are not taken out of context. Overall, a great read that gets you pondering just exactly how our nation got here and what on earth can we do now.

Most important message for our time.

This short book, is the most affecting I read in this pandemic year. It is filled with pain, anger, compassion and truth. I am sending it as a hopeful message to my friends. I hope that this definition of freedom replaces our (US) flawed nihilistic understanding of freedom. I hope that more people here understand what I mean when I explain that universal health care drives away fear and that we pay taxes out of solidarity.

Our Medical System Flayed

Our Malady, Lessons in Liberty from a Hospital Diary written and read by Timothy Snyder. If you are considering reading this very long essay (but short novel) be prepared. Prepared for object brilliance in reasoned argument. Those of you who know Mr. Snyder, understand, one should expect nothing less from this gift of an educator, political commentator, and savior of analysis. What do I mean by all this hyperbole? If A and B equal C; then C minus B equals A – that is how Mr. Snyder presents his arguments. He will construct a set of facts and analyze their historical effect on the body politic. He will then test his perceived rule against other known political history and reason out the truth (or weakness) of the proposition. If proven to be insightful he then takes the rule and applies it forward against existing political theatre. Brilliance in considering that which is abject. An exciting political theorist.

In Our Malady, he considers our medical system’s weakness to societal liberty. (Yes, I got that comparison correct.) Mr. Snyder compares his recent bout with death (a non-COVID-19 ailment which was not properly diagnosed) with our present malady: Covid-19. In this work, we consider the individual's need for continued life. In his tale, he rages then contemplates the failure of our medical system against the failures of our political systems. (Yes, I got that comparison correct, too.) His focus is on our health system and its malaise. He explains why a health system should be calculated not by profit from short lives but rather achievement in providing for long lives.

This is not just about a President and a failed response to a pandemic, which is discussed and analyzed with surgical precisions, but about our medical system's inability to provide for a proper response, which is flayed for all to see in its elemental state. His stories are captivating.

Everyone should read this book

This book is essential to understanding our questions about healthcare. There should be so much more on this subject. This book is very well and thoughtfully written