Works of fiction where characters have ME/CFS

ME Association:

Writing a children’s book featuring a protagonist who has ME Sally Doherty talks about her new book – Max and Monty: The Raven Thief – and explains why she jumped at the chance to write a book for children with a protagonist with ME, as part of the HarperCollins new disability series. The ME Association is proud to say we had some input in this book, and are credited in the inside front cover.

https://meassociation.org.uk/2024/09/writing-a-childrens-book-featuring-a-protagonist-who-has-me/

https://twitter.com/user/status/1833479290597331386
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"Everybody has a story" - a talk with Stuart Murdoch
September 20, 2024

In a recent InterAction article, we spoke to Scottish singer-songwriter Stuart Murdoch about his journey with ME, which he shares in his new book, Nobody's Empire.


Speed read
Stuart Murdoch has lived with ME for over 30 years. He has manage to build a slow career in music and is the lead signer in the band Belle and Sebastian. Stuart reflects on storytelling (particularly in his new novel), his journey with ME and his sense of belonging in the ME community. He wants to make a difference and raise awareness. He shares his certainty that no life is ever wasted.

Continues at:
https://www.actionforme.org.uk/news/a-talk-with-stuart-murdoch/

https://twitter.com/user/status/1837564595239633237
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Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian: ‘My wife said to me, don’t put any sex in the book.’ Photograph: Katherine Anne Rose/The Observer


Books interview
Fiction


Interview
Stuart Murdoch: ‘I feel like this book will be the Trainspotting of ME’
Killian Fox

The Belle and Sebastian musician on his new novel, inspired by his long struggle with chronic fatigue, choirs and his love of Victorian authors


Killian_Fox,_L.png

Sat 28 Sep 2024 19.00 CEST
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2...ike-this-book-will-be-the-trainspotting-of-me

https://twitter.com/user/status/1840106286941184007
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Tom Kindlon said:
The author, who has ME/CFS, sent me the following link to highlight his new book where one of the main characters has ME/CFS and fibromyalgia.
I don't know anything more.
A few reviews are up on the link given in the tweet.

THE EMBLETON MURDERS After ten years of working at Embleton University, Professor Robbie Mustoe is ordered to take a sabbatical by senior management. Within days of his sabbatical starting, two of his trusted lecturing staff are suspended and eventually leave the university under a veil of secrecy. Months later, two staff members involved in the removal of his trusted colleagues from the university, die in separate incidents. Professor Mustoe suspects foul play and turns to his friend since school days, DCI Parrish. DCI Parrish had to take early retirement from the Metropolitan Police on health grounds. Diagnosed with ME/CFS and fibromyalgia, symptoms including chronic fatigue and pain prevented him doing his job properly. But it was brain fog; poor concentration, memory problems, difficulty speaking and counting, that ended his career. After talking with Robbie, Parrish begins researching the mysterious deaths. He feels the excitement of being involved in a case again. But is it a case? It is when a third member of the university goes missing. A DCI PARRISH Crime Thriller by Bear Lawrence Available exclusively on Amazon



Edited to add: I did try to add the Amazon link in the post here but it wouldn't load
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ME Association on a fictional novel
DCI Parrish – meet the new detective with ME/CFS on the block
October 4, 2024
Stand aside Kojak, Columbo, Maigret, Morse, Lewis and Rebus. There’s a new detective on the block – and he’s not ashamed to flash his ME/CFS credentials.

https://meassociation.org.uk/2024/10/dci-parrish-meet-the-new-detective-with-me-cfs-on-the-block/

https://twitter.com/user/status/1842203429382336683
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Dolphin said:
Posted under this thread on the ME Association page 5 days ago:

https://www.facebook.com/share/15dxc7gBJz/?mibextid=wwXIfr

There was an appalling characterisation of an ME patient in
"Strike" last night on TV. A man in a suit in a wheelchair, shouting and bullying in a loud voice, and scared of getting infections from his daughter. Did you see it?
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It's JK Rowling's novel 'The Ink Black Heart' adapted as a drama for BBCTV with the last episode on BBC1 on Christmas Eve.

JKR's novel has a 2 characters with ME - One (Inigo) is an angry abusive bully whose friends and workmates dropped him not because That's What Happens When People Become Sick/Disabled With ME but according to JKR because he was a self aggrandizing bully.

The 2nd character with ME (Kea) is portrayed by JKR as a lying faker, a hysteric, who runs around shouting/slamming doors while supposedly in an ME relapse.



Christmas Eve BBC1 viewers can watch JKRs character assassination of people with the disabling disease ME (majority women).

JK Rowling claims to be a feminist, concerned for women and kids, but clearly sick and disabled women and kids with ME are *The wrong sort of women and kids*


JK Rowling's hero-detectives Strike and Robin put the sick people with ME in their place:
"This is a murder enquiry!!".


NO, it's Fiction. Real ME patients (who are mostly women) are dying from medical neglect and prejudice.


I'm so sorry JKR has done such a cruel thing as to exploit a serious disabling disease, and character assassinate the sufferers, for literary and dramatic effect.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0025ydf


.
 
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I haven't listened to this so not recommending it per se.

https://thelonelycrowd.org/2025/04/03/read-by-the-author-take-away-by-alan-mccormick/

Alan McCormick reads his short story ‘Take Away’ from Issue Fourteen. Find out how Alan wrote the story here.

https://thelonelycrowd.org/2025/04/02/on-writing-take-away-alan-mccormick/
On writing ‘Take Away’ / Alan McCormick
Alan McCormick on the creative process behind ‘Take Away’ in Issue Fourteen.



‘Take Away’ is about Hannah, a fifteen-year-old struggling with ME in small town Sussex in 1990. It’s a personal story, as I was ill with ME in my mid-twenties during the same period. Hannah suffers disbelief and hostility about her illness, sometimes from classmates, but mostly from some care professionals, doctors and social workers. I was fortunate in that I suffered far less unhelpful attitudes than Hannah, though some of my friends found my diagnosis difficult to deal with and would suggest I just needed to be more positive and get on with life as there was nothing seriously physically wrong with me. Given I was mentally and physically disabled, completely exhausted, unable to read, confined to bed most of the time, often needing a wheelchair when I was outside, this rejection could be depressing and alienating, making me even question whether my pragmatic realist (rather than unquestioningly positive) approach was making things worse.

continues at link
 
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The podcast Friends at the Table has a side character with ME/CFS in their "Partizan" sci-fi storyline. It is a table top roleplaying game podcast. The character created robot service dogs that are able to do energy-draining tasks for them--I thought it was a fun depiction.
 
The author contacted the group I'm involved in to highlight it. I don't know anything more about

Amazon product ASIN B0DRVL2RJF
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Milo’s Mysterious Nap-Time: A gentle introduction to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) [Print Replica] Kindle Edition
by Simona Stefanakova Garcia (Author) Format: Kindle Edition


Milo's Mysterious Nap-Time tells the story of Milo, a young boy who feels unusually tired and finds comfort in taking a nap to help him feel better. As he navigates his mysterious fatigue, Milo learns that rest is not only important for growing but also for healing. Through his journey, children will discover the importance of listening to their bodies and understanding how rest helps us recharge. The story offers a gentle introduction to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), helping children understand the need for self-care and compassion when experiencing fatigue.

This book comes with interactive activities such as coloring pages, puzzles, and reflective questions that encourage children to think deeply about the story, express their creativity, and engage with the themes of rest and self-care. These activities help reinforce the message of the book, making it both fun and educational.


  1. Reading age
    3 - 8 years
  2. Print length
    65 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Accessibility features for this Kindle book (as provided by the publisher).
  5. Publication date
    28 Dec. 2024
  6. Page Flip is a new way to explore your books without losing your place.
 
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