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judy: As someone who has suffered with me/cfs for 32 years, this book was like salve on a wound. I've experienced all the issues raised in the book. The author and the subjects do an excellent job of telling what its like to live with this debilitating, disparaged illness. It is my fervent prayer that others, those who are not ill, will read it, though I'm dubious about that since lack of interest in the illness is one of its hallmarks. I did buy a copy and send it to my sister. She read it but all she said was 'I learned some things.' Oh well, at least when I talk about something, or say I can't deal with the noises on the phone, she may understand and accept where she would have trouble with that in the past. I will continue to try to get people to read the book. The only area that was not emphasized that has impacted my life profoundly is the poverty it creates. That subject was mentioned but its been central for me and many others of us who have not been unable to work. The personal loss of career, involvement with family and friends, to say nothing of things not done for pleasure is immense, incalculable. Hopefully with the dedication of Dr Davis and the wonderful Dr. Dafoe, along...

United States on Jul 05, 2021

Kindle Customer: I bought this book as a scientist for inspiration. It turned out to be a waste of money. The only thing I learned from the book is chronic fatigue syndrome, nothing else. It is very badly written, it was supposed to be focused on the scientist, but the writer somehow kept wedging her personal life in the book whenever there is a chance. It is very low in material, no inspiration, bits and pieces here and there with no coherent ending.

United Kingdom on Apr 05, 2021

AngieHall: This is a must read for anyone that has ME/CFS - their friends, family, and any doctors that have patients with this awful illness will also gain so much from reading this (I may just send a copy to my GP surgery!)

It is so well researched & clearly pinpoints exactly how this illness got wrongly sidelined by those who’s jobs it was to help...
That knowledge is empowering.
The personal, caring way in which the author, Tracie, tells the stories of those suffers she met (and their families) is truly heart warming (I will admit, tears were shed)
Most of all, I feel uplifted & full of hope - Ron Davis & his colleagues are paving the way forward for us all.

United Kingdom on Feb 19, 2021

Gerry B: I read everything I can to help me understand why the CFS/ME community is marginalized so terribly. I believe with all my heart that doctors and nurses and other healthcare providers go into their profession to help those who are suffering. And, despite its pathetic name, "chronic fatigue syndrome" patients suffer terribly. So, why is so little being done? Why are these patients being treated dismally by our healthcare system? This book helped me understand the unfortunate events that led to the severely disproportionate lack of research funding available for this disease.

But that is just a side note - the most remarkable thing about this story is that the author walked toward Ron Davis and his family when so many people would have walked away. It's incredibly terrifying and sad to walk toward vulnerabilities that we all would like to think we don't have. How does a healthy vibrant person just become bedridden with no explanation and no cure and no doctor who can help them? And then live that way for years and years? Sadly, it IS happening to millions of people all over the world as we speak. Why don't we know about it? Because, when a person is so incredibly sick or...

United States on Feb 04, 2021

R.E.: Definitely a must-read. Hard to put down! Very accurate and up-to-date information on what was once dismissed as "yuppie flu". The reality of living with this illness needs to be more widely known, especially in relation to its similarities (and possible biological link to) Longhaul Covid and Post Viral Syndromes.

Canada on Jan 20, 2021

Katt: The Puzzle Solver is a powerful account of the excruciation experience of the suffering of ME/CFS, an illness that doesn't just affect an individual, but so many around them as the medical profession has let sufferers and families down for decades. It's hard to image where ME/CFS research would be without Whitney, his family and the tireless efforts of his father, Ron Davis in his desperate search for a cure. Overall The Puzzle Solver is well-written, compelling and heart-wrenching personal, scientific and historical account of a horrible illness and a father's efforts to find a cure. Highly recommended. Well worth the read.

As an aside I note some reviewers being disappointed by the way the book ends without a resolution or cure. I find this idea very disappointing as the book is highlighting the astronomical efforts of those searching for a cure and the horrible suffering of those with ME/CFS. The Puzzle Solver is not meant to give a cure but instead highlights the enormous effort required to achieve advances in research for a condition so long ignored. The book helps to increase understanding, increase the voice of those trapped by this illness, and through this voice we...

Australia on Jan 19, 2021

Book Queen: The Puzzle Solver the heroic story of how a very prestigious genetic researcher, who helped pioneer the Genome project, got involved in researching the pariah of illnesses, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. As someone with CFS and familiar with current research, there weren’t many surprises in the book. However, the average person will find this to be an extreme eye opener.

The story covers historical efforts to document and research CFS over the past 30 years. AIDS advocates may find familiar echoes of institutional resistance to tackling a very difficult and devastating disease.

In addition,Ron Davis’s personal history is unique and speaks to our times. He grew up in poor family with echoes of Educated by Tara Westover. But in addition, he has dyslexia - yet another disability derided by many. My daughter has dyslexia so I know first hand both how brilliant she has always been even when she struggled for years with reading and math. Ron was not diagnosed with dyslexia until he was an adult, like so many and considered unfit for college. Yet he graduated from Caltech and is now Director of the Stanford Genome Technology Center. I’m sure this experience has helped him...

United States on Jan 10, 2021

A Customer: Get this book. It's a heartening read of a dark story. Whitney Dafoe is a remarkable soul, a young man in his prime felled by ME/CFS- a condition which medicine has ignored and diminished for a very long time. Whitney is so sick that he moves back home and is unable to care for himself. When doctors diminish him and dismiss his condition, his remarkable family steps up: a sister who cares for him, a formidable mother who advocates and cares, and a world-leading scientist father who cares so much that he starts working day and night, bringing world-class scientist together to bring some modicum of relief to their beloved Whitney. Whitney, being the soul that he is, shares this intensely personal story with the world through this book, to show the world what ME/CFS is, so that those struggling with this horrible disease can get the research funding needed to move the conversation forward.

Canada on Jan 10, 2021