Lorraine Boissoneault—Body Weather: Notes on Chronic Illness in the Anthropocene

Advance copy: Backstories on books by NASW members

Cover of the book Body Weather: Notes on Chronic Illness in the Anthropocene by Lorraine Boissoneault showing a framed watercolor painting of the author, a white woman with short blue hair, wearing a white shirt and blue jeans, seated on a blue couch. Growing along her back and torso are quagga and zebra mussels, representing invasive species in the Great Lakes, and the parts of her body where she has the most pain. Red native wildflowers grow from her chest, wrist, and knee; these represent places where sh
Body Weather
BODY WEATHER:
NOTES ON CHRONIC ILLNESS
IN THE ANTHROPOCENE
Lorraine Boissoneault
Beacon Press, April 21, 2026
Hardcover, $29.95, eBook, $13.99, Audio Book, $28.00
Hardcover ISBN-13 978-0807017555
eBook ISBN-13: 978-0807017562
Audio book, ASIN B0FJZNFWDC

Boissoneault reports:

I originally thought I’d investigate the science behind why women are so much more likely to get sick with autoimmune diseases than men and why the prevalence of these illnesses is increasing. I couldn’t seem to get the proposal right. I realized it was disingenuous to keep myself out of the story, seeing as I had five autoimmune diseases.

Portrait photo of Lorraine Boissoneault
Lorraine Boissoneault
Photo by Megan E. Doherty
I changed gears to write something that would combine memoir with science reporting. I already had an agent who had sold my previous book. She helped find a perfect fit for the book with Beacon Press. I was working full time when I started writing the book, but was laid off about three-fourths of the way through writing.

Thankfully, I won the Lukas Book-in-Progress Prize in 2024. That award helped me fund the last bit of writing and pay for fact-checking. I also did a residency at Yaddo, and having food and lodgings covered for a month of work was an amazing experience. I just about finished the first draft of my book while I was there.

If I’d known just how many branches of science I’d end up covering for the book, I would’ve reached out to more scientists in advance for background information. Instead, I wrote by process of discovery, following what interested me and uncovering unexpected links between human health and our environment. I spoke to a lot of scientists and researchers, but that happened in a more chaotic way than it normally does when I’m reporting a shorter piece.

As for advice to aspiring writers, my agent and editor at Beacon repeatedly told me how tough the nonfiction market is in 2025/2026. You could write a great proposal and never have a publisher buy it. This has happened to me! You have to be passionate about the project and cognizant of the fact that it might not go where you want it to. That’s the unfortunate reality of book publishing.

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Advance Copy

The path from idea to book may take myriad routes. The Advance Copy column, started in 2000 by NASW volunteer book editor Lynne Lamberg, features NASW authors telling the stories behind their books. Authors are asked to report how they got their idea, honed it into a proposal, found an agent and a publisher, funded and conducted their research, and organized their writing process. They also are asked to share what they wish they’d known when they started or would do differently next time, and what advice they can offer aspiring authors. Lamberg edits the authors’ answers to produce the Advance Copy reports.

NASW members: Will your book be published soon? Visit www.nasw.org/advance-copy-submission-guidelines for information on submitting your report.

Publication of NASW author reports in Advance Copy does not constitute NASW's endorsement of any publication or the ideas, values, or material contained within or espoused by authors or their books. We hope this column stimulates productive discussions on important topics now and in the future as both science and societies progress. We welcome your discussion in the comments section below.

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