The UndyingThe Undying
Score Modern
What it's about
A week after her forty-first birthday, the poet Anne Boyer, a single mother living paycheck to paycheck, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. She writes about treatment, the brutal chemotherapy, being sick in America without money, the pink-ribbon industry, and the long history of women writing about illness.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction. It's fierce, angry and lyrical.
You'll love it if you liked
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
When Breath Becomes Air
The ArgonautsGood to know
It's fragmentary and poetic rather than a straightforward memoir. Treatment is described frankly.
By the numbers
- Readers68 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics67 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz14 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #44 of the 119 science and ideas books we rank
- #117 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #335 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #662 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story, Thought-provoking
If you like this, read next
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
Braiding Sweetgrass
The Overstory
The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression
Infinite Jest
How to Be an AntiracistExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 ranked
Science and ideas booksTop 25 · 119 ranked
Modern booksTop 25 · 1,573 ranked
Books of the 2010sTop 25 · 736 ranked
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 459 ranked
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 309 ranked
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 313 rankedQuick answers
Is The Undying worth reading?
Yes. It won the Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction. It ranks #662 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 76.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Undying about?
A week after her forty-first birthday, the poet Anne Boyer, a single mother living paycheck to paycheck, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. She writes about treatment, the brutal chemotherapy, being sick in America without money, the pink-ribbon industry, and the long history of women writing about illness.
How long does it take to read The Undying?
About 8 hours (320 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has The Undying won?
Pulitzer Prize (General Nonfiction) winner (2020).
What should I read after The Undying?
If you liked it, try The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee, When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi or The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson.