Exercise in Uncertainty, An

“An Exercise in Uncertainty is an exercise in compassion—for anyone whose life has been impacted by a devastating illness. . . . the words on these pages are a somber reminder that none of us is immune to the unexpected, and there is nothing more precious than life itself.”—Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN chief medical correspondent, New York Times bestselling author, and practicing neurosurgeon “While uncertainty is the theme of An Exercise in Uncertainty, the book is sure-footed and clear-eyed. Gluck navigates the dire straits of mortality beautifully, with eloquence and wit and intelligence. You will want to join him on this intense and human journey.”—Susan Orlean, New York Times bestselling author of The Library Book “An Exercise in Uncertainty has a powerful and restorative story to tell us. Gluck's life of illness and survival is a vital primer for us all— a lesson in how to face and comprehend two of the basic facts that render us human: we die; but much more importantly, we live.”—Richard Ford “As medical miracles now allow people to live with cancer for years and decades, Jon Gluck reveals a side effect few patients discuss: the stressful uncertainty that comes from living alongside—as one of his wise sources puts it—‘an alarm bell that's stuck in the on position.’”—Ada Calhoun, New York Times bestselling author of Why We Can't Sleep “Every one of us wants to memorize what matters and stop falling for the cheap imitations of meaning all around us. Jonathan Gluck’s perfectly conveyed story of managing life on the edge of death will orient and reorient you in your own humanity. He is a gift. This is a gift.”—Kelly Corrigan, New York Times bestselling author and host of Kelly Corrigan Wonders “Jonathan Gluck examines one of life’s greatest challenges with insight and clarity, humility and unvarnished candor, tears and rage, and—amazingly—humor and hope. Anyone whose life has been touched by illness (and isn’t that all of us?) will find value and wisdom in this priceless, deeply meaningful memoir.”—Robert Kolker, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Valley Road “Leavened by humor and studded with beautiful moments, [An Exercise in Uncertainty], ultimately, is a textured and wonderfully honest story about what it means to be alive.”—Jennifer Senior, winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing and author of the New York Times bestseller All Joy and No Fun “Sure-footedly, Jonathan Gluck wades deep into the swirling currents of chronic disease and returns ashore with a story of authentic hope for our information-addled, uncertain age. At the center of this fine memoir, the reader encounters a rare calm, something akin to grace, that is vital to our collective survival.”—Chris Dombrowski, author of The River You Touch “If you are going through a chronic illness or know someone who is, this is a memoir that will give you hope and guidance. Gluck perseveres through endless setbacks and frustrations with what seems like superhuman optimism.”—Tom Rosenbauer, fly-fishing author and podcaster