Author: Joanna Baumer Permut
Lupus is the Latin word for Wolf. A nineteenth century French doctor named the disease lupus for two reasons; one because of the effects it has on a person’s insides which reminded him of a wolf’s ravenous appetite, and secondly, because of the rash that often accompanies lupus, resembling the bite of a wolf.

However, in Joanna’s book “Embracing the Wolf” she describes lupus and the wolf in a very different light. Her journey through the disease was not an easy one. It began to slowly take over her body and mind. In the nineteen eighties not too much was known about the disease and there was no internet to log on to for information, so the lack of knowledge for her was most frightening. The disease proved to put a strain on her life and marriage.
She had to leave her work, a prestigious environment as an administrative assistant at Yale University, leaving her suddenly useless, empty and invalid. This however, did not stop her from seeking help after leaving her first doctor, who proved to be of no help to her. She eventually found a team of physicians and a therapist who together helped her improve her quality of life and her marriage.
One of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much was because of it’s forth-right nature. Joanna plainly describes her trials and hardships in dealing with lupus. Her book isn’t one those self help books, lupus diets for a cure or an organic healthy way to cure lupus. It’s a story of a women’s journey that all of us with a chronic illness must travel.
Joanna tells the story of how she learned to cope and live with lupus- the wolf. I really loved how she visualizes her disease as an actual wolf. Properly named lupus, it really has some wolf like characteristics. As she says: ” Eventually, the wolf became the metaphor for my disease. After living with him for many years and realizing that at times he was content to lie quiet in the hidden crevices of my body, while at other times he wreaked
havoc with my insides. I knew he was there to stay one way or another.”
Joanna began to accept that wolf and looked for ways to live with him. She began using this image to meditate with, often seeing the wolf lying tame beside her, sometimes it would be restless, growling and mouthing on her
limbs and other times it went from a tame pet to an attacker, but she continued to learn to live with her lifelong companion.
For me this book was a way to see my illness in a different light. This book is a wonderful read for not just us lupies, but for family members as well. This book looks at the way lupus not only effects the person with the
disease but the entire family. This book is also not just a book for lupus sufferers, it’s a book for anyone living with any chronic illness. I encourage you to pick up this book. For me it’s now become a book of refuge and a reference book. It is also a story for me to read about someone who is dealing with and has gone through, what I am struggling with everyday.
Title: Embracing the Wolf
Author: Joanna Baumer Permut
Publisher: Cherokee Publishing Company (GA); 1st ed edition (September 1989)
ISBN: 0877971668
Review written by: Stefanie Leale, Butyoudontlooksick.com ©2006