Strong at the Broken Places depicts two years in the lives of five diverse “citizens of sickness”: Denise, a woman with ALS; Buzz, a man with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; Sarah, a young woman with Crohn’s disease; Ben, a college freshman with muscular dystrophy; and Larry, a man with bipolar disorder. Cohen formed intense relationships with each and shared joyous breakthroughs and heartbreaking setbacks.

Cohen shows how their experiences are strikingly similar and offers lessons for us all—on self-determination, courage in the face of adversity and ignorance, keeping hope alive, and finding strength and peace under the most difficult circumstances.