The Collective Cure - by Monica L Wang (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A personable, story-driven explanation of how the systems around us--where we live, work, learn, and connect--shape our health, and how each of us can help create healthier communities.

A powerful blend of deeply human stories and rigorous research, The Collective Cure reveals how social and structural factors like income, occupation, race and ethnicity, neighborhood conditions, and social connections, profoundly shape our well-being. Dr. Monica Wang, an award-winning public health researcher, educator, and working mother who came of age as an Asian American bussing student, brings a personal lens to these complex issues and shares a hopeful, action-oriented vision for building healthier communities from the ground up.

Through her own personal and professional journey and the lives of three extraordinary women across the U.S., readers are invited to see how health is shaped in everyday spaces:

• Marielis, a first-generation Latina student navigating financial insecurity in the Bronx
• Dorothy, a semi-retired Black community organizer in rural Alabama
• Rosa, an Indigenous clinical social worker preserving ancestral traditions in Texas

With clarity, urgency, and optimism, The Collective Cure bridges powerful storytelling with evidence-based solutions. More than a diagnosis, this book is a call to reimagine what's possible when we invest in people and places.

Review Quotes

"In The Collective Cure, Monica Wang offers a clear, compelling case for why health must be rooted in collective care. Drawing on history, policy, and lived experience, the book teaches us how reimagining our systems through the lens of justice and community can lead to health that is more equitable and sustainable."
--Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, author of The Turning Point

"A compelling argument that health is never just about genes or lifestyle choices. Blending personal experience, narrative accounts, and authoritative research, The Collective Cure illustrates that collective action and policy changes can advance a healthier world. I haven't encountered another book that weaves these threads together so effectively."
--Mary T. Bassett, MD, MPH, director of the François-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard University

"In The Collective Cure, Dr. Monica Wang brings the social determinants of health to life with compassion, clarity, and urgency. Through powerful storytelling and rigorous analysis, she illuminates how racism, poverty, and inequities shape health outcomes long before people reach a clinic--and she shows us how change is possible when communities take the lead. Both deeply personal and profoundly instructive, this book is a guide for anyone who wants to understand why our health system must transform and how each of us can help make that transformation real. A must-read for this moment."
--Uché Blackstock, MD, founder and CEO, Advancing Health Equity

"At some point, we must see the unseen structural factors that shape our health and wellness. Monica Wang gives us the lens to clearly see these factors and evidence-based solutions in The Collective Cure--an accessible, personable, and hopeful book."
--Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist

About the Author

Dr. Monica L. Wang is an award-winning public health researcher and educator. She is an associate professor at the Boston University School of Public Health, an adjunct associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Executive Editor at Public Health Post.