It is March 1987. There is a flu bug doing the rounds in Edinburgh, which floors Lynn Michell and her two sons. Instead of pulling out of their ill and exhausted state, none of them gets better. It takes three years for Lynn's elder son to recover. She and her younger son are still ill 16 years later. This account of life with M.E., an unpredictable and devastating chronic fatigue illness that is still widely misunderstood and undiagnosed, is an emotionally intelligent, compassionate and often angry tour de force. Offering a personal insight into life as an M.E. sufferer, "Shattered" should be of help to sufferers in their fight for recognition and a comfort in their hour of need. While the first person snapshots of sufferers of all ages, describing the many different forms this illness can take and the effects it can have, can paint a bleak picture of a "life interrupted" and the lack of support and stigma from the public and the medical professions, readers should be able to draw hope and support from the shared stories. In addition to the stories of living with M.E., "Shattered" includes: advice on how to deal with social workers, teachers and other professionals; advice on how to deal with relationships; an exploration of life with M.E. from a young person's perspective; an exploration on the effect of M.E. on family life; advice on how to cope if you're a parent of an M.E. sufferer; and recommended complementary therapies and therapists' views on treating M.E.