Tessa is a writer, teacher, and disability justice advocate based in Brooklyn, NY.

Praise for Tessa’s debut book,What Doesn’t Kill You

"What Doesn't Kill You would have been engrossing as a memoir of illness, and infuriating as a polemic against the dysfunctional, often malicious American healthcare system. Instead, through skill and deep insight, it manages to be even more. Equal parts personal history, polemic and guidebook, its service journalism is invaluable for those living with 'a body in revolt,' as Miller puts it. The dividing line between the land of the well and that of the sick is an often blurry one, and Miller documents life on its uncertain borders with clarity and force."—Anna Merlan, Author of Republic of Lies

"This is a must-read book for anyone suffering chronic illness, and for the people who care for them. Beautifully written, and full of keen personal observations, What Doesn't Kill You is a powerful memoir and a smart self-help book rolled into one. Living with an invisible disability like Crohn's is a lonely business, but Tessa Miller makes you feel less alone. Her voice is funny, helpful, and most of all honest—she doesn't sugar-coat the truth, which is that life with a chronic disease is really damn hard. But you don't have to be hard on yourself, too. There are ways to ease the pain, both mental and physical, and this book is a good place to start learning what that means."—Annalee Newitz, bestselling author of Autonomous and Scatter, Adapt, and Remember

"A book you don’t just read, but inhabit. Tessa Miller powerfully captures all the pain and beauty of being alive in this beautiful hybrid of memoir and journalism. If you have a chronic illness, What Doesn’t Kill You will make you feel seen; to everyone else, it offers the opportunity to listen without judgment and, ultimately, to care about bodies different from your own."—Samantha Allen, Author of Real Queer America

"Unflinchingly honest, What Doesn’t Kill You provides an unfiltered look at what it truly means to be sick. Miller takes her years navigating the health care system and distills them into crucial resources and eye-opening insights. A must-read for those trying to navigate life with a chronic illness."—Jordan Davidson, Co-founder of Endo Warriors and women's health advocate

"Breathtaking. Miller brings together an absolutely frank personal memoir with scientific accuracy about her disease and insights into relationships, the mind-body connection, and our broken health system. She turns her life into an affirming guidebook to living with warmth, compassion, humor, humility, and generosity. This book will make you want to be a better friend, colleague, daughter, son, sibling, and partner."—Esther Choo, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Co-founder of Equity Quotient

"This is a book to press into someone's hands and say 'read this.' It both makes you feel you really know the author, and makes you want to spend more time with her to get to know her better. What Doesn't Kill You is by turns harrowing, heartbreaking, funny and practical, but it is compassionate on every single page. It is a book for people with chronic illness, people who love someone with a chronic illness, people who care for patients with chronic illness, and people who may one day develop a chronic illness. In other words, it is a book for everyone."—Daniel Summers, MD, Slate and The Daily Beast columnist

“I had an accidental strategy for reading this book: I’d cry. I’d dog ear what felt like every page. I’d underline something. I’d cry again. As someone grappling with chronic illness, this book felt like a sigh of relief and a battle cry all at once. This book is equal parts a guide, a personal story, and an analysis, taking on the American healthcare system in a manner that grounds, in data and studies and personal narrative, exactly how disturbing it is. To me, this book was a lifeline and a lighthouse; it rippled with humor, compassion, and with the unique grief of being overwhelmed by your own body. But it’s also a resource, and one of the most practical, detailed, and honest books on chronic illness I’ve ever read. Books may not heal us, but I emerged from this one with a greater understanding of my own body, our healthcare system, and the necessity of compassion, humor, and candor.”—Rainsford Stauffer, Author of An Ordinary Age, in The Daily Beast

“Miller’s memoir, about chronic illness and the intersection of mental and physical health, should be read by anyone with a body.”—The New York Times

"In this riveting memoir, journalist Tessa Miller describes the sudden onset of severe Crohn's disease in her twenties. . . . Evocative. . . . She analyzes studies and statistics about healthcare chronic illness in the U.S., including racial and gender discrimination. It's a fascinating and disturbing read."―BuzzFeed

“A clear, no-holds-barred account that will be useful to those coming to grips with their own chronic illness and also to the people in their lives.”—Library Journal

“Gripping. This is a page-turner and an excellent resource.”—Booklist

“Impactful…Miller’s account is important because it invites us to examine the imperfections of our health systems and public spaces, as well as the need to make them accessible for all.”—The Lancet

“Miller’s narrative is not that of a person who wants their story to be pitied. Rather, it’s an up-close glimpse into Crohn’s and the ways any body, not just Miller’s own, can revolt, and it’s a call for change in the medical community.”—Buzzfeed’s 20 Best Books of 2021

“Miller’s service-driven memoir is as applicable and important of a read as ever.”—Shape

“A riveting debut [that] weaves together Miller’s harrowing story of navigating the health care system with frank and funny observations about living with an invisible disease. A must-read.”—OK! Magazine

“More than a memoir…[Miller] offers hard-earned wisdom, solidarity, and hope for others facing the medical, occupational, and social realities inherent in receiving a lifetime diagnosis.”—Life and Style Magazine

“Powerful and moving…profound advice that will provide a source of hope and comfort for those living with a long-term ailment.”—Star Magazine

“An intimate account…offers insight and advice to those who have been diagnosed with an illness that will never go away.”—People Magazine