On the Level : Circling Rivers : 9781939530288 : 1939530288 : 15 Nov 2022 : On the Level: Poems on Living with Multiple Sclerosis cuts to the reality of living with disability. Fear and courage-and humor-make their appearance, along with family trauma, invasive examinations, constantly moving medical targets, and accessibility barriers. Without pulling any punches, Bryan R. Monte shows us that life and joy push through and beyond limitations both self- and other-imposed. PRAISE Gifted narrative poet Bryan R. Monte turns medical anthropologist in this transfixing exploration of his four-decade brawl with multiple sclerosis, meeting his disease's "tongues of fire" with wit, erudition and insight. On the Level is not only a deft exploration of the author's life as patient, but also a daring foray into the nature of illness, the limits of the medical profession and the boundless potential of the human psyche to transcend its physical shell. In the spirit of Sarah Manguso and Porochista