The first half is the actual psycho-social experience of pain through multiple contexts. The Cold War is a tangible piece of the discussion, and it adds a lens of perspective I would not have otherwise experienced. I recommend reading this. 4+/5 stars 

The back half of this book may as well be a different book. It deconstructs our ideas of pain and reconstructs it beginning with the context of Western Christianity. It's a slog that I put off multiple times after devouring the first half.