A Girl Behind Dark Glasses

Jessica Taylor-Bearman shares her innermost thoughts and real-time emotions, adapted from the diary she kept as a teenager growing up in southeast England. At just fifteen years old, instead of studying, socializing, and enjoying typical teenage life, Jessica became rapidly and devastatingly ill. She soon found herself bedridden, ultimately unable to move, speak, or eat.

Despite overwhelming odds, Jessica refused to give up. She dreamed of becoming an author, getting married, leaving the hospital, and helping others by founding her own charity. In July 2018, her first book, A Girl Behind Dark Glasses, was published by Hashtag Press.

Jessica has been nominated for a Pride of Britain Award, and her charity, Share A Star, continues to impact lives every day. She also appears in the Oscar-shortlisted, Sundance Award–winning documentary Unrest, directed by Jennifer Brea, which raises awareness about Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.).