The book's five sections contain a myriad of complex responses to the occurrence of pain: "...measure it" discusses biomedical responses; "...scream and yell" explores therapeutic solutions; "...cut it open" takes up surgical interventions; "...take a pill" looks at pharmacology; and "...intensify it" examines positions that embrace pain. Each section comprises original artwork, scholarly analyses, poetic and literary texts, and discussions by activists. Hailing from the university, the gallery, and the community organization, the authors -- as TV watchers, recreational drug users, recipients of medical attention, caregivers, midwives, or the HIV positive -- inhabit and reconfigure our contemporary painscape, offering a new approach to the puzzle of pain.