No Laughing Matter is a 1986 book co-authored by Joseph Heller and Speed Vogel. The book covers Heller's struggle with Guillain–Barré syndrome from 1981 to 1982, as well as the experience of Vogel, Heller's longtime friend, helping with Heller's rehabilitation and serving as his public face during that time. Heller and Vogel wrote alternating chapters.
Heller eventually made a substantial recovery. In 1984, he divorced his wife of 35 years, Shirley, to marry Valerie Humphries, the nurse who had helped him to recover.[3]
Speed Vogel writes of helping Heller, his friend for twenty years, through his rehabilitation. The pair write alternating chapters, which chronicle Vogel's rise through society as he stands in for Heller, even traveling to the Cannes Film Festival, while at the same time Heller is becoming more helpless.
Although Heller's disease is debilitating, he uses humor and avoids self-pity in this work.
Heller does regret letting an insurance policy lapse, resulting in out-of-pocket expenses of around $120,000 in medical costs.[2]: 62
.JPG){kind=small}