Heart failure--the expression alone is scary. The idea that the blood-pumping organ in our chest can struggle, stutter, or suddenly stop is deeply disconcerting. But for those who get the diagnosis, the future is not necessarily bleak. With the right treatments and a healthy lifestyle that includes exercise and good nutrition, many people with heart failure can improve their condition and live well.

Heart failure expert Edward K. Kasper, M.D., teams with journalist--and survivor--Mary Knudson to give readers an honest account of this misunderstood condition. The authors...