[1] Written as a series of twenty-three discoveries made by the author during his ten-year fight against cancer,[2] Espinosa describes the people he met during his stay in the hospital, recalling those who inspired him.

They’re like extracts from a poem, or the beginnings of songs, sentiments that will always smell of chemotherapy, or bandages, or waiting for visits or roommates in their blue pyjamas.

Some of the discoveries include "Losses are positive,"[3] "The word pain doesn’t exist,"[3] and "Don’t be afraid of being the person you have become,"[3] among many others.

The translation rights for the book have been bought by twenty countries, including the United States, Great Britain, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Finland, Norway, Japan, Taiwan, Slovakia, Korea, Greece, Portugal, Turkey, Bulgaria, Hungary and Brazil.

[6] The American television network Fox aired the English adaptation titled Red Band Society on September 17, 2014.

[10] Other TV adaptations of the show include the German version Red Bracelets, which won best series at the 2018 International Kids Emmy Awards.