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Title details for A Breast Cancer Alphabet by Madhulika Sikka - Available

A Breast Cancer Alphabet

by Madhulika Sikka
Madhulika Sikka
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
A definitive and approachable guide to life during, and after, breast cancer
 
The biggest risk factor for breast cancer is simply being a woman.  Madhulika Sikka's A Breast Cancer Alphabet offers a new way to live with and plan past the hardest diagnosis that most women will ever receive: a personal, practical, and deeply informative look at the road from diagnosis to treatment and beyond.
What Madhulika Sikka didn't foresee when initially diagnosed, and what this book brings to life so vividly, are the unexpected and minute challenges that make navigating the world of breast cancer all the trickier.  A Breast Cancer Alphabet is an inspired reaction to what started as a personal predicament.
This A-Z guide to living with breast cancer goes where so many fear to tread: sex (S is for Sex - really?), sentimentality (J is for Journey - it's a cliché we need to dispense with), hair (H is for Hair - yes, you can make a federal case of it) and work (Q is for Quitting - there'll be days when you feel like it).  She draws an easy-to-follow, and quite memorable, map of her travels from breast cancer neophyte to seasoned veteran.
As a prominent news executive, Madhulika had access to the most cutting edge data on the disease's reach and impact.  At the same time, she craved the community of frank talk and personal insight that we rely on in life's toughest moments.  This wonderfully inventive book navigates the world of science and story, bringing readers into Madhulika's mind and experience in a way that demystifies breast cancer and offers new hope for those living with it.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    February 25, 2014

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780804192804
      • File size: 73057 KB
      • Duration: 02:32:12

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      In these 26 short personal essays, Sikka shares her musings and observations on being diagnosed with and treated for breast cancer. As executive producer of NPR, Sikka is aware of the power of spoken words, and her reading is enriched by that understanding. Her slightly British-sounding voice infuses the reading with the warmth, personal experience, and attitude that only she could bring. "J Is for Journey" questions society's need to transform this disease into a mystical journey, and "Q Is for Quitting" gives listeners permission to give up when they feel like it. Sikka couches insights in the practical and often poignant language of her own experience ("you will find . . ." and "don't be surprised if . . .") rather than the neutral language of medicine. This is valuable information many listeners will find helpful and comforting. J.C.G. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 3, 2014
      NPR executive editor Sikka bares all details of her personal experience with breast cancer in this honest, frank, and contemplative summary, arranged alphabetically by topic. Starting from A for "Anxiety" with a range of topics including "Guilt," "Mastectomy" to "Reconstruction," "Sex," through to "Zzzzzs," Sikka writes so candidly about her experiences it's as if you're reading her journal. She shares surprisesâfinding that the chemotherapy unit was standing room only, epiphaniesâ"hat you want most is your pre-cancer life...and you would do anything to go back to it," and unexpected adviceâshave hair before it falls out with chemotherapy. Whether discussing turbans and other headwear, omnipresent anxiety, or the relief that pillows can provide from post-surgery pain, Sikka's voice is calm and earnest, poetic and descriptive, and occasionally even uplifting. Those who find cancer in their lives, whether first-hand or through a friend or family member, will appreciate the raw but supportive voice that emerges here.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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