Recommended Reading

Got cancer? Everyone has a book for you. There are LOTS of books out there that are about cancer: what to eat, what not to eat, how not to get cancer, etc. Many of them are good. I, however, seem to think I have stumbled across some of the best. That is mostly because these books come to me only after having been vetted by my patients. And, my patients, like me, are drawn to books that really acknowledge the tradition of shared experience; books that shed light on how cancer touches every aspect of the lives it touches in a way to which we can relate. With cancer all aspects of life come more narrowly into focus. Books that are able to give a front row seat to the experience are books worth reading, and are books to which we can relate. To me, these are the must reads.

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Marrow: Love, Loss and What Matters Most by Elizabeth Lesser

Marrow: Love, Loss and What Matters Most by Elizabeth Lesser is a book I read at the same time as two dear friends, one of whom has Stage IV Cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer). All three of us loved this book. It’s poetic, a page turner and really captures some of the more challenging emotions we all experience as human beings, caner or not.

Mind Over Medicine by Lissa Rankin, M.D.

A beloved patient told me about this book. She found it offered hope and empowered her to feel more in control during a time which felt very out of control. Dr. Lissa Rankin takes an in depth look at the power of the mind with regard to healing the body.

Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds by Kelly A. Turner, Ph.d.

Kelly A. Turner spent years counseling cancer patients and became intrigued with patients who defied the odds of their diagnosis and lived years beyond that which was expected. She began to research what these survivors have in common and to document their stories. Her book outlines that which she discovered. This book reminds us that there is always hope to be had, and makes suggestions for healing that compliment the more mainstream western approach.

Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories that Heal by Rachel Naomi Remen

I read Rachel Naomi Remen’s book at the recommendation of Dr. Jim Ingvoldstad. Dr Jim, who was a mentor to me during my years in PA school, and I traveled to Haiti together for Medical Mission trips . He was a trusted adviser and this recommendation did not fall short. You will love this book and find it to be as helpful as it is a page turner.

I am with you!

I have just finished I am With you; Love Letters to Cancer Patients by Nancy Novak and Barbara K. Richardson. This book felt like a gift, more than any other book on the subject I have read--and I’ve read many. In this one, Novak and Richardson have compiled letters to cancer patients written by cancer patients, survivors, and caretakers of cancer patients. The missives are practical, emotional, sometimes very poetic and sometimes a rushing stream of consciousness. At the end of each letter, the writer offers a few practical pieces of advice about what helped them along their journey.