Heartfelt advice for cancer patients, though the embrace of out-of-the-box healing methods may have a limited appeal.
A cancer survivor offers an alternative approach to overcoming disease.
When Meer (The Story of the Strange Sandwich, 2012, etc.) was diagnosed with cancer (what type is never specified), she was already struggling with personal and professional problems. A serious illness was the last thing she needed, but after the initial shock, she decided that healing would begin in her mind. “I am going to believe I am well. And if I believe I am well, I will be well,” she recalls telling her doctor. This unconventional outlook informs her approach to treatment and the advice she offers to readers on their own journeys to wellness. Meer begins by advocating that people slow down and consider their options, suggesting meditation and diet changes as first steps before more invasive treatments. “Give up sugar. It is EVIL” is typical of her emphatic recommendations, which are largely based on her personal experience. Some of the advice seems fairly sound, like bouncing on a trampoline to promote lymphatic drainage. Other tips may raise eyebrows, at least for those who usually put their faith in allopathic medicine. Cleanses, a strict plant-focused diet, and a cocktail of supplements (which she confesses to spending $1,500 per month on during her illness) all have the potential to help “cure” cancer, according to the author. Though Meer did receive chemotherapy, she stopped before completing treatment and is frank about her negative experiences with Western medicine. There’s also practical information on coping with finances while sick, the best beauty products for cancer patients, and thoughts on dating after a diagnosis. The guide’s tone is friendly and often funny, and fellow cancer patients should appreciate Meer’s tell-it-like-it-is attitude and her counsel to advocate for themselves and choose treatments that work for them. But more information on how to integrate alternative and traditional medicine would have been helpful for those who wish to combine both approaches. And some readers will likely disagree with Meer’s “look on the bright side” attitude. Though she admits some may find the idea “disgustingly Pollyanna,” her belief is that “major illnesses…show up to heal your life.”
Heartfelt advice for cancer patients, though the embrace of out-of-the-box healing methods may have a limited appeal.Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9985821-9-1
Page Count: 160
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...
Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.
The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.Pub Date: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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