Uplift: Secrets from the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors

by Barbara Delinsky

Simon and Schuster, September, 2001.
Hardcover, 293 pages.
ISBN: 0743431367

Uplift: Secrets from the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors by Barbara Delinsky

" I like my anonymity. For that reason, Uplift is an aberration for me. But if ever a cause was near and dear to my heart -- and therefore worth the risk of putting my private self out there -- breast cancer is it." So writes bestselling novelist Barbara Delinsky (Coast Road, The Woman Next Door) in the Foreword to her incredibly inspiring new book, Uplift: Secrets from the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors. Delinsky lost her own mother to breast cancer, and is also a survivor of the disease which strikes millions of women each year. Uplift is not a technical, medical guide about about the causes and cures of breast cancer. Rather, it is a collection of stories from women (and even some men) of all ages, races and walks of life. The chapters cover such issues as: On Diagnosis, Losing a Breast, Radiation, Chemo and Hair, Taking the Reins, Family, Friends, The Workplace, Support Groups, Humor, Men, Exercise, Religion and Pure Uplift.

The anecdotes are incredibly helpful about the practical side of breast cancer that the doctors don't talk about: what foods will help with the nausea from chemo, how to talk to friends about your condition, body image and the shock and ways of dealing with the loss of one's hair. The stories are, by turns, moving, practical and even funny. Throughout the book, Barbara Delinsky's compelling and warm style make the reader feel as if she has found a new friend to help her through the ordeal that is breast cancer. Highly recommended for those with cancer and for anyone who knows someone who has been touched by it. [Note: the author is donating all the proceeds of the book to breast cancer research]

--Claire E. White

Uplift: Secrets from the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors is available for purchase on Amazon.com

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This review was published in the Oct. - Nov., 2001 of The Internet Writing Journal.