From the TBR Pile: Blog Tour: A Breast Cancer Alphabet by Madhulika Sikka

Author: Madhulika Sikka
Publisher: Crown
Date of publication: February 2014

From NPR News executive editor comes an indispensable 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.

Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I was happy to join this tour to promote A Breast Cancer Alphabet. Breast cancer is a disease that affects a woman's life in ways that she cannot imagine. While I didn't read the book cover to cover, I found the parts I did read to be informative as well as comforting. I think one of the best ways to survive an illness is by drawing from the wisdom of one who has been on the same path. I would have no problem passing this book onto a loved one who may find herself on this path.