Cancer Made Me a Shallower Person
A Memoir in Comics
| Price: |
$32.99 |
| On Sale: |
24/07/2006 |
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Formats:
Trade PB
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a cartoonist examines her experience with breast cancer in an irreverent and humorous graphic memoir.
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Author Extras
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Critical Praise for
Cancer Made Me a Shallower Person
"So funny, so sad, so daring, so honest, and so utterly human that I couldn’t put it down."
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Harriet Lerner, Ph.D., author of The Dance of Anger
Very funny....in the finest tradition of black humor. Engelberg’s narrative is riveting...extremely honest and extraordinarily powerful.
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Publishers Weekly
"The most important thing to know about Shallower is that it’s funny."
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SF Weekly
"...a triumph of imagination and spirit."
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Los Angeles Times
"...a spirited perspective..."
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Daily Telegraph (London)
Reader Reviews from First Look
"Miriam Engelberg's memoir Cancer Made Me a Shallower Person: A Memoir in Comics faces her battle with cancer with humor and gives the reader an entirely different look into one person's way of dealing with this awful disease. While being a very different way of reading, the comics provide the reader with illustrations as well as words. I think that perhaps other victims of this disease will greatly benefit from this memoir more than those who have not faced this path in life."
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Tricia (Marshall, TX)
"Miriam Engelberg's memoir Cancer Made Me a Shallower Person: A Memoir in Comics faces her battle with cancer with humor and gives the reader an entirely different look into one person's way of dealing with this awful disease. While being a very different way of reading, the comics provide the reader with illustrations as well as words. I think that perhaps other victims of this disease will greatly benefit from this memoir more than those who have not faced this path in life."
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Tricia (Marshall, TX)
"This is the most interesting book that I've ever read. As an adult I haven't read any comic books. This book allowed me to look at a very threatening subject in a totally nonsappy nonthreatening way. I found myself laughing and at ease while reading. In fact I read the entire book in one sitting. The author kept me turning pages. I was interested to see how Miriam met each new challenge."
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Jolene (Altoona, PA)
"Dealing with a cancer diagnosis through a comic book? What an interesting premise for a book. Although this will not appeal to everyone, I think it will hit its mark with a certain group of women struggling with a breast cancer diagnosis. It definitely looks at a constructive way of dealing with the emotional side of the big C (cancer). Writing this book was clearly a therapeutic process for the author, and it clearly suggests that knowing ourselves and how we deal with stressful situations is the first step towards healing. Thank you Ms. Engelberg for showing us humor can carry us forward."
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Roberta (Bellingham, WA)
"This book gave me an insight into the mind of someone going through one of people's worst nightmares. Instead of curling up inside herself, she confronts her disease and even makes morbid jokes about her mortality and this disease that has changed her life. Thank you for the opportunity to read about a brave and funny woman facing one of women's worst fears."
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Judy (Owensboro, KY)
"This book should be standard issue to all women diagnosed with breast cancer, and their family and friends. Engelberg has captured the 'cancer experience' spot-on. The irony is that by pointing out the so-called shallowness of her reaction to and battle with cancer, she unveils the deeper personal journey to find what replaces 'normal.'"
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Avis (Belmont, CA)
"Cancer Made me a Shallower Person, by Miriam Engelberg, is a memoir in comics. If you are used to thinking of comics as being time-wasters for teenage boys, then this book might be a good introduction to the power that comics can have when they are written for adults. Engelberg talks about the changes that came into her life when she was diagnosed with cancer, and recalls with humor and gentle intelligence the experiences and feelings involved in getting diagnosed with cancer, going through the treatment, and living through the experience. She manages to turn most of her experiences, even the incredibly scary and painful ones, into bittersweet, touching humor, which makes this a valuable resource for those who have cancer. This book is like hanging out with a witty and smart girlfriend, and I think a woman with cancer would really enjoy feeling like she wasn't alone in the experience. It was a bit hard for me to read in places, because I don't have cancer and so haven't really had to face some of the difficult realities that she discusses. But I wanted to read it to understand a bit of what my friend's Mom is going through in her struggle with cancer, so even though it was painful I thought it was a really valuable read."
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Genevieve (Arcata, CA)
"I absolutely loved this book. The author helped me understand some of what my mother went through while fighting this disease. I found myself laughing out loud while reading it. She really made you understand all of the feelings that come with having cancer. The author really has a wicked sense of humor and I find myself wanting to read more of her work. I would recommend this book to any battling cancer or their loved ones. I gave the book to my sisters to read so they could also understand some of the things our mother went through. When she talked about the hair loss and trying to find wigs, I found myself laughing because I remember the 'fun' my mother had with that aspect. She put such a human face on this disease just by using humor. I found myself wanting to know how she is doing now and cheering for her. This is such a wonderful book. I am so glad I had the chance to read it, and I will definitely read it again. I also told my boss at the library about it and recommended we should purchase it when it comes out."
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Darlene (Lomira, WI)
"Cancer Made Me A Shallower Person by Miriam Engelberg is more a comic than a novel. The drawings are delightful and this book is much better for them. The author has taken a very serious subject and made it hilarious. From the very real problems, including sex loss, to the mundane and funny; such as the Christian nurse who tries to recruit her to join her religion, I found myself laughing outloud. This book made me realize that there really is humor in all situations. This book would make a very good gift for a friend experiencing a diagnosis of cancer. It is very rare to find a gem such as this book. It is perfect."
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Deborah (Newport News, VA)
"This book was both touching, very funny, and shocking -- all in all, a totally worthwhile read. My wife, who is a cancer care nurse, brought it in to the unit and the reaction from patients currently undergoing care was great. I think this book should be given to every cancer patient or cancer survivor -- it lets them know all those weird thoughts going on in their heads are normal. While I initially thought the outcome in the book would be a problem for cancer patients, that hasn't turned out the be the case -- instead, if they don't have metastasis, the response has been one of 'maybe I am lucky', and if they do, the response has been 'I'm not the only one.'"
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Kenneth (Boulder, CO)
"Miriam Engelberg is a wife, mother and cartoonist. She was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 43, and has gone through chemo and radiation. But her treatment of choice is humor. Her graphic novel details all aspects of her disease. Chances are that you know someone with cancer. It could be a relative, friend or co-worker. You want to be supportive but don't know how. So maybe you avoid that person. Ms. Engelberg lets you know that laughter is the best medicine. This irreverent and funny book is a very honest look at what it's like to live with cancer."
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Gail (Philadelphia, PA)
"Sometimes touching, sometimes very sad, almost always hilarious. It feels wrong to be laughing about breast cancer, but Engelberg makes it impossible not to laugh -- without slighting the serious side of her disease. The drawings are crude, but they carry a sense of the author's personality. Highly recommended."
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Janice (Brookfield, WI)
"Cancer Made Me A Shallower Person: A Memoir in Comics will resonate with anyone who has been touched by cancer. From the survivor to the victim to the good friends standing by, all are represented here in a witty, funny and at times tragic tale of one of our country's biggest killers. Having lost a good friend to metastatic breast cancer in December, I saw her and many of our friends and relations on every page!"
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Paula (Chicago, IL)
"Miriam Engelberg captures with a wealth of emotion with so few words and such spare images. She makes the reader feel that they are not alone in their attempts to cope with their own illness and the reaction of others. I laughed through tears. I love this book."
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Marguerite (Fairfax, VA)
"This book is GREAT! During my sister's cancer recurrences we always found things to laugh at. My sister had the same dark sense of humor that the author has. My sister and I laughed at many of the absurdities of living with cancer. I lost my sister a year ago, but reading this book made me feel so close to her again. I wish she were here to read it, she would love it as well. The author's truth comes through so clearly, and like all great comics, she hones in on experiences we can relate to. Thanks for a great book."
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Kath (Bayonne, NJ)
"This book was a funny,touching, and informative peek into the life of a cancer patient who refuses to allow her illness to take over her life. It was wonderful!"
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Anna (Albuquerque, NM)
"What an amazing book! I loved the twist on the cancer survivor story. Not only that, but this was a fascinating way to portray ones life as they go through a frightening and difficult time learning that they have cancer and all the ups and downs that go with it. There were times I would laugh out loud and others when my heart broke for Miriam. This is a wonderful wonderful book and I would recommend it to everyone -- whether they themselves have had experience with cancer or whether they have not -- this book is written in a wonderful way to better understand this illness."
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April (Brighton, IA)
"How can a book about cancer possibly be hilarious? Yet this one is. Engelberg, who battled breast cancer, has a gift for encapsulating the mundane moments of life, and for making seemingly depressing subjects intensely humorous: the loss of libido during cancer treatment, 'competition' within cancer support groups for most traumatic diagnoses, an insanely cheerful lab tech, dealing with metastasis. Engelberg's story is no warmly touching Hallmark movie, where everything dissolves into fuzzy sweetness. She knocks the Patch Adams philosophy of downplaying pain with goofy clown-nose humor. We get the sense that Engelberg jokes not because she thinks it's healthy or healing, but because it's all she can do to maintain sanity in the face of such a dark, destructive force. A wonderful book that I look forward to sharing with others."
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1 (Gaithersburg, MD)
"There is breast cancer in my family. I suppose I am waiting to see if and when my turn will come. I hope if I do contract breast cancer I will face it as bravely and forthrightly as Miriam Engelberg has. I hope I will pass up all of the self-help books (preachy or otherwise) and reach for her memoir. To Ms. Engelberg -- 'Go Girl, Go'!"
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Linda (San Jose, CA)
"Many times throughout this book, I found myself laughing, then I would stop and say 'wait... she has cancer, don't do that', only to laugh again. I find that the way Engelberg portrays her battling her disease is just stellar: she shows us everything she's thinking, humorous or not. I can really see why cancer made her shallower, and she did have a reason. This book should be read by all those who have suffer from or have family members that suffer from cancer! It puts a new light on it all."
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Geraldine (South Ozone Park, NY)
"This is a poignant little book of cartoons following the author's journey into the scary world of breast cancer. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, this book will ultimately make you stop and think the next time you hear the dreaded word 'cancer'. My heart goes out to the author and I hope she wins her 'battle with the beast'."
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Sharon (Vienna, WV)
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