Some of you might know that recently I switched fields at work--from studying infectious diseases to working on cancer. Since I am a newcomer to this area, I have so much to learn. So when I saw this book at Goddard's Bookfair, I scooped it up! It is a biography of cancer that came out a couple years ago, and it got pretty amazing reviews. I figured it would be a fun way to learn about the history of cancer research. And it was! It was like a whole class in cancer etiology and therapy, crammed into a riveting book. A Cliff's Note version of cancer's history, if Cliff's Notes were well written and engaging. I don't know how the author did it, but he made centuries of cancer lore fun to read about. I think that even people who aren't particularly interested in cancer would enjoy this book. There are so many insights into how we view diseases, how scientific discoveries are made, how medical policy is made... And when so many of us will end up battling cancer ourselves, or seeing our loved ones struggle with it, I guess it is good to learn something about it. Two thumbs up.
-Kristin
3 comments:
I always appreciate when someone can write about something that seems complicated and dull and make it exciting and interesting.
I have a book that is nothing but eyewitness accounts from through out history. One by Fanny Burney describes a mastectomy in 1811.
Another from 1348 describes The Black Death and another from 1741 is about Scurvy.
That sounds like a fun book!
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