Three books about cancer

Cancer is in the news this week with Angelina Jolie's announcement that she will undergo voluntary preventive double mastectomy due to her genetic risk for breast cancer. When you think of "a book about cancer" you probably think of either a tear-filled ode to the human spirit or a practical guide to surviving cancer treatment. And more power to them; those books can be great. But if you want something a little different in your cancer-related reading, here are my top picks.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Cancer research all comes down to one single line of cancer cells which have been lovingly nurtured in culture for decades. The cells came from a woman named Henrietta Lacks, a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells were harvested in 1951 and have sold billions of generations since then - without a cent having gone to her family.

Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy
When Lucy Grealy was nine, she lost a third of her jaw to cancer. The treatment was successful but cancer was nothing compared to the struggle she faced as a pre-adolescent girl tormented by cruel classmates who singled her out for her unusual appearance. This witty, unsentimental memoir is a must-read for adults and young adults alike.

Welcome to Cancerland, by Barbara Ehrenreich
This isn't a book, it's a long essay that was originally published in Harper's Magazine in 2001, and you can read it for free in its entirety on Ehrenreich's website. Ehrenreich starts with her own breast cancer diagnosis, and launches from there into a scathing diatribe against the "pink ribbon" movement, as well as the industrial and regulatory failures which have allowed us to be steeped in the toxic chemicals which cause breast cancer in the first place. This is one of those magazine pieces that everyone should read.

Image of Henrietta Lacks courtesy Wikimedia Commons