Five Lessons I Didnt Learn From Brea..., Shelley Lewis
Five Lessons I Didnt Learn From Brea..., Shelley Lewis
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Five Lessons I Didn't Learn From Breast Cancer
and One Big One I Did

Author: Shelley Lewis

Narrator: Judith West

Unabridged: 6 hr 11 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/04/2025

Synopsis

From the pink ribbons to the chat rooms to the Web sites that sell related accessories and stuffed animals, breast cancer has morphed from a disease to an experience. And at every step of the way, society tells women that this experience can teach them profound lessons, transform them into wiser, more insightful people, and maybe even give them a peek at the meaning of life. But what if it doesn't?Five Lessons I Didn't Learn From Breast Cancer is Shelley Lewis's thoroughly modern, slightly contrarian take on "doing" breast cancer in an epiphany-free zone, where the goal is simply to get through it and get the hell back to your life. Proving that chemotherapy can eradicate everything except a sense of humor.Lewis shares her five strategies for coping, and then reveals the real, not-so-meaningful insights learned from breast cancer, including "If you honestly think breast cancer is a gift, you can't come to my birthday" and "Lie to yourself (it's sooo helpful)." A wonderful interweaving of the author's personal story, interviews with breast cancer survivors, and a sharp-eyed journalist's look at the breast cancer "community."Five Lessons is full of unconventional wisdom, unexpected advice, and hilarious observations about life inside the pink bubble.©2008 Shelley Lewis; (P)2008 Listen & Live Audio, Inc.

Reviews

Goodreads review by K. on December 04, 2013

I finished reading this book in the Mayo Clinic Gonda Building awaiting my 3 month-after-chemo check up appointment with my nurse practitioner. I've read quite a few breast cancer memoirs now. Many of them made me sad, some of them made me glad I hadn't had to endure what the writer did, and so far a......more

Goodreads review by Carol on February 20, 2019

There are a lot of good breast cancer guides out there, and this isn’t intended to fill that niche. It was more a counter-voice to all the “how breast cancer transformed my life” books. I also am reactive to the idea that we should be grateful for the experience and look for the gifts in breast canc......more

Goodreads review by Eileen on December 01, 2024

Some of this was really good, she didn't always look at things through the "I'm going to be a better person because of this" lens and I appreciated some of her honest feelings. However, as she is an athiest and a feminist and all about "opposing the patriarchy" and "reproductive rights (insert eyero......more

Goodreads review by Kelly on August 30, 2022

This book really pulled me between thinking the author was able to convey understanding and thinking about how privileged she is. Definitely some good points to be pulled from this book. For the other times, just move past.......more

Goodreads review by flaams on December 25, 2019

I haven't been through breast cancer, but a really dear relative of mine has. This was really good to read though... A bit preachy at times probably, I was looking for something that would make it easier for me to understand what my mom was going through. The premises were really good, you know? My......more

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