straight shooter
Customer Rating: 
I had such a good time reading this book. Not something you would expect about a book from a cancer survivor. Perhaps it's because I share Meredith's atypical journey through life that involves multiple careers and dark sense of humor that I found it such a refreshing read, regardless of the subject matter.
If you can't handle the fact that cancer is painful, the way it's treated in Western medicine is laughable (if not scary), or if you expect to have some golden halo rain down upon you giving you a new perspective on life so you can walk away from it thinking that, oh, a black woman with a sense of humor who has cancer can't possibly be feeling any kind of pain, then go find another book. It is a humor that is funny, I think, if you find David Sedaris holding up a cadaver when the car full of French people accidentally show up in his driveway, funny.
Don't get this book if you're looking for some magical panacea that will make you forget that people who go through traditional chemo don't have all the pain and unnaturalness that is Western medicine shoved into their bodies. But if you understand that life and death can be painful and beautifully hilarious whether dodging dog poop in Paris, "Christian" school groups in college, or navigating cancer, well then, read on...Also, if you're some literary snob who has spent more years at university than talking to regular people on the street (i.e. having a normal, healthy social life), then go re-read one of the classics and don't try to superimpose critical theory or comparative analysis onto a memoir that is clearly not meant to speak to you.
Now You've Done It, Meredith---We Want More!
Customer Rating: What an amazing book from a first-time author! From the very first page, I was completely hooked. Meredith Norton gives us a view of her battle with breast cancer that is witty and humorous, yet candid and unflinching (this is probably not a book I'd give to someone who has just been diagnosed--although I'd highly suggest it for those who have been in treatment for a while and know what to expect, and I'd definately suggest it for everyone else!)
The book is filled with entertaining details and digressions about Norton's childhood antics, as well as her life with her French husband, Thibault. I laughed out loud as she describes her experiences as an American with a limited French vocabulary struggling to raise a son in Paris. (Her conclusion: if you have the vocabulary of a French six year-old, you are treated like a six year-old.) She describes meeting with a French nursery school administrator, who tells her what she must do in order to assure that her son, Lucas, gets enrolled:
"If you really, truly want little Loo-KAH to learn with our school," she said, "you must call me every day and remind me who you are. Say, 'This is the black American with the garish, orange jacket. My son is still interested.'"
She ponders the fact that her diagnosis--the worst, most important news of her life--was given to her (and her reaction was witnessed by) two doctors who were complete strangers.
"Bad news should be delivered privately. You should sit in a soundproof room with a mirror and a box of tissues. When you're ready, a piece of paper slips through the door. You turn it over and read: 'Sterile' or 'Nobody likes you' or 'Herpes Simplex II.' When you are ready, you emerge and fall into the embraces (maybe reluctant, depending on your diagnosis) of strangers."
Norton's cancer battle isn't a shining superhuman Lance Armstrong tale of courageous strength. Her tale doesn't give cancer patients a figure on a pedestal that they can strive to live up to; she shows that despite the struggles and the odds, it is possible just to live. She is an everyday woman and mother (with a wonderfully skewed sense of humor) who is doing the best she can. She actually describes her frustration at reading one of Armstrong's books:
"Every day of my chemo that I ate a Krispy Kreme doughnut or took a nap instead of doing yoga I cursed Lance Armstrong and his toned abs, tiny butt, and three kinds of cancer. [...] Give me some fat slob on welfare who never graduated from junior high and can't ride around the block without choking on his cigarette, and yet manages to pull himself together, go macrobiotic, and beat cancer, and I will show you one inspired Meredith Norton."
Norton has said that it was her battle with cancer (and the constant insistence of family members) that pushed her into finally writing a book. It is unfortunate that such a horrific experience was the catalyst for this book, but fortunate that her talent has been revealed. Norton possesses an insanely hilarious wit and amazing way with words. I truly hope she writes more!
Well-written, funny, and touching
Customer Rating: Not only was this book an enjoyable, smooth read, but it was hilarious. Norton has a way of bringing together seemingly disparate stories/experiences without ever sounding trite; in fact, many times her conclusions are powerful. Her vulnerability through a harrowing experience makes her easy to relate to and sympathetic, and she never asks for or tolerates pity.
It's an engaging story, whether you're a survivor, a patient, a loved one of either, or someone who simply likes to read good books!!
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