The Adventures of Cancer Bitch

S.L. Wisenberg, known for writing that is ＂seriously funny,＂ proves in this acerbic chronicle that a cancer diary can be at once hilarious, rageful, and feminist.

She passes through the expected rites of breast cancer-diagnosis, surgery, and chemotherapy--but her responses are less expected: she throws a farewell party for her left breast, and rejects a ＂cranial prosthesis＂ in favor of using her bare scalp as a canvas for political messages. She insightfully criticizes the ad campaigns of cancer charities, the inept medical staff, and the inequities in the U.S. health care system she encounters as she navigates daily life with cancer and chemo. (There is much she disapproves of, from Brazilian waxes to books that blame patients for their own diseases.) Drawing on a wealth of personal, literary, and historical sources, The Adventures of Cancer Bitch creates an indelible image of a politically engaged, self-aware woman facing a daunting disease while examining her soul and society. (And riding the subway and teaching one-breasted.) It’s a thought-provoking memoir from a woman who questions everything and everyone, including herself.

This revised and expanded second edition features new observations and reflections from the author.

S.L. Wisenberg is a one-breasted feminist born and raised in Texas and now ＂a Chicago literary icon＂ (Hypertext magazine). She is the author of The Wandering Womb: Essays in Search of Home, which won the Juniper Prize in nonfiction; a short-story collection, The Sweetheart Is In; and an essay collection, Holocaust Girls: History, Memory, & Other Obsessions. She edits Another Chicago Magazine and has received a Pushcart Prize and has won first place for a story in Narrative Magazine, as well as fellowships from the Illinois Arts Council, Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, National Endowment for the Humanities, and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. The Wandering Womb was a finalist for the CHIRBy (Chicago Review of Books) award in nonfiction. She walks at least four miles daily, mostly at night, and tries to hypnotize wild rabbits. After working as an adjunct instructor all over town, she’s now a writing coach and editor.