It’s Not About the Hair: And Other Certainties of Life and Cancer: Debra Jarvis
From Publishers Weekly
Jarvis is an ordained minister with a bawdy sense of humor, and a breast cancer survivor who believes in telling it like it is. She’s probably not everyone’s cup of tea, especially if you believe certain topics are meant only for a doctor’s office and/or the bedroom. Still, don’t pass this book by without giving it a go-if you have breast cancer, it might be exactly what you need. A chaplain at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Jarvis cares deeply about others, and for all her fast talk, she’s a listener. The accounts of other people’s struggles are among the most moving in the book. She is also guided by a spiritual sensibility that transcends organized religion. But most of all, she’s walked the walk. Diagnosed with breast cancer at the same time as her mother was, she underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy and an implant with courage and, yes, a sense of humor that signals a deep appreciation of life. The title comes from patients whose first question after being diagnosed with breast cancer often is, will I lose my hair? And Jarvis, because she is truly wise and compassionate, understands what they are really asking: will I lose my life? (Oct.)
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Culled from the author’s years of knowing, comforting, supporting, and treating cancer patients, Debra Jarvis’ book is a heartfelt ode to both her own experiences with cancer — both as a chaplain in a cancer clinic, and as a cancer patient herself — and to those who share them. Exploring both the spiritual and personal aspects of cancer, as well as the social and cultural views of health, disease, life, and death, Jarvis’s account speaks to the uncertainties, fears, and overall process inherent in dealing with the disease. She writes with great honesty, humor, and wisdom, and the overall effect is one that both charms and moves the reader.