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Searching... Mansfield Public Library | 616.99 PICK | NONFICTION | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
In this "powerful and unflinching page-turner" ( New York Times ), a healthcare journalist examines the science, history, and culture of breast cancer.
As a health-care journalist, Kate Pickert knew the emotional highs and lows of medical treatment well -- but always from a distance, through the stories of her subjects. That is, until she was unexpectedly diagnosed with an aggressive type of breast cancer at the age of 35. As she underwent more than a year of treatment, Pickert realized that the popular understanding of breast care in America bears little resemblance to the experiences of today's patients and the rapidly changing science designed to save their lives. After using her journalistic skills to navigate her own care, Pickert embarked on a quest to understand the cultural, scientific and historical forces shaping the lives of breast-cancer patients in the modern age.
Breast cancer is one of history's most prolific killers. Despite billions spent on research and treatments, it remains one of the deadliest diseases facing women today. From the forests of the Pacific Northwest to an operating suite in Los Angeles to the epicenter of pink-ribbon advocacy in Dallas, Pickert reports on the turning points and people responsible for the progress that has been made against breast cancer and documents the challenges of defeating a disease that strikes one in eight American women and has helped shape the country's medical culture.
Drawing on interviews with doctors, economists, researchers, advocates and patients, as well as on journal entries and recordings collected over the author's treatment, Radical puts the story of breast cancer into context, and shows how modern treatments represent a long overdue shift in the way doctors approach cancer -- and disease -- itself.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Pickert, a Loyola Marymount College journalism professor, delivers a compassionate, lucid, and well-researched account of historic and ongoing attempts to combat breast cancer. Woven into Pickert's evenhanded narrative is her own story of being diagnosed with the disease at age 35 and navigating options for dealing with a particularly aggressive form. For all the efforts directed toward breast cancer awareness ("it seems there is not a consumer-product category in America that is pink-ribbon-free"), she finds that many people know relatively little about it. To illuminate the great progress that's been made in treatment and the many challenges that remain, Pickert pays visits to a UCLA operating suite, to observe a bilateral mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, and to the sprawling campus of the nation's first biotechnology company, Genentech, to learn about its drug development efforts. She interviews Dr. Larry Norton, "arguably the most influential living breast cancer doctor in America"; Dr. Laura Esserman, head of a large-scale trial aimed at updating breast cancer screening norms; and a slew of epidemiologists, patients, and advocates. A skilled and thorough journalist, Pickert crafts a comprehensive and up-to-date account of a disease that strikes one in eight American women. Agent: Richard Pine, Inkwell Management. (Oct.)
Kirkus Review
In-depth coverage of breast cancer from a health care journalist and survivor."In addition to being the most public of all the cancers," writes Pickert (Journalism/Loyola Marymount Univ.), "carcinoma of the breast may be the most thoroughly studied malignancy in human history." In her first book, the author explores the history of the disease and its many variations, the progression of treatment regimes, and the cultural awareness that has developed thanks to individuals and big corporations participating in pink-ribbon campaigns. As a health care journalist, Pickert was interested in the subject, but it became even more important when she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of the cancer at the relatively young age of 35. She interweaves the story of her own treatment schedule with the historical, cultural, and scientific data she collected on this well-documented carcinoma. The narrative is informative and personable and thankfully never maudlin or melodramatic. One of the more controversial topics Pickert explores is mammograms: how early women should begin having them, how often, and whether there is a better way to identify cancer cells at an early stage so women can get the best treatment possible. Readers learn about the extremely radical surgeries performed in the late 1880s, which often left women deformed, as well as the latest studies, which provide treatment based on an individual's genetic and family history. Pickert addresses the development of effective drugs, including both synthetics and those derived from plant and tree bark. "As I type this sentence," she writes, "1,823 federally registered breast cancer clinical trials are actively recruiting patients." She also includes information on men with breast cancer, an underdiscussed topic. Though not comprehensive, the book provides readers with a wide range of information to help those with breast cancer and their support groups make the most effective decisions for their own treatment.A useful text on a well-known cancer bolstered by the author's personal perspective as a survivor. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
Healthcare writer Pickert (journalism, Loyola Marymount Univ.) documents being diagnosed and treated for breast cancer, and chronicles the historical medical time line and challenges of the current medical establishment around this type of cancer. The author covers screening, diagnosis (types of breast cancer), treatments, the doctors' role, understanding medical statistics, reconstruction, and the increasing involvement of nonprofits. She further highlights several currently contentious issues, such as whether to screen and when, and the sometimes starkly different treatment protocols chosen by practitioners on the East and West Coasts. Pickert believes the mixed messages patients receive on these topics are counterproductive. The underlying message is for patients to be their own advocates in the swirl of their personal medical journey. This is a helpful book for learning about the general history of cancer treatment developments and specialists' best practices. VERDICT Combining historical research, interview information, and personal accounts, Pickert creates a well-rounded and informative overview of breast cancer and its many treatments. Her book leaves readers hoping that progress will continue in a positive direction.--Elizabeth J. Eastwood, Los Alamos Cty. Lib. Syst., NM
Table of Contents
| Introduction | p. 3 |
| 1 Seek and Ye Shall Find | p. 11 |
| 2 CSI: Breasts | p. 35 |
| 3 Diagnosis | p. 57 |
| 4 Pink Vibes | p. 85 |
| 5 Lady Parts | p. 111 |
| 6 Not Your Mother's Chemotherapy | p. 133 |
| 7 Pick Your Poison | p. 155 |
| 8 Targets | p. 171 |
| 9 From Scalpels to Sentinels | p. 203 |
| 10 Whole Again | p. 231 |
| 11 So Meta | p. 249 |
| 12 Prognosis | p. 269 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 281 |
| Bibliography | p. 287 |
| Index | p. 315 |