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A review by wandering_not_lost
No Cure for Being Human (And Other Truths I Need to Hear) by Kate Bowler
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
4.0
I was looking for something Anne Lamott-ish to give a family member, and this fits the bill. I was afraid that it might be a little dark/sad for her in he current state, but I though the book does walk a fine line between being sad and hopeful, in the end I think it does it well. It's both of those things, and yet the author does a good job of making it hopeful as well as showing the trauma and hardship of having such a diagnosis.
Also kudos to her for making it clear how incredibly lucky she was. Her story could very easily have been one that gave people the impression that they, too, could live through Stage 4 colon cancer, and she made it very clear that no, she was so, so, so lucky...but also that that doesn't mean that she can't both be grateful and angry at how things went down. She also made a welcome point of slapping down all the usual sort of meaningless affirmations - that even though she did learn things and have bright moments in her time with cancer, that the point is not "everything happens for a reason" but rather "some things (good and bad) happen for no reason".
Overall a good book, I think, for someone who has struggled with/is struggling with loss or health problems.
Also kudos to her for making it clear how incredibly lucky she was. Her story could very easily have been one that gave people the impression that they, too, could live through Stage 4 colon cancer, and she made it very clear that no, she was so, so, so lucky...but also that that doesn't mean that she can't both be grateful and angry at how things went down. She also made a welcome point of slapping down all the usual sort of meaningless affirmations - that even though she did learn things and have bright moments in her time with cancer, that the point is not "everything happens for a reason" but rather "some things (good and bad) happen for no reason".
Overall a good book, I think, for someone who has struggled with/is struggling with loss or health problems.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness