Cancer Warrior: Where the Mind Goes

In 2006, Levine was diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer. She endured chemotherapy and radiation treatments before an eight-and-a-half hour surgery consisting of rectal and liver resections, a radical hysterectomy, and removal of her gall bladder and 24 lymph nodes, leaving her with a temporary ileostomy. Wry humor accompanies grim descriptions of her transformation from overextended but motivated wife, mother, and graduate student to cancer patient, "trapped in a maze" of medical tests, evaluations, and hospital stays in New York City and New Jersey. Tracing the roots of her illness to stress provoked by family concerns and her studies in occupational therapy, as well as genetic links, Levine makes a strong case for the power of prayer, laughter, and positive thinking during medical crises. She tempers blunt appraisals of dismissive health-care workers with moments of gratitude for people who don't view cancer as a death sentence; e.g., a physician who said 60% of the battle is mental. While Levine's narrative lacks polish and is laden with coarse battle imagery%E2%80%94she visualizes herself slaughtering cancer cells with a machete and chemotherapy as medieval knights destroying her tumors%E2%80%94her book will be a great comfort and motivator for cancer patients who are determined to find meaning in and to fight their illness.