Recommended Reading
There are a number of books available about breast cancer - here we list a few you may find useful. (NZ) indicates the book is by a New Zealand author. Most of these books are available in our libraries or can be ordered from all good bookstores.
Nordie's at Noon by Patti Balwanz, Kim Carlos, Jennifer Johnson, Jana Peters (USA)
Sink or Swim by Shelley Hanna (NZ)
Welcome to the Amazon Club by Jane Bissell (NZ)
Dr Susan Love's Breast Book by Susan M. Love M.D. with Karen Lindsey
Nordie's at Noon by Patti Balwanz, Kim Carlos, Jennifer Johnson, Jana Peters
(De Capo Press, USA 2006)
Nordie's at Noon tells the stories of four American women diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 30 or younger. These young, professional women met at department store Nordstrom's cafe for lunch once a month to laugh, cry, support and educate each other - and, most of all, to celebrate their journeys after a diagnosis of breast cancer. Each 'lunch' chapter deals with a specific issue they all face - these range from treatment and side effects to their personal lives and relationships, family, friendships, children and professional occupations. It's engaging, funny, sad, poignant and highlights those issues common to women of all ages affected by breast cancer but also those particular to younger women. Although it deals with medical treatments used in the USA, women here in NZ will still relate well to the content and the experiences of these remarkable women. Click on the book cover above to read more about the book and the authors.
Sink or Swim by Shelley Hanna
(Foreword by Mark Inglis)
(HarperCollins, Auckland 2009)
"Being diagnosed with cancer is a frightening experience ... This is the story of my recovery. While my prognosis and treatment (for breast cancer) were not particularly unusual or special, my recovery took me beyond my wildest dreams. I have written my story to give hope to both newly diagnosed and recovering patients. Have strength, have courage and, above all, have hope."
Welcome to the Amazon Club by Jane Bissell
(Foreword by Dr Belinda Scott, endorsed by NZ Breast Cancer Foundation)
(Longacre Press, Dunedin 2004)
"This is the story of my first year with breast cancer - from diagnosis to my first 'all-clear.' I kept a journal during that time, charting my physical and emotional responses but also trying to understand what was happening to me... We each have a remarkable capacity for hope, bravery and strength. Sometimes it takes a traumatic event to make us realise it." (Available from www.janebissell.co.nz - click here to read an excerpt on this site.)
Dr Susan Love's Breast Book by Susan Love M.D. (4th Edition)
(Da Capo Press, USA 2005)
"From guidance on screening techniques and benign disease to comprehensive and heartening advice on living with breast cancer, Dr. Love's book will be a priceless help to recovery on every level, medical, practical, and psychological. Once again readers will lean with gratitude on the extraordinary empathy and expertise in the book that Newsweek called 'One of the most complete and trustworthy books ever published on breast cancer.'"
Back to top>>>
