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Cancer Made Me a Shallower Person: A Memoir in Comics
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Customer Reviews
Rating:  - Meh.
Miriam Engleberg, Cancer Made Me a Shallower Person: A Memoir in Comics (Harper, 2006)
The late Miriam Engleberg released a book of cartoons (the subtitle is "a memoir in comics," though whether this is really a memoir is probably arguable; it's more a collection of sketches) not too long before her death that offer a frank, sometimes frustrating look at life with cancer. I read it about a week ago, and have been trying to come up with a review of it ever since. Time has not made it any easier for me to find something to say about this book; it just is. This is normally the bit where I'd be throwing around phrases like "profound insight" and "raw, but energetic, drawing," but none of them came to mind while I was reading it, and haven't since. I'm not saying it's a bad book, really--it's certainly miles and years better than Cancer Vixen or, lord help us, Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy--but it's not a book that really seems to open up all that much. Perhaps this is a function of the book's fragmentary style; in an actual memoir, much as I despise the things most of the time, you have enough room to get to know the main character as more than just a sketch. (Persepolis is a fantastic example of this, of course.) That never happens here; it's as if Engleberg tried to make the cancer experience universal by shying away from the personal. Not the personal details, mind you, but perceptions, thoughts, etc. that aren't common to those not suffering cancer. Nothing Engleberg reveals of her thoughts and feelings here isn't suffered on a fairly regular basis by anyone with mild neurosis--which is, when it comes right down to it, most of us. If that was the goal, it's a noble attempt, but it comes off shallow in its universality.
I continue my search for a cancer memoir that's half as good as Robert Weinberg's One Renegade Cell, and fruitlessly, but of the cancer memoirs I've read, this is by far the best of them. ** ½
Rating:  - Wonderful
The comic format seemed a little strange at first.......but it was a wonderful read.
Rating: - Wonderful and true
This is one of the best books I've read about having cancer. A comic memoir (in both senses of the word), it's true and funny. I recognized many thoughts from my own treatment experiences in it. It's also extremely funny! (though sad). As another reviewer mentioned, you don't need to have cancer to enjoy this book. I would recommend it to anyone.
Rating: - On being shallow....
I should have been issued this book when I got my cancer diagnosis! It is amazing how Miriam hits every cancer milestone head on. I laughed outloud reading about the pamphlets you're given. But, I laughed outloud at most of the topics she covers. I was sad and cried at some topics, but I never could put it down. I find I go back to it from time-to-time, and I've quoted Miriam quite often. I was very sorry to hear that she had passed away at such a young age. I wish she could have written such a book on how not-so-easy it is to recover from cancer.
Rating: - I've been there...
This is a 'must read' for anyone with, or closely involved with, someone who has breast cancer. You will laugh and laugh and recognize events and interactions familiar to anyone who goes through the diagnosis and treatment. The book makes a great gift!
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