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I never thought I’d write a book about cancer — especially my own. It seemed too private a topic. But when I was undergoing treatment, I longed for a book I could not find — one that was honest yet irreverent, immediate, and funny. I wanted the hear what the doctors weren’t saying, because they couldn’t, or wouldn’t tell me. I had so many questions, and so few answers, and like many women before me, had to find my own way through the avalanche of decisions and dark days. They say humor is the best medicine, and I credit my recovery in part to seeing the other side of the coin — the one with its bright face smiling. So I started jotting my observations down. Eventually, they became this book, one which might help others see opportunity instead of loss, hope instead of doubt, and a great pair of knockers instead of — well, in place of — the ones they used to have.
EIGHT THINGS I'VE LEARNED ABOUT BREAST CANCER >> |
IllustrationsHow do you illustrate a book about cancer? Usually, books of poetry rely on the poems speaking for themselves — but I thought that their message could be amplified by drawing images that rendered the participants anonymous using classic wooden models in poses any cancer patient would be familiar with. Each drawing was made from life using pen and ink, with watercolor shading. Here are some examples from the book.
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Reviews“With one in every eight women getting breast cancer, bookstores and libraries are full of serious cancer memoirs, making Myers’ darkly comic entry about her diagnosis and recovery a much-needed addition to the list.” (Publisher’s Weekly)
“OMG @mickimyers book about breast cancer tells it like it is, w stark honesty & humor in “It’s Probably Nothing” recommend to BC sufferers.” (Maduhlika Sikka, author of A Breast Cancer Alphabet) “A book of breast cancer poems. Poems? WTF? It's Probably Nothing . . . * will make you laugh in cancer’s face.” (Marisa Acocella Marchetto, author of Cancer Vixen) “I LOVE your book It's Probably Nothing!!! Such a breath of fresh air…..You handled your subject matter with exquisite grace.” (Denise Duhamel) Read More >> BlurbDaring, sly, and unlike any other book you’ve read, this memoir-in-poems tackles cancer with a bawdy wit guaranteed to make you laugh your wig off.
As a vibrant woman in her early forties, mother of two, poet, artist, and teacher, Micki Myers decided to confront her cancer diagnosis head on with the sharpest tools in her arsenal: namely, her sense of humor and unbridled poetic license. The result is a charming, poignant, laugh-out-loud collection that hits all the highs (morphine) and lows (everything else) of being a cancer patient and surviving with your spirit intact (even if your boobs are not). It’s Probably Nothing… is the perfect gift for a friend in crisis, providing laughter, wisdom, and much-needed perspective. From losing your hair (even, ahem, down there) and gaining two bouncy silicone strangers, to the pitfalls of marijuana therapy and the endless chemo-room muzak “that makes you think / survival might be overrated,” Myers reminds you that you’re not alone and that it’s okay to laugh. |