A highly detailed, moving record of a man relying on his faith to survive cancer.
A guide focuses on the basics of dealing with throat cancer.
Rossman draws on his personal experiences combating throat cancer to lay out a clear and concise picture of what it’s like to experience the disease and endure a long recovery. Soon after the author was diagnosed, a co-worker introduced him to the private social media platform CaringBridge, where he could essentially create a day-by-day chronicle of his illness and recovery. He takes readers through the frightening details of his cancer, the chemotherapy, the radiation, the feeding tube installed in his stomach, and much more. Since he’s reproducing many of his CaringBridge entries, he also includes some of the comments his posts accumulated from other forum users. Rossman describes all the little daily details of his struggle, everything from the snacks he allowed himself to the songs he listened to during his long chemo experience. He likewise reflects often on the comfort he drew from his personal Christian faith, which fired up his fellow Christians on CaringBridge and will surely resonate with the Christian readers who are undoubtedly his target audience. His prose is clear and very accessible throughout—the book feels more like a friendly, intimate conversation about a crisis than a medical debriefing. There are points where his fervent Christian faith will no doubt be puzzling to many of his fellow cancer patients reading his account. When he asserts that “all the scientific prep in the world won’t matter without faith and acting in a godly way,” he seems to be contradicting his own journal entries, which show that skillful and extensive medical intervention stopped his cancer and saved his life (needless to say, atheists and other non-Christians will bridle at the statement as well). Still, Rossman’s plainspoken directness throughout makes his experiences immediate to his readers; as an illness memoir, this brief account is stirring.
A highly detailed, moving record of a man relying on his faith to survive cancer.Pub Date: Dec. 19, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-09-801533-6
Page Count: 138
Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
The lessons to draw are obvious: Smoke more dope, eat less meat. Like-minded readers will dig it.
The chef, rapper, and TV host serves up a blustery memoir with lashings of self-help.
“I’ve always had a sick confidence,” writes Bronson, ne Ariyan Arslani. The confidence, he adds, comes from numerous sources: being a New Yorker, and more specifically a New Yorker from Queens; being “short and fucking husky” and still game for a standoff on the basketball court; having strength, stamina, and seemingly no fear. All these things serve him well in the rough-and-tumble youth he describes, all stickball and steroids. Yet another confidence-builder: In the big city, you’ve got to sink or swim. “No one is just accepted—you have to fucking show that you’re able to roll,” he writes. In a narrative steeped in language that would make Lenny Bruce blush, Bronson recounts his sentimental education, schooled by immigrant Italian and Albanian family members and the mean streets, building habits good and bad. The virtue of those habits will depend on your take on modern mores. Bronson writes, for example, of “getting my dick pierced” down in the West Village, then grabbing a pizza and smoking weed. “I always smoke weed freely, always have and always will,” he writes. “I’ll just light a blunt anywhere.” Though he’s gone through the classic experiences of the latter-day stoner, flunking out and getting arrested numerous times, Bronson is a hard charger who’s not afraid to face nearly any challenge—especially, given his physique and genes, the necessity of losing weight: “If you’re husky, you’re always dieting in your mind,” he writes. Though vulgar and boastful, Bronson serves up a model that has plenty of good points, including his growing interest in nature, creativity, and the desire to “leave a legacy for everybody.”
The lessons to draw are obvious: Smoke more dope, eat less meat. Like-minded readers will dig it.Pub Date: April 20, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4478-5
Page Count: 184
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: May 5, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
A heartwarming and inspiring story for animal lovers.
The third volume in the Elephant Whisperer series.
In this follow-up to An Elephant in My Kitchen, Malby-Anthony continues her loving portrait of the Thula Thula wildlife reserve, which she co-founded in 1998 with her late husband, South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony, who published the first book in the series, The Elephant Whisperer, in 2009. Following his death in 2012, Malby-Anthony sought to honor his legacy by continuing his vision “to create a massive conservancy in Zululand, incorporating our land and other small farms and community land into one great big game park.” At the same time, the elephants gave her “a sense of purpose and direction.” In the Zulu language, thula means quiet, and though the author consistently seeks to provide that calm to her charges, peace and tranquility are not always easy to come by at Thula Thula. In this installment, Malby-Anthony discusses many of the challenges faced by her and her staff, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. These included an aggressive, 2-ton rhino named Thabo; the profound loss felt by all upon the death of their elephant matriarch, Frankie; difficulty obtaining permits and the related risk of having to relocate or cull some of their animals; the fear of looting and fire due to civil unrest in the region; and the ongoing and potentially deadly struggles with poachers. Throughout, the author also shares many warm, lighthearted moments, demonstrating the deep bond felt among the humans and animals at the reserve and the powerful effects of the kindness of strangers. “We are all working in unity for the greater good, for the betterment of Thula Thula and all our wildlife….We are humbled by the generosity and love, both from our guests and friends, and from strangers all around the world,” writes the author. “People’s open-hearted support kept us alive in the darkest times.”
A heartwarming and inspiring story for animal lovers.Pub Date: April 25, 2023
ISBN: 9781250284259
Page Count: 320
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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