Thrive Book Club: Let's get 'Radical'

People diagnosed with cancer often fall into two categories when it comes to information about their illness. They either can’t get enough information, says Amy Thompson, ThriveNV patient navigator, or they don’t seek it out at all.

With that in mind, ThriveNV is introducing a new feature to our “What’s New” section: Thrive Book Club. We won’t be meeting regularly, except here on the website of course. But we will be sharing our thoughts on books that may be of interest to people who’ve been diagnosed with cancer, are previvors or caregivers, or just have an interest in books about cancer as part of the human experience.

Think of it as presenting a few reading options for you that don’t have long drug names or consent forms, but nonetheless may provide you with food for thought.

We hope you’ll check back with us as we share new books and let us know what you thought of the book selections we've shared. Perhaps you’ll even share recommendations of your own.

We’re kicking off the Thrive Book Club with “Radical: The Science, Culture, and History of Breast Cancer in America” by Kate Pickert and released in October 2019. Pickert is a healthcare journalist who was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at age 35 and underwent more than a year of treatment. In the book, she combines her skill at journalistic storytelling with her own cancer experience.

She discusses her experience and the book with PBS NewsHour for “Brief But Spectacular.” Watch here:

On Goodreads, readers gave the book 4.3 out of 5 stars. Reader Rachel Chapman said of it, “I picked up a lot of books from the library when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. This is the only one I have finished and recommend whole-heartedly.”

Look for “Radical” from major booksellers.