Must Must Must Reading for Every Sentient Adult

books:


	• One in Three: A Son's Journey into the History and Science of Cancer Adam Wishart Grove Press, 2008 - 304 pages average customer review:based on 3 reviews view larger image
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Book Review

Very good example of technical writing. Very detailed exploration of the history of cancer medicine. Left me with many questions on the emotional aspects.

Must Must Must Reading for Every Sentient Adult

In one of the most stimulating and informative books you will ever encounter, Wishart provides the clearest possible description of: a)what cancer is, i.e. from the first aberrant cell mutations to the eventual metastasis that eventually kills us; and b) the hundreds-year old history of approaches to treatment and prevention. Interwoven throughout is the poignant gripping story of his revered father's ordeal with prostate cancer to which he succumbs within about a year of its first diagnois -- a tortuous saga that prompted Wishart's investigation into cancer's history and prognosis for cure. I was left with both unsettling awe and despair after I put down this book: awe at the many genius scientists Wishart depicts who have achieved near-miraculous breakthroughs in cancer-remediating drugs; despair over the seeming impossibility of ever eradicating a disease which the author traces to the "constant bombardment" throughout life sustained by every one of our "ten million million cells"; during our lives there are "100 million million" cell divisions and "for cancer to begin there need be only one malignant cell that copies itself in a chaotic and uncontrollable way; with every duplication its dangerous characteristics are passed on to its offspring and a single aberration becomes a cluster, then a lump, then a tumor." It was especially sobering to learn that the dying man's prostate tumor origin was completely undetectable until his autopsy, a PSA screening test within months of his death yielding an absurdly false negative result of just 1. In sum, be prepared on reading this book to conclude that outliving cancer is as likely as winning the lottery year after year after year. If you ever fantasized about dodging the cancer bullet, you will think twice, but that could be just the insight you need to make the most out of every remaining minute you have!

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good book

The book seems highly commended (per back cover)on the scientific side, on which I am unqualified to comment. It tells a good personal story, into which the author combines the history of the science & medicine of cancer.

?Calming and illuminating . . . A story more gripping than frightening.??Janet Maslin, The New York Times

Writer and documentary director Adam Wishart?s poignant and timely book on cancer is the first of its kind?a seamless blend of memoir and medical history that simultaneously explains science in an elegant, non-intimidating way and connects to the experience of being a patient. When his father was diagnosed with cancer, Wishart couldn?t find a book that answered his most basic questions: What was the disease and how did it take hold? What is it about cancer?s biology that makes it hard to eradicate? Are we to a cure? One in Three is a son?s personal and journalistic take on cancer?s history and the encouraging story of science?s progress in changing the outlook on cancer from a disease we die from to one we live with, providing the full account of the discovery of the disease, its treatment, and its prevention. Wishart?s candid discussion of his personal link to cancer is ultimately a story of hope, and one in which we may all find comfort. One in three of us will develop cancer. This book will help us to understand it without fear.

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