1 of 1 copy available
A Penguin Classic
First published over forty years ago, The Cancer Journals is a startling, powerful account of Audre Lorde's experience with breast cancer and mastectomy. Long before narratives explored the silences around illness and women's pain, Lorde questioned the rules of conformity for women's body images and supported the need to confront physical loss not hidden by prosthesis. Living as a "black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet," Lorde heals and re-envisions herself on her own terms and offers her voice, grief, resistance, and courage to those dealing with their own diagnosis. Poetic and profoundly feminist, Lorde's testament gives visibility and strength to women with cancer to define themselves, and to transform their silence into language and action.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
February 15, 2022 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593609361
- File size: 100707 KB
- Duration: 03:29:48
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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June 1, 2022
More than 40 years after its initial publication, Black feminist poet and activist Lorde's chronicle of her experiences with breast cancer and mastectomy continues to resonate with strength and insight. In this collection of diary entries, poems, and essays, Lorde reveals her fear and outrage upon receiving positive biopsy results and subsequently undergoing a radical mastectomy. Her recovery is more difficult than anticipated, not only because of the physical pain, but because Lorde must make sense of this one-breasted version of herself and reclaim her beauty and power in the face of societal disapproval and disgust. This audio is narrated by Lorde's daughter, Elizabeth Lorde-Rollins, along with Tracy K. Smith, who reads the foreword to this latest edition. Lorde-Rollins provides a steady narration that evokes her mother's strength of spirit. At times, her narration is a bit too measured, but listeners will appreciate her authentic, heartfelt tone. Smith's reading is vibrant and full-bodied, a perfect poetic introduction for Lorde's searing words. VERDICT Lorde's poignant and startlingly relevant work is recommended for all collections, particularly where interest in poetry, activism, and feminism is strong.--Sarah Hashimoto
Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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