Cancer Vixen: A True Story

I love New Yorker cartoons. I hate comic books. I LOVED Cancer Vixen. I've been through a terrible illness and I have friends and family who have been through cancer, chemo, and radiation. This is an excellent story of one person's experience. It's the best literature I've ever read about the cancer/chemo experience because it shows what it's all about and how it effects the patient's life and family. I could really relate! I'm a writer, but no purely written story could have had the same impact and wisdom as this beatuiful, visual story. And the writing is witty and spot on too. Marisa is a brilliant cartoonist. She was actually very brave to tell her story as she did. I wish her happiness and health!

Okay, I feel lousy saying that, but really, I couldn't put this book down. Which is odd, because I work in an (shall remain a-nonny-mus)bookstore and "Cancer Vixen" doesn't exactly say "read me." Well, okay, maybe it does, in its own way, with its electrified purple cover (where do they keep the batteries to power that color?) and simplified drawings. The cartoonist in question, Marisa Acocella Marchetto, was at the top of her game when a doctor noticed a lump in her breast. It couldn't have come at a worse time for Marchetto. She was engaged to a wonderful man and life was humming along pretty well in a profession that can be less than pretty. Then came The News. Cancer. So instead of writing another book about breast cancer, Marchetto grabbed her pen and did what she does best: cartooning. The result is an honest, visually engaging and sometimes hilarious read. Beast Cancer doesn't say, "graphic novel", but here, it works, and quite well, too. The illustrations reflect the author's emotions with a great deal of clarity and are quite effective. And the backstory of how she met her fiance and the description of her multiple bffs, shopping habits, and work life are interesting as well. But most of all, I liked the honesty. That coupled with the little details of her everyday life were very gratifying, like a good healthy chat with one of your girlfriends who gives you all the details. Even if you are not shopping for something about cancer, this is a very good read. And if you buy a copy of it with crumbs in it, that's just from the workers who read it during lunch. Consider it a compliment for the book.

As a BC survivor, like many of you, I came to this book with a personal perspective. In fact, it turns out that I live in the same neighborhood as the author, but am about 15 yrs. older. I know this is a book about a "younger" "glam" cancer pt., but that's OK. What I liked best was that, when you have BC (or any serious illness) you've got to do whatever it takes to get thru, so a sense of humor, and a sense of art is fabulous. I admired the author's courage and panache while also reminiscing (not always the happiest thing) about my own treatment. This book is for readers with a sense of humor and a sense of the quirky, but I think that's just what BC deserves, not seriousness all the time. Good for you, Marchetto!!!

I've been a huge fan of Marissa Acoccella's for years, loving all her New Yorker cartoons, but nothing prepared me for how wonderful -- just wonderful, wonderful -- this book is. I've already read it three times in the last week. It's funny and poignant. There are great shoes and great characters (I especially loved the depiction of all those pipe- cleaner-thin girls I see all the time at Da Silvano and, of course, Silvano is so loveable in the book.) Get this book for every woman you know. If someone doesn't love this, they can't have a pulse. Oh, and Marissa Acoccella, if you're reading this, thank you so much. I come from a family of survivors and this has been an especially trying year, and your book saved me. And us.

i found this book to be an inspiration. its visually captivating, incredibly witty and ultimately a beautifully written and moving tale of love, kindness and the power of positivity. i could not put this book down and have already read it twice, each time finding wonderful nuances that make me smile. this book is for everyone; its a full-on creative EXPERIENCE. i highly recommend.