Too Old to Cry, Too Young to Die: 35 Teenagers Talk about Cancer

I first read this book nearly thirty years ago as a ten year old searching for answers per my younger cousin's bout with what became terminal leukemia. My relatives feared that discussion of his illness would frighten me but I wanted to know what was happening to him and what was being done to help him. This book answered my prayers and questions, the simple terms and brave words of kids and teens fighting potentially terminal illnesses dealt with cancer on a level that all-including ten year olds and ninety year olds-could grasp. Stories of treatment and the all-inclusive effects of cancer (mentally, physically, spiritually) were painful but the indelible mark they left was one of compassionate understanding eclipsing fear of the unknown. I read this book dozens of times throughout the years, especially after my cousin's passing in 1984. Ironically, the book's first message, "you can learn a lot from kids with cancer," is both a source of comfort and discomfort, the latter because I've always wondered what happened to those profiled within its pages. I hope they've survived and know what inspirations their stories were and still are.