Anne BoyerBesprekingen

I wanted, often, while reading this book, to copy it down by hand in its entirety.

My feelings are mixed. I have several pros and cons. First of all, I thought the cover was totally appropriate to represent cancer and its treatment, even though I personally hate snakes to the point that I don't like seeing pics of them. I do feel like Ann covered nearly everything she could about the behind-the-scenes details of cancer, from financial, treatment options, ways others treat you and your decisions, family, friends, making a difference, trying to survive. It was very thorough. She also touched on the Susan B Komen foundation keeping most of the money raised, making the leaders of it fat cats, while very little goes toward the cancer patients. I have heard this for a long time, and I still don't understand how an agency can be allowed to rip off people like that. I doubt this is an opinion, either. Maybe this book will bring change, which is another thing I enjoyed about the author. She is definitely an advocate for change, even if it is as small as standing up for yourself, doing the research to know what is going on, and choosing your treatments. On a large scale, that is writing this memoir and sharing with the world all the dirty details of cancer and what changes still need to come. The story was well-written as far as coverage. I enjoyed the memoir as a chance to meet someone new and hear a new story.

What I HATED! The story itself. In fact, everyone should hate it with the topic of CANCER, so that was not a reason why I did not give it five stars. I also despised a lot of the history presented, as most of it did not really contribute to the story, was rambling, and out of chronological order, which personally drove me nuts. When you mention something toward the end of the book that happened in the 1800's, it might be time to revamp the organization of the book. I also hated the graphic parts of treatment, and those who have a weak stomach, a weak heart, or just can't handle graphic situations might either want to read this a little at a time, or skip certain parts. I literally had to put the book down at one point, because I had just eaten. I have read a lot of gross stuff, but graphic mutilation and/or death are two things my brain does not process well. Again, different strokes for different folks, so I did not take a star away for that, but I hated it! I thought that the story rambled at times, as if she wrote it while actually on treatment and every random thought that ever floated into her brain was put onto paper. A little of that is a good thing to see if that is what cancer does to you, but I am not convinced that was what happened. All I do know that when you use a lot of big words and disjointed ideas over and over, is that filler? If this is a true book to enlighten, my personal opinion is that it should have been written so the average person could easily understand. That would be about a 6th grade level, as we are no longer a huge nation of readers. The outline of the book also drove me nuts. The prologue did not lead well into the book, in my opinion. I saw a lot of crazy numbering for what appeared to be chapters? This may change, as the final book does not hit the stands until October. I would rather see no number versus a bunch of 1s and 2s that didn't mean too much to me. Sounded more like the outline of a research paper. I DO understand the book did give a lot of research details, but still, a book should read and feel like a book. I can see a movie resulting from this book, as there is a good storyline in the middle of all of the chaos.

Anne Boyer kortárs költőnőnél 41 évesen agresszív mellrákot állapítottak meg. A váratlan diagnózis kettétörte addigi életét, a felépüléshez vezető út pedig teljesen megváltoztatta a halandósághoz és az élethez való viszonyát. A betegségen átesett művészek – Audre Lorde, Kathy Acker, Susan Sontag – írásaihoz kapcsolódva Pulitzer-díjas könyvében kendőzetlenül számol be a fájdalmas kezelésekről, testi-lelki kínokról és a társadalom rákkal kapcsolatos ellentmondásos hozzáállásáról. Szembesít azzal, mennyire méltatlanul várja el a külvilág a betegektől a „példamutató” viselkedést – hogy egészségesen étkezzenek, vegyenek részt jótékonysági eseményeken, méltósággal viseljék a fájdalmat !-, milyen erősen meghatározza a társadalmi helyzet a gyógyulás esélyeit, és milyen jelentős gazdasági érdekek akadályozzák a rákkutatást.
Kíméletlen hangvételű, mégis lírai könyve érzékletes költői képekben gazdag irodalmi alkotás, személyes vallomás a szenvedésről és annak értelmezéséről, a rákkal való küzdelem esetlegességéről, megrázó fázisairól. Feloldásként és támaszként szolgálhat a rákbetegek és környezetük számára a betegség okozta bűntudat elengedéséhez, a lelki és testi sebek elfogadásához.

ذكريات مؤلمة من صراع الكاتبة مع سرطان الثدي ومعاناتها خلال ستة أشهر من العلاج الكيميائي الشرس، استئصال الثدي المزدوج، والجراحة الترميمية. بالإضافة لتجربتها الصادمة مع الشركات الطبية المهووسة بالربح والمؤسسات العنصرية المشاركة في رعاية وعلاج مرضى السرطان.

كتاب موجه لكل إنسان، يهيج المشاعر ويفتح الأعين.

A gut wrenching, thought provoking book that studies pain, mortality, medical treatments and illness in general centering on the author's own life and her battle against breast cancer.. Although she obviously survives this is not a feel good book. Being a poet and a teacher she does a tremendous amount of historical research on breast cancer and death going all the way back to the Greeks. She emphasized John Donne's poetry in particular. She is laser focused in her indictment of our current health care system and its inadequacy for patients like she was. A very important book.

Premio Pulitzer de No Ficción 2020

Premio Windham-Campbell de No Ficción 2020



Una semana después de cumplir 41 años, a la poeta Anne Boyer le diagnosticaron un cáncer de mama triple negativo de pronóstico grave que requería un tratamiento muy agresivo. Como madre soltera habituada a vivir al día y a prodigar cuidados antes que a recibirlos, la dramática enfermedad supuso una crisis, pero también un punto de partida para recapacitar sobre la mortalidad y las políticas de género relacionadas con la salud.

Desmorir es la descarnada narración del proceso de enfermedad y supervivencia de la autora, pero es también un libro de memorias que se rebela contra el género memorístico, un recuento personal que rechaza limitarse a lo individual. Sumándose a la larga lista de autoras que han escrito sobre el cáncer, como Audre Lorde, Kathy Acker y Susan Sontag,
Boyer reflexiona con furia, brillantez y clarividencia sobre la enfermedad y la salud en nuestra sociedad, abordando temas como la experiencia corporal y mental del dolor, la proliferación de charlatanes y oportunistas, el abuso de las farmacéuticas, el cinismo político en el debate de sanidad pública versus privada y, en definitiva, la hipocresía que rodea la industria de la salud en nuestro mundo.

Obra reconocida con el Premio Pulitzer de No Ficción en 2020, profundamente humana y conmovedora, Desmorir es una imprescindible meditación acerca de la enfermedad en un mundo capitalista, y acerca de las miserias y las grandezas de la vida contemporánea.

This is a brilliant, brave, and harrowing book.

I absolutely adore this book, and have bought many copies to give to friends as gifts.

This was difficult to approach at first, I think honestly because I haven't read anything like it, but as I got into it, it was SO mind-boggling and really forced me to think about not only narratives around cancer but health generally. Boyer doesn't go much into disability or crip studies, which might have put her in conversation with some really interesting lines of thought (I, certainly, would have LOVED to see some of that, and would love to talk with folks who have read both some disability studies and this book,) but she does put herself in conversation with other women writers who died from cancer, and so many other things it can kind of make your head spin, in the best way. There are just so many levels to her thoughts here, and the loss of cognitive ability, and pain, and so many things. It's a book I will almost definitely return to and get even more out of it, and I feel like I got a lot out of it already. Definitely recommended!

While Anne Boyer =/= Anne Carson, she hits exactly the same vein of thought and feeling in me as a reader, which is to say my favorite vein.

I checked this out from the library. I will be buying it for my personal library, along with her more recent publication, sight unseen.

Goddamn Anne. Thank you.

We laughed. They had to be kidding, but this was liberation--
we were breathing, ah down a neck, o in an eyelid, uh on a belly.

Her playfulness and the concreteness of her words in some of her more structured poems remind me a little of late Lisa Jarnot. But most of her poems are looser, and she also reminds me a little of Noelle Kocot, though she doesn't follow the endless folds of metaphor into oblivion the way Kocot does.

Or maybe she's just herself. Very strange but fun poems. Somehow I can get behind this kind of nonsense, whereas most poems in this vein I usually hate. She's loose but she's tight where she needs to be tight, and then she let's it all hang out. Her poems are very evocative of place and setting and narrative, though the narrative is then subtracted, and nothing is stated explicitly, and the most important words are substituted with something akin.

These days Woody propagandas me under the sheets:
We are never better than the Workers!

There are no Workers left, I'd answer,
but his sickle is hard against my knee.

What are these poems? They are hip and fast but not in an annoying way, not like some I've read. They are actually not as hip and fast as they first appear. Something about them is a slow personal vocabulary of superstitions obsessions thoughtfulness and intimate meanings. There's almost always something I see in these poems beyond 'cool words' or 'nice sounds'. There's a lot going on in here, past the surface.

At the same time, these poems are about nothing as well.

Though "Nothing, too, is a subject".

You stand for NOTHING but melody. And above metal melody, you have built a bank melody, and by that you WILL NOT be lyres.

Check out her website and her blog and book reviews.

Also, read this essay she wrote on feminism and other political subjects, which pretty much sums up why she's so awesome. "I want an avant-garde of light forearm touching." Exactly.