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Lopsided: How Having Breast Cancer Can Be Really Distracting [Hardcover]

Meredith Norton
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)


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Book Description

June 12, 2008
By the age of thirty -four , Meredith Norton had been a hymnal editor, art restorer, game-show producer, and a public school teacher. She'd even lived in a tree house and shepherded goats in Minorca. But none of these unusual experiences prepared her for the most dramatic turn her life would take: the diagnosis of an aggressive form of breast cancer. In this brilliantly funny and irreverent memoir, Norton approaches the disease with a refreshing combination of humor and tenacity, railing against victimhood and self-pity and refusing to become a stereotype.

Told with a razor-sharp wit akin to David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs, Lopsided is most definitely not a typical cancer memoir; it's the bitingly funny debut of a natural-born social observer.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.


Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Norton was in her midthirties, living in Paris with her French husband and toddler and suffering odd symptoms that French doctors dismissed. Visiting her parents in California, her lopsided breasts’ appearance caused her usually underreacting mother to insist she see a doctor. Within hours, Norton had seen the ob-gyn, two surgeons, “gotten a skin biopsy, had an ultrasound and mammogram, been scheduled for a stereotactic needle biopsy, and been wished a nice weekend.” Diagnosed with a virulent cancer and given a 40 percent chance of survival, she managed to maintain a breezy wit while surviving chemotherapy and attendant baldness, double mastectomy, radiation treatments, and the ministrations of her African American family, with its five blaring TV sets and discussion of everything except sex, money, and feelings. Such observations as, about her son, “his first trip to the beach might be my last” and about her ovaries’ death from chemo provoking “not the upset where you sniffle and cry, but the ghetto-style upset where you burn down someone’s check-cashing business” crackle with heartfelt intensity and irreverence. --Whitney Scott

Review

" Less a cancer survival guide and more a lovably unfiltered e-mail from a hilarious friend."
-"People"

" Norton [offers an] assured tone, keen eye and dry wit. I hope to encounter this clear, incisive, highly amusing voice again. Soon."
-"The Orlando Sentinel"

"A truly elegant memoir."
-"O, The Oprah Magazine"

" Norton strikes a successful balance between light and heavy, keeping her audience consistently engaged."
-"San Francisco Chronicle" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Viking Adult (June 12, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0670019283
  • ISBN-13: 978-0670019281
  • Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,454,358 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Grace When Facing A Death Sentence July 8, 2008
Format:Hardcover
Meredith Norton's memoir is unexpectedly funny about a very serious subject. I found myself reading the novel,not wanting to put it down, eager to find out how she brings the story to an end. The comparison to Sedaris is appropriate as Meredith maintains the humor throughout yet pauses at times to allow us to understand the severity of cancer she faced. Memoirs are supposed to be self-reflections of personal experience, not self-help books that offer advice to others who may be suffering from the same disease; I disagree with the reviewer who suggests caution. Meredith brings us into her world and experiences, so we understand her confusion, frustration, anger, and humor. A great read from a woman who has a wonderful spirit and drive to survive against all odds. And she can write.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Priceless. Funny as hell. Fascinating. WOW. July 7, 2008
Format:Hardcover
I picked up this book even though I had never heard of it because a) I'm interested in memoir and b) my sister-in-law is battling cancer. I never expected to be this enthralled. I simply could not put it down. Several times I found myself sneaking away from work just to read another page or two. I was riveted.

You can't help but fall in love with Meredith, this quirky character who doesn't take herself seriously and seems like just the kind of person I'd love (or be) in real life. Her battles are real but her wit is what moved me. I laughed out loud several times. I know, how is cancer funny? But you just have to read it for yourself. Really. You have to!

Don't miss this great read!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Far too few by women of color July 4, 2008
By NYC Mom
Format:Hardcover
I've read a lot of the breast cancer literature for the woman diagnosed since I was diagnosed 8 years ago - doing fine, thanks. This is the first one I think I've seen by a woman of color. A good combo read with Cancer Vixen.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Wicked funny June 29, 2008
Format:Hardcover
If you're looking for easy consolations and wishful thinking, don't look here. Meredith Norton pulls no punches and tells simple but hard truths: as her dad puts it, "No one gets out of here alive." But this isn't a depressing book; it's a story of (temporary) survival, and it's wickedly funny. Norton has a great eye for the ridiculous and outrageous in others and in herself. Recommended to anyone who may die.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Cancer, with jokes July 8, 2008
Format:Hardcover
Move over Lance Armstrong - I predict this funny and bittersweet book about cancer will become the new go-to gift book for newly diagnosed cancer patients. This book is refreshingly BS-free, offering a clear-eyed, witty, and brutally honest portrait of lives touched by cancer.

What a life too: Norton has piles of ridiculous personal stories that spice up the tale, such as her stories about her hardboiled mom and Cosby-style dad, plus enough crazy friends to fill up a football stadium. Norton's deft avoidance of saccharine-sweet cheese keeps this book true, clearing room for her humorous meditations to strike.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Not the typical memoir of a cancer survivor July 8, 2008
Format:Hardcover
This book is a blast of fresh air for anyone who has battled cancer directly or by the side of a loved one. It is written almost completely without self-pity: frank, intensely aware, perhaps afraid inside -- but brash and full of life outside. I'm not sure how much direct application it will have for most people -- the author seems to have lived a pretty unique life -- but it certainly gives one an unexpected, helpful, and ultimately very wise perspective on life with this awful disease.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A fabulous storyteller July 8, 2008
Format:Hardcover
I read "Lopsided" in less than a day -- couldn't put it down. Meredith Norton is a fabulous storyteller with a wicked sense of humor. What I find most appealing about her writing is her ability to poke fun of family and friends while simultaneously treating them with great affection. The book humanizes (and "humorizes") the process of living with a devastating form of cancer, a gift to many.

The book is not for everyone. The occasionally coarse language is one reason, and another is that it's not intended to be an "inspirational" memoir, which some desire or need. (I thought of giving it to one friend with terminal cancer, and decided against it.) But to those who can handle it, you will be left wanting more in-depth versions of each salacious anecdote!

I think it's a great companion to Adam Gopnik's "Paris to the Moon" -- both offer hilarious inside looks at the French-American tete-a-tete in our modern world.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Thank God She Wrote This Book! July 9, 2008
Format:Hardcover
"Lopsided" is a jolt of reality and hilarity for those of us that have, tragically but understandably, almost become used to the idea of breast cancer. So many women are being diagnosed each year that unless it strikes someone you love, the shock of cancer doesn't seem to reach inside and grab you. Until now... Meredith Norton makes absolutely certain that readers become part of not only her breast cancer story, but of her life. A cancer diagnosis affects real, live, original people and their families. We must never forget that each diagnosis is personal, unique and frightening. What a gift and a bonus that we can be reminded with such an absolutely hysterical, irreverant and fabulous story.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Laughing Out Loud at Cancer?
This book was one of the best nonfiction books I have ever read. It was the best memoir I've ever read by far. Read more
Published on November 7, 2010 by Lauren Roberts
4.0 out of 5 stars I Remember Liking This Book...
Okay, honestly I read this book about 2 weeks ago. I don't remember anything about it, which says a lot about this book. Read more
Published on April 9, 2010 by Desiree Liu
5.0 out of 5 stars Book
I couldn't believe I got this order in such a short time. Very pleased with merchant.
Published on November 27, 2009 by Judith J. Miller
3.0 out of 5 stars Unclear message
Typically, when I read a book, I look for a message or a theme. At first I thought this book may be about personal growth. Then I thought maybe it contained some sort of advice. Read more
Published on September 8, 2009 by Public Librarian
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, intelligent memoir about breast cancer
Norton chronicles her unilateral mastectomy ["What was left of my chest, my lone boob, served no purpose whatsoever but presented plenty of problems. Read more
Published on September 4, 2009 by Amy Steele
5.0 out of 5 stars Bridget's Review
Meredith is trying to figure life out. She's a free spirit who is constantly following her whims. When she finally decides to settle down, she's in Paris with her husband and they... Read more
Published on August 23, 2009 by bridget3420
2.0 out of 5 stars No David Sedaris ...
I'm not sure what I expected from this book (although it was promoted as Sedaris-like, so they had me there). That part disappoints, as Norton is not all that funny. Read more
Published on June 20, 2009 by N. Adams
3.0 out of 5 stars A very peculiar (and not very funny) survivor's memoir
There's one thing that can be said about Meredith Norton's breast cancer memoir: it proves with unmistakable clarity that such works need not be morose, sentimental works about... Read more
Published on March 31, 2009 by Jean E. Pouliot
1.0 out of 5 stars Luckily I saw it at the library and didn't spend a dime
This book is written by someone who actually wrote this hateful statement(see page 122.) I quote from the book, "It was entirely my fault as I was badmouthing Asian drivers....". Read more
Published on February 6, 2009 by KP Marlpat
1.0 out of 5 stars Not for the newly diagnosed
I feel I have read a completely different book than the other reviewers. While I sincerely hope she has beaten cancer for good, I found Meredith Norton to portray herself as a... Read more
Published on November 24, 2008 by Cari B. Clark
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