Mom's Marijuana: Life, Love, and Beating the Odds [Paperback]

Dan Shapiro (Author)

Book Description

Series: Vintage | Publication Date: September 11, 2001

A young man battles Hodgkin's disease and survives--with more than a little help from his Mom--in this wry and uplifting memoir about life, love, and beating the odds.

When Dan Shapiro's decidely anti-drug mom put aside her convictions and grew marijuana in her backyard garden (behind a discrete screen of sunflowers), he learned that in the face of a crisis we all have the opportunity to decide what is most important to us. In this hilarious, high-spirited, sometimes harrowing memoir, Shapiro invites us into his battle with cancer, his romance with an oncology nurse, his journey through graduate school, and his most important life lessons. He tells his story with wit and grace and indomitable spirit, showing us that only when the rhythm of life is stirred violently are able to discover its full beauty.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

With some touting marijuana as a palliative to chemotherapy's side effects, which the author smoked as he combated Hodgkin's disease, one might expect Shapiro to explore the controversies surrounding the issue of grass-as-medicine. Besides briefly relating how his mother cultivated hemp in the backyard, he never allows the subject to impinge on his potpourri of cancer survival memories. Diagnosed at age 20 with a tumor, Shapiro details the biopsies, I.V. drips, radiation sessions, and blood draws alongside his characterization of the doctors, technicians, and nurses who managed his care. Interleaved with this commentary about the antiseptic quality of modern hospitalization are Shapiro's deeply drawn recollections of growing up and pursuing a career in psychology. Regrettably this volume lacks a thematic linkage to Shapiro's myriad memories of dreams, his walk along the precipice of death, and his amour. Nevertheless, the book's origin as NPR pieces and the author's lectures to oncology organizations will most likely generate interest. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"A page-turner filled with exquisite drama, deeply personal insight and?delightful, quirky humor."
--Arizona Daily Star


"Part memoir, part social commentary, part medical journal and entirely wonderful."
--Fort Worth Star Telegram

"An engaging, thoughtful, and funny account from a first-rate writer."
--Andrew Weil, M.D.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; 1st Vintage Books Ed edition (September 11, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375708014
• ISBN-13: 978-0375708015
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #63,461 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this book!, November 28, 2000

By 

Paul Croteau (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Mom's Marijuana: Insights About Living (Hardcover)

If you know someone that is or has suffered through cancer treatment, you owe it to yourself to read this well-written first-hand autobographical portrayal of Dan's personal story. Even if you don't know someone that has gone through the experience, this book is a must read.

At times I laughed out loud at Dan's Woody Allen-like wit, other times I found myself in a dazed stupor wondering how anyone could go through what he went through. His characterizations are heart-warming, his attention to detail is splendid, I am amazed at how vividly he was able to tell his story.

Mom's Marijuana is a fast read with many short chapters (similar to the many Chicken Soup books). However, all of these short chapters weave an intricate trail in chronological order (for the most part) from Dan's breif discussions of his youth through the finer details of cancer treatment.

This book educated and inspired me. It also raised my understanding of a terrible disease to new heights. Do yourself a favor, stop reading this review and just buy the darned book. You will not regret it. You da money man, Dan.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read it or you'll miss out on this jewel., December 4, 2002

By 

LadySTRANGER (East Coast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mom's Marijuana: Life, Love, and Beating the Odds (Paperback)

I picked this book up in the biography section of my library.
I was about to have my knee operated on and wondered if I could find a good book to read during the days in bed not moving. Well, I was moved by this book.
It is one of the best books I have ever read.
You almost feel like you know Dan through his setbacks and triumphs.
You'll laugh. You'll cry. You will fall in love with this wonderful book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A life-changing experience., September 9, 2001

By 

"amsterdamn_2000" (Palm Harbor, Florida United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mom's Marijuana: Insights About Living (Hardcover)

You might think that the title of my review refers to this man's life changing experience, but in fact I'm speaking of the life changing experience that has been reading this book. Dan Shapiro truly is a brilliant man and he wrote a complex, insightful book. I think the title is misleading, but the story more than makes up for it. It's almost as if the book is interactive; it makes you think back about many things, and can be very humorous at times. When he said he knew his daughter wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for his mother's talking to a stranger, it took me a while to realize he was talking about the woman in that first waiting room telling his mother to save sperm. I like that, that way that Daniel Shapiro has about writing this book. It was one of my favorite books, if not my favorite book, that I have ever read, and I would absolutely love to see a sequel of some sort. (This is the kind of book that once you're finished reading you feel like you've known the author all your life and you wish to meet him.)