Now It's Funny: How I Survived Cancer, Divorce and Other Looming Disasters [Paperback]

Michael Solomon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 16, 2012

Now It's Funny: How I Survived Cancer, Divorce, and Other Looming Disasters is a modern hybrid, on one hand a page-turning medical thriller, and on the other a hilarious romp through the mind of a man bedazzled by fatherhood and midlife. What makes it so different from other "illness" memoirs is that it reads like a movie: in its frenetic pace, its intensity, and its improbable and relentless humor. In the same way that A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius was grounded in a cancer story, Now It's Funny... transcends its medical milieu and introduces a fresh new voice into the realm of non-fiction to tell a heartfelt story about a father's search for meaning and his undying devotion to his sons.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

One man’s funny, bittersweet memoir of physical and marital collapse and rebirth. When his doctors find a small smudge on one of 40-year-old TV production company owner Solomon’s lungs during a routine physical, they at first discount its significance. Even later, after other tests, they’re professionally circumspect: “They describe things in dimensions and locations, and from these various ellipses you have to draw the picture yourself.” The picture is cancer, and before readers of Solomon’s engaging and ultimately redemptive (as he puts it, “I’m happy to be around to watch you laugh, believe me”) memoir have progressed very far into his tale, the cancer has metastasized. Solomon, in the middle of a strained marriage and trying to be a good father to his 6-year-old son, Luke, feels like “the protagonist in a cruel and bitter joke.” What follows this initial diagnosis and precipitate worsening will be familiar to anybody who’s ever known (or been) a cancer patient: an endless round of tests, procedures, CAT scans and catheters, all of which Solomon describes with a sharp clarity leavened by warm, inclusive wit. Solomon endures the horrors of his own situation with plenty of psychological help from the camaraderie he finds with other patients: “You find you’ve got endless company. Everybody’s got something.” Solomon skillfully intertwines the medical with the emotional, affectingly describing the toll his illness takes on his already fragile family; the chapter “Telling Luke” is a small masterpiece in depicting a father-son bond under unthinkable pressure. Through the whole account, Solomon is both a remarkably smart guide and a very entertaining one. There is no pathos in these pages, and that will move readers all the more.
A quietly powerful, assured debut.

Review

"A funny, fabulous book." -- Fran Drescher Televison star and author of Cancer Schmancer

“I'm exceedingly sorry Michael Solomon got cancer. But I'm exceedingly happy he chose to share his tale with us. He manages to squeeze a huge amount of humor from this seemingly depressing topic, weaving in thoughts on marriage, fatherhood, surgery and improbable crushes on medical personnel.” -- A.J. Jacobs Bestselling author of The-Know-It-All and The Year Of Living Biblically

" We can be hit with so much that eventually all we can do is laugh about it. "Now It's Funny: How I Survived Cancer, Divorce, and Other Looming Disasters" is a humorous memoir from Michael Solomon who presents his own journey into the joys of fighting cancer and how everything else about life threw itself at him at the same time, and how he emerged from it all laughing. "Now It's Funny" provides its own inspiration, and is well worth considering. " -- Midwest Book Review

“I am a cancer survivor and was sick with the flu when I read this book, yet Michael Solomon still made me laugh. Making a sick person laugh is a gift. Being able to find humor when you’re sick yourself, well, that’s an even greater gift. I’m thankful Michael Solomon shared his gifts in “Now It’s Funny,” a heartfelt, accurate, and hilarious recounting of surviving cancer and a few other of life’s hurdles.” - Teresa J. Rhyne, author of "The Dog Lived (and So Will I)."

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Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (February 16, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1463749554
• ISBN-13: 978-1463749552
• Product Dimensions: 0.5 x 6.3 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,524 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Solomon, author of the memoir "Now It's Funny: How I Survived Cancer, Divorce and Other Looming Disasters," is a New York-born writer and award-winning documentary film producer. He has also written numerous screenplays, essays, and short stories.

As a filmmaker, Michael produced and photographed "How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It)," an inspirational documentary film about renaissance man Melvin Van Peebles which was released theatrically in eight US cities including New York and Los Angeles. He also produced "Constantine's Sword," a documentary feature film based on the book by National Book Award-winning author James Carroll. "Constantine's Sword" was a New York Times Critic's Pick and was released theatrically in over 80 cities including New York and LA.

Michael is happily remarried and the proud father of two fine boys, his most successful and challenging productions to date.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Who Said Cancer Is No Laughing Matter? March 10, 2012

By Jill I. Shtulman TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

However bad your life may appear at the moment, trust me - you've got nothing on Michael Solomon. To quote him quoting Gertrude Stein, "Death and taxes never come at a good time. The same can be said for cancer, terrorism and divorce."

Michael experienced all three simultaneously at the turn of the last decade. His father pesters him non-stop to get a colonoscopy because of a family history of colon cancer. The good news: he doesn't have colon cancer. The bad news: there appears to be "something" on his lung and possibly his liver. The worst news: his marriage is shaky and oh yes, a terrorist attack is looming in the near future.

Facing news like this, one can either get too maudlin or too saccharine. Fortunately, Michael relies on his instinctive sense of humor. Unlike the so-called "illness" memoir, this one is often hilariously funny without ever trivializing the journey that cancer survivors take.

Take this gem, for example: "My emotional state is somewhat akin to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire): lots of crazy thoughts battling over a mineral rich piece of territory (my brain)." Or this one, when he settles on using the word "lesion" instead of "cancer" when telling his young son about his impending hospital stay: "My guess is it's going to be a long time before he runs across the word lesion again...I've never heard of anyone dying from a lesion although it's a daily occurrence among people with cancer."

The tone is fresh, irreverent, and yet empathetic and is entertaining and informative simultaneously, which makes it a good "read" for just about anyone who likes a page-turning medical story and particularly for those who are dealing with cancer or have friends and relatives who are. Or for that matter, it's great for anyone facing an adversity.

My star rating, as always, is based on "apples to apples": comparing one book to others in its genre. So, while Now It's Funny is not War and Peace, it compares very favorably with books by authors such as Jonathan Tropper or Matthew Norman. Recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read For Anyone Facing Illness August 19, 2012

By Rita

Format:Kindle Edition

Now It's Funny answers that question of "What would you do if you were told you had a fatal illness?" Of course this is just in the mix of other issues but Michael Solomon does not take it laying down. Instead he takes charge of his life. He is brutally honest about everything and gives you the inside look at how he handled his battle. Did I mention that it was also funny? It reminded me of Lewis Grizzard's They Tore My Heart Out and Stomped It which tells his battle with open heart surgery. This is a must read for anyone facing any kind of an illness.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Painfully funny to read August 29, 2012

By J. Chambers TOP 50 REVIEWER

Format:Kindle Edition

You wouldn't think that someone who survived back-to-back bouts with cancer, followed by divorce, would be able to find any humor in the situation, but author/filmmaker Michael Solomon has done it, and done it very well. His blow-by-blow account of going through the rigors of the medical system are spot-on, but instead of a melodramatic "poor me" story, he's written a warm, often irreverent, humorous memoir of his experiences. Just to make his life complete, throw in a separation and eventual divorce from his wife.

As painful as the author described his medical tests and the surgeries themselves, he wasn't exaggerating one bit. As a veteran of nine surgeries, I'll vouch for the accuracy of his descriptions. His hatred of the infamous Foley catheter is understandable, but he was able to make light of it: "I take my penis seriously, even if no one else does." And when the doctors would not release him after one test until he had a successful bowel movement, in exchange for letting him go, he promised to e-mail the doctor a photo of his next bowel movement (it worked). You have to like someone who thinks like that.

The author tells a remarkable story of his trials and triumphs. One of the most difficult things about having cancer and separating from his wife was telling his young son Luke. When should he tell him, how should he tell him, and how would Luke respond?

And to answer the vital question of why did he get cancer not only once but twice, the author makes a startling discovery that may hold the answers.

Now It's Funny is a well written memoir that I enjoyed reading very much.