One in Three: A Son's Journey into the History and Science of Cancer [Paperback]

Adam Wishart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 21, 2008

“Calming and illuminating . . . A story more gripping than frightening.”—Janet Maslin,The New York Times

Writer and documentary director Adam Wishart’s poignant and timely book on cancer is the first of its kind—a seamless blend of memoir and medical history that simultaneously explains science in an elegant, non-intimidating way and connects to the experience of being a patient. When his father was diagnosed with cancer, Wishart couldn’t find a book that answered his most basic questions: What was the disease and how did it take hold? What is it about cancer’s biology that makes it hard to eradicate? Are we to a cure?One in Threeis a son’s personal and journalistic take on cancer’s history and the encouraging story of science’s progress in changing the outlook on cancer from a disease we die from to one we live with, providing the full account of the discovery of the disease, its treatment, and its prevention. Wishart’s candid discussion of his personal link to cancer is ultimately a story of hope, and one in which we may all find comfort. One in three of us will develop cancer. This book will help us to understand it without fear.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Wishart's title refers to the number of people who will be diagnosed with cancer and his belief that we need to stop talking about the disease in hushed whispers as it becomes something "to live with rather than only die from." Wishart (Leaving Reality Behind), a British TV director and producer, juxtaposes an unflinching account of his father's diagnosis and treatment with a wider look at cancer research. The constant shuttling between past and present has the unfortunate effect of disrupting the emotional momentum of the Wishart family's struggle. Miniportraits of cancer research activists like Mary Lasker and Penny Brohn tell an important story, but never fully mesh with the scenes of the father's slow decline. Individual moments from the personal saga, as when Wishart's father reads a newspaper in a hospital bed because books have become too heavy for his weakened arms, have strong emotional resonance, but too often, when Wishart manages to hook readers into the drama, he veers off into another historical digression. Either narrative strand could have been an effective book in its own right; in putting them together, Wishart hasn't quite created an integrated whole. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The first time British TV producer Wishart gave much thought to cancer came after his father was diagnosed with it. Then, like anyone who has had to stand helplessly by as life is stolen from a loved one, he began to be consciously consumed by it. Everywhere he and his father turned, they saw only questions with few or no answers. Have there always been cancers? What causes them? Why are so many--one in three will grapple with the disease worldwide, it is estimated--afflicted? With all the attention cancer gets, is science making any headway against it? Together father, a lifelong teacher, and son, a self-described ready student, undertook an in-depth exploration. What they learned the son relays here in an engaging presentation of facts reported with the cool detachment of a professional journalist interspersed with the raw feelings of a son recording the progress of his father's fatal illness, what's right and wrong within the medical community, and the emotional toll on everyone involved with the father and son's journey. Donna Chavez
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press (January 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802143482
• ISBN-13: 978-0802143488
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,713,470 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've spent most of the last few years telling stories, either as documentaries or as books.

Five years ago, my Dad fell ill with cancer. There didn't seem to be a book which described the history, physiology and science of the disease. So I ended up writing one.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Must Must Reading for Every Sentient Adult, October 6, 2007

By 

BuzS "buzs" (ny, ny) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: One in Three: A Son's Journey into the History and Science of Cancer (Hardcover)

In one of the most stimulating and informative books you will ever encounter, Wishart provides the clearest possible description of: a)what cancer is, i.e. from the first aberrant cell mutations to the eventual metastasis that eventually kills us; and b) the hundreds-year old history of approaches to treatment and prevention. Interwoven throughout is the poignant gripping story of his revered father's ordeal with prostate cancer to which he succumbs within about a year of its first diagnois -- a tortuous saga that prompted Wishart's investigation into cancer's history and prognosis for cure. I was left with both unsettling awe and despair after I put down this book: awe at the many genius scientists Wishart depicts who have achieved near-miraculous breakthroughs in cancer-remediating drugs; despair over the seeming impossibility of ever eradicating a disease which the author traces to the "constant bombardment" throughout life sustained by every one of our "ten million million cells"; during our lives there are "100 million million" cell divisions and "for cancer to begin there need be only one malignant cell that copies itself in a chaotic and uncontrollable way; with every duplication its dangerous characteristics are passed on to its offspring and a single aberration becomes a cluster, then a lump, then a tumor." It was especially sobering to learn that the dying man's prostate tumor origin was completely undetectable until his autopsy, a PSA screening test within months of his death yielding an absurdly false negative result of just 1. In sum, be prepared on reading this book to conclude that outliving cancer is as likely as winning the lottery year after year after year. If you ever fantasized about dodging the cancer bullet, you will think twice, but that could be just the insight you need to make the most out of every remaining minute you have!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good book, March 22, 2007

By 

G. Yuval "G.Y." (Mercer Island, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One in Three: A Son's Journey into the History and Science of Cancer (Hardcover)

The book seems highly commended (per back cover)on the scientific side, on which I am unqualified to comment. It tells a good personal story, into which the author combines the history of the science & medicine of cancer.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Book Review, June 8, 2007

By 

J. Wilson (St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: One in Three: A Son's Journey into the History and Science of Cancer (Hardcover)

Very good example of technical writing. Very detailed exploration of the history of cancer medicine. Left me with many questions on the emotional aspects.