Customer Reviews

The Red Devil : A Memoir About Beating The Odds

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Katherine Russel Rich is an excellent example of a strong womanwho has a serious story to tell. Breast cancer is scarey enough for meto think of, but after reading this remarkable experience, it is definitely something I would NOT wish on my worst enemy. The terrible experiences she suffered through weren't only caused by her cancerous body, or the medications pumped into her, but by other people and their unbelievable reactions to her and her disease. I laughed. I cried. I got really mad that someone could go through such a time. I feel Katherine is a part of my family now. I'm eager to hear more. I hope and pray for her complete recovery, both physically and emotionally. She has touched my heart and soul through her words. Everyone should read this book. Maybe more people would be sympathetic towards cancer patients and survivors if they did. I never quite realized what it all meant until reading her story. END

I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in May of 2000; I am seventeen years old. Although this memoir deals with breast cancer, I still found it extremely helpful, funny, comforting, sad, etc. It illustrates the experience of cancer as not only harrowing, but as a learning experience. Ms. Rich attacks her disease with truth and strength. I recommend this book to ANYONE, involved with cancer or not.

This book was recommended to me by my sister, a breast cancer survivor. She said it was the best book she had read about a woman with breast cancer. My sister is correct. Katherine Russell Rich has hightened my awareness of the breast cancer experience. Every health care provider should read this book, especially physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, especially if they work with cancer patients. Unlike others who have reviewed this book, I not only could "put it down," I had to put it down often. It was a story so powerful and emotional, I could only take it in parts, but it delivers a very important message. Katherine Russell Rich, thank you for writing and sharing your story.

kathy rich is a true fighter and she brings a unique, inspiring perspective to the fight against breast cancer. she shows that you can fight in your own personal way and discover a tremendous amount of inner strength in the midst of this horrible disease. a great book for women who have battled cancer and for women facing other battles as well.

For a cancer survivor to record the whole nasty experience and not succumb to the fear that the words she writes will be her last is so courageous and selfless. They don't have to share, but they do. My mother-in-law is in her second remission from ovarian cancer. As a family member who so dearly loves her and wishes this evil cancer would be silenced, Kathy's novel is refreshing. I agree with the fact a cancer patient has to keep her head in the game. Trusting one doctor is foolish when you're gambling with your life. It's better to ask, then lose time. Loved it.

I saw Katherine Rich on Good Morning America and was totally blown away by her humor and positive attitude in the face of a devastating disease. I have since read the book (twice: once for the story and a second time to savor her fabulous use of language) and am even more impressed with her life. What a role model for anyone facing a crisis, or just "real life"! I can't wait for her next book. What a terrific new author.

I started this book at 10 in the morning and didn't stop till 4 in the afternoon. It's astounding: funny, gripping, heartbreaking, elating. And the writing is first rate. Warning: Don't plan to do anything else the day you read this. You won't be able to tear yourself away.

Katherine Russel Rich's stirring memoir of her struggle with breast cancer takes the reader on a harrowing journey from the end of Rich's marriage in 1988 and her almost immediate discovery that she had cancer, through chemotherapy, to the discovery that her cancer had metastasized into her bones, and finally to her resolute remission and the reconstruction of her life. Rich, who was only 32 and living a fast, glamorous (booze, fatty food, and cigarette filled) life as a magazine editor in New York, was floored by the realization that she had cancer, and at first tried to downplay the terrible physical and psychological effects of her disease and treatment. Yet Rich finds that denial and isolation only make her chemotherapy more painful and exhausting, and that the wry wit she uses to fend off her feelings of hopelessness, victimhood, and dependency can only last so long.
Despite the way the author lays bare her emotions, this book is no made-for-T.V. movie or sappy Hallmark card. Rich is acerbic and analytical, looking back on her experience and pointing out both her triumphs and her failings. At 32 she considered herself far too young to develop cancer, and her doctors felt the same way. Some of the book's most powerful moments are those in which Rich realizes her doctor's failings--discouraging her from having a mammogram or a biopsy, failing to explain her disease in anything but technical jargon, rushing her into procedures without helping her determine what would actually be best for her. It is in these retrospective moments that Rich provides the most scientific, biological information about cancer; this is no textbook, but the explanations of the multicellular manifestations of cancer and the actions of chemotherapy drugs provide a stable background that would benefit anyone faced with Rich's diagnosis. Stronger still is Rich's candid description of the havoc and exhaustion wreaked by her chemotherapy cocktail. She spares no details, using vivid language to evoke her experience.
For me, this book gave cancer a face, one with which I could identify. While Rich's battle with cancer began the year I was born, and she was taking far more risks with her health than I do, I was affected by the testimony of an active, intellectual woman, unsettled and supposedly in the prime of life. Rich's use of dark humor and unflinching self-analysis, and her evasion of stick-sweet platitudes about her victory over the disease, make the book not only instructive, but at times even fun. This is not to say, of course, that cancer is funny--but by remaining human, instead of presenting herself as a heroic martyr, Rich made me like her as a whole person, not just a victim. This understanding allowed me to imagine myself in her place, and to wonder how I would fare, faced with the pain, tiredness, and deadliness of cancer.
Two of her experiences bear important messages for society: First, Rich found herself increasingly isolated once she began telling people she had cancer. Even though she continued working, she had very little contact with coworkers or former friends--only few, including her ex-husband, persevered with her. This isolation made her disease even more unbearable, and slowed her recovery, even dulling her will to live. Second, Rich did not make a full recovery. After being told she was "cured," her cancer reappeared, this time spread through seven sites in her bones. This not-quite success story shows us that cancer remains a mortal threat, and, conversely, that small victories--like Rich's survival beyond the single year projected for her--matter.

An incredible book every woman should read. I went through a wide range of emotions while reading Katherine Russell Rich's story. She had me laughing & crying, had me scared & angry but throughout the book her strength amazed me. I felt she could be my friend, my sister, me. She showed once again that women are capable of getting through the hardest of times despite the obstacles thrown in their way. We just need to learn to trust our instincts, take better care of ourselves, stand up & fight and respect one another. I can't wait to read the sequel!

This book, which details the author's experiences with breast cancer, is both funny and heart-wrenching. My personal experiences with breast cancer were nothing like the author's, but those of us who are members of the club can identify with her experiences. This book is well-written and provides an entertaining read; however, the introspection into personal problems becomes tedious at times (thus the four stars rating). I highly recommend this book, for cancer survivors/current patients, and those interested in the topic. It provides an insightful view into the feelings of a cancer patient for those who have not gone through the experience.