Christina Middlebrook was not quite fifty when she was told that a lump in her breast was not only malignant, but had already metastasized, and she had a fifty-percent chance of surviving more than two years. In her beautiful, unflinching memoir, Middlebrook conveys the physical and emotional ordeal of coming to terms with her own imminent death. Candid and courageous, Middlebrook's memoir honestly relates her story, which, unlike many books about illness that end in triumph, can offer no reassuring conclusion. In the tradition of William Styron's Darkness Visible, Seeing the Crab is a true and incredibly powerful story of facing the unthinkable with grace.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"A wonderfully written and often humorous account of [Middlebrook's] passage through desperate remedies...These meditations remind us that we are witnessing a battle between a mind that is fully alive, alert to the powers, pleasures, and betrayals of language, and a body that is determined to destory it. What is so impressive about Middlebrook's diary is that while we are under its spell, we believe this to be a contest of equals."--The Nation
"Exposes all the anger, uncertainty, and sadness that emerge in the process of dying."--Detroit Free Press
"Extraordinary...somehow she has found a way to look death in the face with incredible composure, bravery, and candor."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"In its gritty intelligence and unflinching honesty, Middlebrook's account of her struggle with stage IV metastatic breast cancer...is both horrific and wonderful...Harrowing and healing, her book deserves to find a wide audience."--Booklist
"Seeing the Crab is not only a vivid portrayal of [Middlebrook's] breast cancer experiences, it is a powerful piece of literature: deeply moving, painfully honest, direct, important, and witty. It is a book for everyone, not just those living with breast cancer."--Breast Cancer Action Newsletter
"I am filled with admiration for her courageous and enlightened journey. Scarcely less astonishing is her vivid, graceful storytelling...Cancer patients will find comfort and courage in Christina Middlebrook's story. Friends, family, and doctors should use this book to close the gap between the ill and the healthy."--Viewpoint, The Psychotherapy Institute
"Exposes all the anger, uncertainty, and sadness that emerge in the process of dying."--Detroit Free Press
"Extraordinary...somehow she has found a way to look death in the face with incredible composure, bravery, and candor."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"In its gritty intelligence and unflinching honesty, Middlebrook's account of her struggle with stage IV metastatic breast cancer...is both horrific and wonderful...Harrowing and healing, her book deserves to find a wide audience."--Booklist
"Seeing the Crab is not only a vivid portrayal of [Middlebrook's] breast cancer experiences, it is a powerful piece of literature: deeply moving, painfully honest, direct, important, and witty. It is a book for everyone, not just those living with breast cancer."--Breast Cancer Action Newsletter
"I am filled with admiration for her courageous and enlightened journey. Scarcely less astonishing is her vivid, graceful storytelling...Cancer patients will find comfort and courage in Christina Middlebrook's story. Friends, family, and doctors should use this book to close the gap between the ill and the healthy."--Viewpoint, The Psychotherapy Institute
From the Publisher
Winner of the 1997 Books for a Better Life Award for Memoir
"Extraordinary...Middlebrook lays it on the line at every turn."--City Paper
"Frank and intimate, [Middlebrook's]diary of negotiating the medical labyrinth of cancer treatment and seeking peace of mind at the same time is brave and memorable, eloquent and original."--The San Francisco Chronicle
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Refreshing,
By A Customer
This review is from: Seeing the Crab (Paperback)
Finally a book about living with cancer that doesn't have a saccharine, happy ending. Middlebrook writes for the large number of cancer patients who don't necessarily have great diagnoses, and who aren't well-served by the current body of literature that emphasizes good outcomes. As she writes about how other people have such a hard time even *talking* about cancer, how one's own expectations and aspirations fundamentally change, and how difficult it is, day after day, to simply cope and manage and survive with the burden of an enormous life crisis, one feels like putting the book down and exulting, "Here's someone like me!"
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Riveting book that lends insight. Fascinating metaphors.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Seeing the Crab (Paperback)
A good book for one who seeks to understand what it's like for someone facing cancer and its often hellish treatments. Middlebrook takes you inside the experience, to the heart of what it feels like for the "experiencer." I've never been afforded such a searing, close-in view, even after going through my own father's death from cancer. I wish I'd had this book then. Sometimes there is no right thing to say, but your presence alone can speak volumes. Middlebrook is a courageous warrior. But more than that. She gives hope that should we ever face such a diagnosis, we, like her, would be able to reach deep and tap unknown reserves of strength to face it--what else can we humans do? This is an often bitter and angry book, but it's beautifully written, uncompromisingly honest, and manages to be inspirational after all.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unbound Truth About Cancer,
By A Customer
This review is from: Seeing the Crab (Paperback)
This was a terrific book. I am not sure what inspired me to purchase "Seeing the Crab", but it honestly changed my life. I have been thinking about switching careers and pursuing medicine, and this book helped confirm it. Middlebrook was brutally honest about all of her various accounts with cancer. It gave a wonderful insight of what therapy is like, how important it is to have a strong support group of family and freinds, and the battle of everyday life with cancer. In my family, I have had two grandfathers die of lung cancer, and a third grandfather is now suffering from the same disease. Although the area in which the cancer is located is different, the treatment is more or less the same, as is the pain they go through. This book gave me such a deeper understanding for what my grandfather has been experiencing, and the knowledge of what to say when we are together. I thank Middlebrook for her honesty, since it is helping me in my own family situtions. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who has cancer or knows someone who does. It will really change the way you think and treat those with this disease.
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