I recently read and reviewed Tim Wendel's latest book Cancer Crossings for The Washington Independent Review of Books. You can check out the review here.
Back in the late 1960s, Wendel's three-year-old brother was diagnosed with acute childhood leukemia. Wendel recounts his family's story alongside the history of the pioneering leukemia research at the time.
Needless to say: as the parent of a three year old, I faced this assignment with a bit of trepidation. My husband and I tend to avoid any movies with sick children (we watched Arrival only because we are science-fiction fans, but even that made us jittery).
What surprised me, though, was how kind the author was to his readers - no small task given the subject matter. That's not to say that there aren't deep feelings here, or that I didn't end up shedding a few tears. But Wendel, a fellow parent, really had a gentle, deft touch. I'm glad I faced my fears to experience this moving and informative book.