e-Audio, 06:18:36
Narrated by: Walela Nehanda
Release Date: February 6, 2024
Published by: Kokila (Books on Tape)
Read from: February 17-18, 2024
Stand-alone
Source: From the PRH Audio App (I received a copy of this e-audiobook from the publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
TW: Cancer, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Deadnaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Pandemic/Epidemic
For Readers Interested In: Memoirs, Romance, Non-fiction, YA, Audiobooks narrated by the author, Novels in Verse/Poetry, 2SLGBTQ+A searing debut YA poetry and essay collection about a Black cancer patient who faces medical racism after being diagnosed with leukemia in their early twenties, for fans of Audre Lorde’s The Cancer Journals and Laurie Halse Anderson’s Shout .
When Walela is diagnosed at twenty-three with advanced stage blood cancer, they’re suddenly thrust into the unsympathetic world of tubes and pills, doctors who don’t use their correct pronouns, and hordes of “well-meaning” but patronizing people offering unsolicited advice as they navigate rocky personal relationships and share their story online.
But this experience also deepens their relationship to their ancestors, providing added support from another realm. Walela’s diagnosis becomes a catalyst for their self-realization. As they fill out forms in the insurance office in downtown Los Angeles or travel to therapy in wealthier neighborhoods, they begin to understand that cancer is where all forms of their oppression Disabled. Fat. Black. Queer. Nonbinary.
In Bless the A Cancer Memoir , the author details a galvanizing account of their survival despite the U.S. medical system, and of the struggle to face death unafraid.
*MY THOUGHTS*
One reason I hate reviewing non-fiction is I don’t always know how to review. Like do I just give my opinions on the facts I learned? Or how they’re presented? And it’s even worse when it’s a memoir lol Because how dare I say someone’s life is boring? Luckily for me, I didn’t think of any of that when I was reading this. I just listened to it and ended up listening to it non-stop. I remember reading it in two sittings. And the only reason it took 2 was because I started it at like 11 pm lol
Ok so first things first, I was supposed to read the physical copy the publisher sent me, but I ended up getting the audio copy from the publisher too. And let me just tell you, it was LIFE CHANGING. I am a HUGE advocate for poetry or novels in verse that are audiobooks, but when they’re also narrated by the author?! YASSSSS! It’s my favorite. Because they always have the inflections they where they want them and exactly how they want them. And the breaks or pauses are also there and exactly where they want them. And I have to say, nothing compares. And this audiobook is exactly this. And it has everything I love about them.
The representation in this was also amazing. (Which duh, it’s based off a real person lol) So many times I wanted to fight the world when they mentioned they were dead-named, misgendered, and experienced medical racism. And that made me especially mad because my own mom had stomach cancer, and I saw first hand the medical racism she experienced, and the way she was also ignored when hers was discovered, and man, this sounded just like what she went through. I felt SO BAD for the author. I had a hard time realizing that I couldn’t go find their doctor and make them listen to what they did.
I did wish we were given a bit more info on some of the characters, like the mom, but I also understand that she wasn’t really around and that’s most likely why she wasn’t really in the picture. Which I thought was unfortunate. Because as a mom I couldn’t imagine leaving my child by themselves when they needed me. And I also wanted to explore more with the love interest. Because I really wanted to know the kind of person who was there only when it was convenient for them when the other person HAD CANCER AND WASN’T DOING WELL. She was so annoying lol
I liked this so much. I can’t recommend this enough. I will say I did re-read some parts of the physical book once I got it, but it just didn’t HIT like the audio. Don’t get me wrong, I still would have given it the same rating, but I just don’t think it’s as good as the audio.
Overall, I give this
