The Adventures of Cancer Bitch

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Wisenberg may have lost a breast, but she retained her humor, outrage, and skepticism toward common wisdom and institutions. At Fancy Hospital, she candidly describes the fumblings of new doctors, her awkward announcement to students, and the unrecyclable plastic at a survivors’ walk. Merging the personal with the political, she critiques the money spent on pink ribbons instead of pollution prevention and highlights the disparity in medical care between the insured and uninsured. After chemotherapy left her bald, she adorned her head with henna swirls and an antiwar protest. Throughout her treatment, she documented daily life in Chicago, riding the L, teaching while one-breasted, and attending High Holiday services and a Passover seder. Wisenberg’s writing combines Wieseltier’s erudition and Lebowitz’s cleverness: “If anybody ever offers you the choice between suffering and depression, take the suffering.” She humorously reflects on her pre-mastectomy party, where friends gathered despite the food's unappealing nature. Wisenberg captures the surreal experience of facing cancer, noting how one feels great until treatment begins.