Post-mastectomy : a personal guide to physical & emotional recovery /

Ms. Winkler is a strong-minded, candid woman who has written about her own mastectomy to help other women or their friends and family. She is neither an opera singer nor a politician's wife; she is unmarried and works for a living. She attacks with equal vehemence the sugarcoated sentimentality of the upper class matron (My dear, we all love you lust as we always have) and the position of the radical feminists who favor lumpectomy and accuse male surgeons of wreaking vengeance on their breast cancer patients. She discusses preop and postop emotions, the shock of first seeing the scar, the initial weakness, the depression, anger, anxiety, guilt. Recognize them as normal reactions not to be repressed, she advises. In time you will come out of those woods, perhaps with some professional help, perhaps by yourself. It is when you begin to take steps, do the arm exercises, eat sensibly, get fitted with the proper bra and prosthesis, return to work, pamper yourself, that a new zest for life can develop. The author found yoga exercises, the poetry of Tagore, and environmental records (sounds of water, wind, and so on) afforded her a great lift. Your inclinations may differ, but she attends to all the practical matters from dating to diet, clothing to plastic surgery, and includes sources of further information. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.