If you notice an upsurge in activism over the next few months amongst your patients who have cancer, then more than likely this is due to this book. This is an Australian self-help book for people living with cancer. It has received high recommendation from cancer specialists internationally and is reasonably priced so has proven to be popular with patients. GPs, oncologists and palliative care doctors need to be familiar with its content.

The main thrust of the book is that survival from cancer depends on being imbibed with fighting spirit. It has been written by Melbourne man who has survived three malignancies himself (first hairy-cell leukemia, a recurrence, then non-small cell lung cancer), and now works in the Health Promoting Palliative Care Unit at La Trobe University.

Nathan exhorts activism in the reader; to be in control and informed, to know one's right, to ask lots of questions, to always demand a second opinion. The medical practitioner will be comfortable with this.

There is much to like about this book, however, I like the final chapter, Living in the face of death best. As a palliative care physicians, I find questions like 'Why me?' the hardest to answer, and Nathan's brand of spirituality should make sense to most readers and give them hope.

He believes in the transcendence of the human spirit with death as a milestone on some longer journey which is based on the nondenominational belief in God that has resulted from several near-death experiences.

Another chapter that is particularly well-written gives advice on how patients can break the bad news of their diagnosis to family and friends, especially children. The chapter on treatment options addresses unorthodox therapies very reasonably and comes down heavily on the side of conventional treatment. The section on pain and symptom management is also well written.

This book is hard to fault.

Review in Modern Medicine Australia (December 1998)
by Dr Paul Glare

* * * *