From Whispers to Shouts

Named a favorite read of 2023. * Lilith *
In her innovative and insightful book, physician and cancer survivor Elaine Schattner explores the ways that we tell the story of cancer—and the ways we often fail to tell the real story of this notably complex and treacherous disease. The result is fascinating, enlightening, and, despite its difficult topic, even inspiring. – Deborah Blum, Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer and director of the Knight Science Journalism program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
In From Whispers to Shouts, oncologist and cancer survivor Elaine Schattner writes a comprehensive and enlightening cultural and political history of cancer care in America while giving us a clear-eyed perspective of the future. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about cancer, which should be all of us. – Sandeep Jauhar, New York Times best-selling author of Heart: A History
From Whispers to Shouts is the first history of cancer to focus primarily on public perceptions of cancer. It is also a cri de coeur for a more upbeat assessment of past and future efforts to control the disease from an author who—as a doctor, patient, journalist and activist—is uniquely positioned to tell this story. – Barron Lerner, author of The Breast Cancer Wars: Hope, Fear, and the Pursuit of a Cure in Twentieth Century America
An invaluable contribution to our knowledge about cancer…..should be read by anyone who wants to understand more about something that impacts the lives of so many. While cancer has had copious exposure in books, magazines, newspapers, journals, movies, television and in recent years social media, this is the first book to conduct an in-depth examination into how shifts in public perception of cancer have evolved over time. * Eating My Words *
A powerfully illuminating narrative of how things changed over the last century or so, both thorough and compelling. * The Baffler *
A cultural history that considers evolving societal views about cancer - including fear and silence - and their impacts on patients….an enlightening read. * Lillith *
Readers of all stripes will nevertheless come away with a deeper understanding of how cancer research, treatment, awareness, and activism in the United States have evolved in concert with public discourse and sentiment. * H-Sci-Med-Tech *
Recommended. * Choice *

Elaine Schattner is a journalist, cancer survivor, and physician who worked as a medical oncologist before completing a journalism degree at Columbia University. She is a clinical associate professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. Her essays have appeared in Slate, the Atlantic, NPR, and elsewhere.

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