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A truly horrible story is told very well in this memoir of family tragedy and recovery from life- threatening cancer. After leaving
Saturday Night Live, comedienne Julia Sweeney was newly divorced and looking forward to a new life in Los Angeles. But her optimism was shattered when she learned that her brother had been diagnosed with cancer. He moved in with her, and before long Sweeney found out that she was suffering from a rare form of cervical cancer. The story of Sweeney, her brother, and her parents (whose moving in with her gave odd comic relief to all the health problems) is a moving tale, tragedy leavened with moments of good humor and uplifting insight.
From School Library Journal
YA?Sweeney, formerly Pat of Saturday Night Live, relates her experiences in coming to terms with her younger brother Mike's death from lymphatic cancer, and her own brush with cervical cancer. Building on her one-person autobiographical show in Los Angeles and on Broadway, the author has put her spoken words into print and created a sad but never depressing account of one disastrous year in her life. Fresh from a recent divorce and in her early 30s, she planned on moving into a small bungalow in L.A. and creating a haven all her own. Suddenly, instead of a sanctuary she found herself sharing the space with her parents and assorted friends and relatives as they nursed Michael through his last months of life. In 34 short chapters, each headed by a small photograph, Sweeney talks about the "worst year" in her life by concentrating on funny episodes that gave her the strength to deal with these events. She first looks at her parents' flaws and eventually values their strengths. YAs will find her courage at handling adversity a model to follow in their own lives when sometimes laughter and tears are so closely related they seem inseparable.?Dottie Kraft, formerly at Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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