When Your Friend Gets Cancer : How You Can Help

Rating:
Summary: Great concrete suggestions, but very religious
Review: Having recently had a friend diagnosed with cancer, and having no idea what I could do to help, I thought this book would be a great place to start.

And it was, in a way. It gave me good concrete suggestions - ways to help in the first days, the long middle, and either in remission or in my friend's final days.

There was only one problem - the author has a very god-centered focus. For someone who is religious or whose friend is religious, this should not be a problem. Most of the religious comments could apply to many religions, although many are pretty specifically Christian.

Unfortunately, neither my friend nor I are religious at all, so it really interfered with me being able to absorb the book and/or feel it applied to my situation. Many of the suggestions for comfort, either for me or for my friend, required a belief that we simply don't have.

For instance, the author was right on the mark when she predicted that I might wonder if I was doing enough. But then she says that I should trust that I am part of God's plan and that God is the guider of my good deeds. Uh . . . whatever.

But she also freely shares much of her experience and breaks it down enough so that I could really understand the complex feelings someone with cancer can feel. And I did follow many suggestions the book made.

To recap, if you or your friend with cancer are Christian, this is probably a wonderful book for you. If not, you might not feel like the book really applies to your situation.

Rating:
Summary: Great concrete suggestions, but very religious
Review: Having recently had a friend diagnosed with cancer, and having no idea what I could do to help, I thought this book would be a great place to start.

And it was, in a way. It gave me good concrete suggestions - ways to help in the first days, the long middle, and either in remission or in my friend's final days.

There was only one problem - the author has a very god-centered focus. For someone who is religious or whose friend is religious, this should not be a problem. Most of the religious comments could apply to many religions, although many are pretty specifically Christian.

Unfortunately, neither my friend nor I are religious at all, so it really interfered with me being able to absorb the book and/or feel it applied to my situation. Many of the suggestions for comfort, either for me or for my friend, required a belief that we simply don't have.

For instance, the author was right on the mark when she predicted that I might wonder if I was doing enough. But then she says that I should trust that I am part of God's plan and that God is the guider of my good deeds. Uh . . . whatever.

But she also freely shares much of her experience and breaks it down enough so that I could really understand the complex feelings someone with cancer can feel. And I did follow many suggestions the book made.

To recap, if you or your friend with cancer are Christian, this is probably a wonderful book for you. If not, you might not feel like the book really applies to your situation.