Look, it's bad news... (C: Because Cowards Get Cancer Too - John Diamond)

Member Name: mindy

Product:	C: Because Cowards Get Cancer Too - John Diamond
Date:	02/07/01 (69 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: See text

Disadvantages: Sunburn

Well, here I am sitting at my office desk today, COMPLETELY sunburnt to a crisp (80 degree heat yesterday). The reason for my lobsterishness is the fact that I bought John Diamond's biography on Saturday. I was inspired to buy this book after watching the documentary a couple of months back on John Diamond and his fight against cancer. I bought it out of pure interest and curiousity and that was that.

For those of you who don't know, the late John Diamond was a broadcaster who blagged his way into journalism and was married to Nigella Lawson and had two young children. It seems particularly cruel that he was struck down by cancer of the tongue when such a large part of his life was spent using his voice.

I have to say that I have been completely blown away by this book. Actually I feel as if I am insulting John Diamond by calling this a book, it's not a book, it's a biography. I thought it was absolutely fantastic. I started reading it, not really knowing what to expect - of course I knew what it was going to be about but I wasn't quite prepared for the manner in which it was written. I know many people who have been afflicted with/affected by cancer and who have obviously dealt with it in their own individual personal way but this man was remarkable. The only way I can describe the style is that it's very 'matter of fact' as if he knew all along that it was hopeless but you don't really know that until you get to the end. He never accepted anybody calling him brave because, as he quite rightly points out, what choice did he have but to get on with it?

He does not winge (although he was perfectly entitled to) about how much pain he was in, neither does he ever at any stage in the book ask 'why me' which he must have asked himself a million times.

This book did not, rather surprisingly, make me cry because it was not written in such a way as to tug at your heart strings, although others
may disagree with me here. I also did not find it depressing, again, others may disagree. He injected humour all the way through which gives the reader permission to laugh at what is a terrifying subject. What I did feel was thoroughly humbled and grateful for what I've got. I sat for a while after finishing the book and just thought about what I had read and I am sure that it really had an impact on me, not something that can be said for a lot of books.

After coming in to work today and having countless of numbers of people saying to me 'you've caught the sun' and me having explained why i.e. having bought John Diamond's biography, the response I've been getting is 'oh god, how depressing'. You may also think this about a book on Cancer but it is a truely eye-opening, honest and touching account of a man with Cancer with no frills and no self-pity.

Buy it and sit and read it but please don't get sunburnt in process.

Summary: