Books

I haven’t read too many books about cancer since this started, but I did read “The C-Word” by Lisa Lynch recently, and I surprised myself by really liking it. I had seen the TV adaptation (I recorded it and watched it on my own in the middle of the day, convinced it would be mawkishly terrible) and I sheepishly bought the book afterwards, still half-believing that it would be rubbish. But it’s not. It’s funny and insightful. While Lisa wouldn’t be altogether my kind of lady, she’s far closer to it that the other cancer types I’ve come across. She’s dead now though.

The other book I read was “The Guts” by Roddy Doyle, and it goes without saying that it is very funny. I probably read it a bit too soon after I was diagnosed though; I think I’ll go back to it again now with the benefit of hindsight and somewhat less shock-induced-brainfreeze.

This GP fella in Dublin has written about the animal-protein business - basically, some other guy wrote a book called The China Study, about how most Western illnesses are caused by eating too much meat and animal-derived protein, and we would all live longer and happier if we were vegan, and the GP guy thought that makes sense and told his cancer patients, and some of them lived and some died. I was on board early enough in the proceedings - when you really think about it, it kind of makes sense not to eat so much meat - but they both lost me about half-way through because even though the research indicates that small amounts of animal-protein are probably not harmful, they both decided well if a small amount probably isn’t harmful, then none at all is obviously even better. And I just cannot give up the aul’ cheese. Or icecream. Or chocolate. And so now if my cancer progresses (and statistically that’s a cert) then these boyos can blame my Leonidas- and Brie-munching and still be convinced that they are right in their assertions. And it adds a nice layer of guilt to the process for me - if only I hadn’t had that last gelatooooooooohhhh....