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© St. Petersburg Times, published December 18, 2001
Live Longer, Live Larger: A Holistic Approach for Cancer Patients and Families, by Drs. William and Susan Buchholz (O'Reilly & Associates, 2001, paperback). A thoughtful mix of medicine and musings culled from more than 20 years' experience, Live Longer is sensible and spiritual. The authors, an oncologist and psychologist married to each other, say they want to restore medicine's soul. Readable references, interspersed with patients' stories, stretch from basics such as what to take to a medical exam to the definition of brain fry -- unrelieved stress and uncertainty over a long period of time -- and how to turn down the heat.
Living With Childhood Cancer: A Practical Guide to Help Families Cope, by Leigh A. Woznick and Carol D. Goodheart (American Psychological Association, 2002) This time it's a daughter-mother team who have experienced cancer firsthand, in Woznick's daughter. Goodheart, the grandmother, is a psychologist. They draw on their own experiences and interviews with more than 100 families and professionals to offer what frequently seem to be obvious tips: Headaches are symptoms of stress; go take a walk. Some readers may find the book a useful checklist of their ordeal, but many will be disappointed by its lack of depth.