No Cure for Being Human

"The author, at 35, is diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer and lived to tell her story. Like many survivors, life was transformed for her and it forced her to assess her purpose. Short and easy read and she mixes in her own brand of humor. "

"This is the 2nd book (after Everything Happens for a Reason: and other Lies I’ve Loved) Kate Bowler has written about her stage 4 cancer diagnosis that came out of the blue (no family history) at the age of 35 in 2015. She was given a 14% chance of living 2 years. At the time she had a baby son and is trying to figure out at what age does she need to live in her son’s life for him to remember her? Her therapist tells her, “Well, right now you’re building a foundation and the foundation is the part you can’t see. It’ll be up to him what he does with that.” I just sobbed reading that. However, lest you think this book is a giant downer, it is actually a quick uplifting afternoon read that is truthful, helpful (even if you don’t have cancer or are supporting someone who does) and is not full of useless platitudes. I was disappointed that I’d read it on ebook because I wanted to highlight so many good things she said. I don’t have cancer but I do have chronic illness that while only life altering not life threatening, I do identify with her same feeling of how much time I’m not using or filling with what I should be. Although Kate Bowler is a Prosperity Gospel professor at Duke and this book mentions faith it also mentions how no matter how positive she was she still was going to have cancer and she better find a way to deal with x,y,z, so it’s not overtly religious. It’s a very funny book as strange as that sounds although I shed tears as well because she’s a great writer. The good news is that Kate Bowler is still alive today so you can read the book knowing that she makes it through. She even talks about what it’s like after you are “ok” and people aren’t calling everyday and how weird that feels. Highly recommend this book. "

"I can’t even begin to describe the power of this book. It is a masterpiece that sheds light on the worst and best parts of being human. Kate Bowler, encapsulates the human experience in both despair and peace, and I find myself coming back to its lessons and messages over and over again. "

"Sorry for the 2 star review but this was the same story over again with a different approach. I skipped many of the same stories she told in her last book. Didn't expect it to be the same thing again"