Review by moonstrucksue - The Cancer Journals

moonstrucksue 's review for:

The Cancer Journals by Audre Lorde

4.5

challenging dark informative reflective sad fast-paced

“My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you. But for every real word spoken, for every attempt I had ever made to speak those truths for which I am still seeking, I had made contact with other women while we examined the words to fit a world in which we all believed, bridging our differences.”

I will not romanticize Audre Lorde’s breast cancer journey in the 80s. But, dear God, all the social and political commentaries she documented in her reconciliation with her woman/queer community are still relevant today. She shared her struggles with breast cancer and mastectomy, and how her personal choice of not wearing prosthetics challenged societal norms and body image back then. She also criticizes the beauty industry, which exploits women's emotional and physical concerns for profit. She was ahead of her time. As a reader who loves evocative imagery and lyrical writing, I cannot love this more.

I was thinking, "What is it like to be making love to a
woman and have only one breast brushing against her?"
I thought, "How will we fit so perfectly together ever
again?"
I thought, "I wonder if our love-making had anything
to do with it?"
I thought, "What will it be like making love to me? Will
she still find my body delicious?"
And for the first time deeply and fleetingly a groundswell of sadness rolled up over me that filled my mouth and eyes almost to drowning. My right breast represented such an area of feeling and pleasure for me, how could I bear never to feel that again?

Content Warnings