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gdulecki 's review for:
Bless the Blood: A Cancer Memoir
by Walela Nehanda
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
I am not welcome.
The invitations never came.
Cancer is isolating enough.
Seeing “friends” hide gatherings
from me. To not make me feel. Bad.
To not make themselves feel. Bad.
Because. I am. Masked. Ill.
Queer. Black. And. Lonely.
There is little understanding,
Receiving consequences
for circumstances
outside my control
Oh my goodness. How does someone rate and review a memoir like this? This book is so important and I struggle to find the right words to express my appreciation to Walela for letting us bear witness to their experiences through this work. I do generally struggle with poetry collections, and there were some pieces that were easier for me than others. At times it felt a bit disjointed, but that does feel reflective of chronic illness and disability so I think it worked very well for this book.
The invitations never came.
Cancer is isolating enough.
Seeing “friends” hide gatherings
from me. To not make me feel. Bad.
To not make themselves feel. Bad.
Because. I am. Masked. Ill.
Queer. Black. And. Lonely.
There is little understanding,
Receiving consequences
for circumstances
outside my control
Oh my goodness. How does someone rate and review a memoir like this? This book is so important and I struggle to find the right words to express my appreciation to Walela for letting us bear witness to their experiences through this work. I do generally struggle with poetry collections, and there were some pieces that were easier for me than others. At times it felt a bit disjointed, but that does feel reflective of chronic illness and disability so I think it worked very well for this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic