In the wake of the news that Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, has cancer, author S.L. (Sandi) Wisenberg joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about the control that public—and private—figures should have over the disclosure of their diagnoses. Wisenberg, who survived breast cancer, and Terrell, who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, name books they have read that have helped them discover humor in their journey from testing to treatment, and reflect on the challenging nuances of what it means to have cancer. They talk about how and when they decided to tell their loved ones, friends, and students about their condition. Wisenberg reads from her 2009 book The Adventures of Cancer Bitch, which will be reissued in paperback in October.

To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf and Jasmine Shackleford.

Others:

“Princess of Wales Apologizes, Saying She Edited Image,” by Mark Landler and Lauren Leatherby | The New York Times
Kate Middleton announces her cancer diagnosis | NBC News
Time on Fire: My Comedy of Terrors by Evan Handler
Cancer Made Me a Shallower Person: A Memoir in Comics by Miriam Engelberg
Memoir of a Debulked Woman by Susan Gubar
Our Cancer Year by Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner
The Cancer Journals by Audre Lorde
Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book by Susan Love
Señor Wences
American Splendor
Running in the Family by Michael Ondaatje
Dick York
Nora Ephron
Carl Bernstein

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S7 Ep. 28: How We Talk About Cancer: S.L. Wisenberg on Kate Middleton and the Language of the Big C