Praise for J.D. Fox’s work The Matriarchs compares him to John Grisham. It’s not a bad comparison! Fox weaves a mysterious tale of intrigue, betrayal, corruption and deceit that rivals any whodunit out there.
   From the moment we are introduced to the five Matriarchs whose Machiavellian maneuverings are the backbone of the prestigious New York City law firm Fishbein, Schindler, Rose and Sampson, we know the backbone more closely resembles a closet filled with skeletons!
   The Matriarchs may be powerful and profitable, but it appears they may also be behind the suspicious deaths of three of the firm’s founding partners. When ambitious young lawyer, Sam Mitcham arrives on the scene, the plot really begins to thicken.
   Fox weaves his story of the Armani clad Matriarchs so well that this book definitely qualifies as a fascinating page turner. While this style of writing is considered to be part of the legal thriller genre, at the heart of the book is something much more profound. A love story. Not in the typical sense, although there is definitely a lot of attraction and tension between Sam and his associate Sandi.
   The love story at the heart of this book is Sam’s devotion to his ailing sister Theresa. Throughout the book we find ourselves drawn to her predicament just as intimately as we are to the underlying plot turns and twists. It doesn’t take long to discover that the women at the law firm aren’t the only matriarchs to be reckoned with.
   Fox explains the impetus for his first novel saying, “Over the past few years, my sister-in-law battled breast cancer, then leukemia, and finally got a successful bone marrow transplant. MAJOR family ordeal.
   To raise awareness of the need for bone marrow donors, I decided to write a book. It’s not a factual memoir, which has already been done a lot, but instead is a work of fiction – a legal thriller – in which one of the major characters gets sick.
    I won’t profit personally from book sales. All proceeds will go to the growing international registries of bone marrow donors. They need our help.”
   Available in paperback and Kindle editions.

If anyone knows life is all about balance, it’s Meg Wolff. The healing journey she first highlighted in Becoming Whole; Breast Cancer Exposed; and Meg Wolff’s Fresh Start Guide continues in her current cookbook, A Life in Balance. Meg fully grasps that what we eat matters and wants to share this wisdom with her readers.
   Ms. Wolff hasn’t always approached food in this way. She, like millions of Americans, was oblivious to just how crucial what we eat is to our health until her own body was in crisis. Meg lost a leg to bone cancer in 1991, but it wasn’t until she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998 that she began to earnestly and passionately look at how her diet might be contributing to her illness. It was at this juncture she began to seriously incorporate a macrobiotic diet into her life.
    A Life in Balance provides the reader with a highly useful cookbook that is loaded with an abundance of nutritious plant-based recipes designed to assist in the quest for improved health and vitality. Meg shares many of her own recipes, as well as those of author and life coach Kathy Freston, NBA champion John Salley, Neal Barnard, M.D. (president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine), Rory Freedman (bestselling author of Skinny Bitch), and many others.
    The pages are filled not only with useful recipes, but also helpful hints on everything from your family’s reaction to change, digesting beans, learning to love kale, how to shake sugar cravings, an introduction to sea vegetables, snacking strategies – even eating fruit for dessert.
    Visit Meg's website for a ton of great support and information, and try this cookbook to get your life in balance.

Wow! This is not an easy book to read. Wait! That doesn’t mean it’s not an important book to read, or that the author is not gifted. It means that the content is so thought-provoking, any woman who has or is dealing with breast cancer should put it on her must read list. 
   In Pink Ribbon Blues, author Gayle Sulik manages to convey a mesmerizing mix of scholarly information with a keen journalistic eye as she analyzes an enormous amount of information and opinion. Patient interviews thread their way through the text to give further relevance to her message.
   When asked about just how invasive the ”pink culture” is in today’s society, Ms. Sulik is not shy about rocking the pink ribbon bandwagon, nor is she afraid to speak her mind. “In truth, the bulk of money raised and spent does not go to research. It goes to ‘awareness’ programs, marketing materials, and overhead. If you read the financial reports, you’d be surprised at how little money supports anything useful. In the meantime, the fledgling organizations that are trying to support their communities and fill gaps in care are left without adequate funds to do their work.
   She continues, “Some of these programs even disseminate information that is inaccurate or incomplete. And it’s cast as ‘awareness.’ What are they aware of? Breast cancer exists. Be afraid. Feel your boobies. Have hope. Get your mammogram. Have courage. You’ll be fine. How can people make decisions based on sound bites and false information? This is not awareness.
   “Also, pink consumption has been cast as the ONLY way to support the cause when, in fact, it does more to support the large organizations and partnering businesses than it does diagnosed women or women at risk. Some of the campaigns overtly trivialize the disease. Others sexualize it. I analyzed hundreds of breast cancer ads, and you cannot tell them apart from other marketing advertisements. There is a lot of skin, cleavage, fashion, beauty, sexual innuendo, empowerment rhetoric, and – keeping women in their traditional roles – cooking and cleaning products. Many fundraising events use these images too, and they often paint survivorship to be a triumphant and festive experience. Many of the diagnosed, especially those who have had recurrences, are marginalized from this culture.”
    Sulik believes that in the process we have turned a complex social and medical issue into a popular item for public consumption, which may actually be impeding the progress in the war on breast cancer. She argues that the truth about breast cancer, so memorably voiced by its victims in the early 1990s, has now been “silenced in a cacophony of pink talk."
    With breast cancer incidence rates rising, her call to “take a road less pink” is something each of us needs to consider. No, it isn’t an easy read, again, not because the writing isn’t wonderful and the subject matter isn’t interesting. It’s not an easy read because most of us feel we are being somehow disloyal to the cause if we too have had those moments where we question exactly what all of the pink hoopla is all about.
    You may not agree with Ms. Sulik, but you should definitely hear what she has to say. Learn more at her website.

The crazy sexy Kris Carr has done it again and with kudos from the likes of Mehmet Oz and Dean Ornish, you can bet she’s done it right! Crazy Sexy Diet is not only fun to read, it’s filled with great information. Heck, any book that touts it includes a 21-day “adventure” cleanse certainly piques our interest.
   The essence of Carr’s diet revolves around the fundamentals of a low-fat, low-glycemic, vegetarian way of life emphasizing the importance of balancing the body’s pH levels by consuming healthy whole foods, nourishing organic green drinks, even sensational smoothies. Yes, recipes are abundant!
   Organized in ten chapters, Ms. Carr catches the reader’s interest with appealing titles like “pHabulous”, “Tushie & Milk Mustaches”, “Make Juice, Not War”, and “Go With Your Gut”. Her goal is simple.  She wants to educate people so they can stop doing damage and start creating health. Included is considerable information designed to debunk some of the most common dieting myths as well as tried and true ways to repair and renew our bodies.
   Kris draws on what she learned as a cancer patient, adding the advice of a team of experts to the mix in order to provide a balanced, well-researched and thought out approach. The book is filled with helpful tips on self-care, and information on how to stretch your dollars (which is very useful considering the expense of many so-called organic and healthy choices). You will also find information on how to navigate your way through the grocery store, eating well when you’re on the run, as well as finding ways to work through cravings when you want to grab that greasy burger from your former life.
   Crazy Sexy Diet provides a great resource to help anyone hoping to live a healthier lifestyle make sure they are on the right path. Let the adventure “cleanse” begin …! Find the book on Amazon.com

Author Brenda Ray Coffee was compelled to write Breast Cancer Sisterhood because she knew firsthand how an otherwise “perfect” life was forever altered by a breast cancer diagnosis. At 54 she had a loving husband, a stepson she adored, a great career, a beautiful home – and an uninvited guest – breast cancer.
   Her work is candid and sometimes brutally honest, but the focus is always on helping the reader find the information needed to make good choices and healthy decisions as they move on with their life. Brenda covers everything from constipation to cuticle care in a way that doctors, caregivers, and patients may not have thought to discuss, or felt comfortable doing.
    She tackles chemotherapy and radiation treatments from the perspective of before, during, and after treatment, thereby providing the reader with realistic expectations and insights to better prepare themselves for what may or may not be a part of the road to recovery.   
    Brenda recounts the moment in a PetSmart parking lot three months into her diagnosis when she broke down to the point where she was literally unable to pull it together long enough to go inside to buy dog food, or drive home for that matter. For whatever reason, it was in that moment that the full impact of her diagnosis became a reality for her. She realized she had no control over whether or not the cancer would come back. Regardless of the treatment she chose, the vitamins she took, the exercises she did, the changes she made, and the prayers she said, it was out of her hands.  
    A phone call to her husband was the lifeline Brenda needed in that moment. During their conversation he lovingly reminded her that thinking she was in control of her life had always been an illusion.      
    Most of us have our “parking lot” moment at some point during our journey through life, so it’s reassuring to know many of these issues are addressed in the Breast Cancer Sisterhood. While we may not have what we formerly perceived as control, we most certainly can reach out to our sisters and find useful information and comfort.
  Look for this book at Amazon.com. The author also has an insightful blog.

In Women Food and God, author Geneen Roth has created a tome for women who have ever had problems in their relationship with food. At last count, this included nearly everyone. 
   Whether you eat too little or too much, Ms. Roth is convinced if you drop the struggle you will find the solution. She talks about being in high school and dreaming about this person’s legs, that person’s eyes, and yet another’s hair. She believed if she could just whittle away the parts of her that were “wrong,” all that would be left would be pretty – and she could finally be at peace with herself. Her belief in diets was tied to her judgmental hold on shame and self-hatred.
   She came to believe that the way we eat is inseparable from our core beliefs about being alive. Women Food and God is designed to help the reader begin to understand what prompts them to use food as a distraction. This book is about welcoming what is already here while discovering the part of ourselves that is already (and always has been) whole, what she terms divinity itself.
   Although "God" is in the title of this best-seller Roth touches only lightly on religion, focusing instead on why some people use food to mask their emotions. According to Roth, overeating numbs feelings and erases unpleasant life experiences, so eating ends up being about bloating and indigestion, not about enjoying food. Using a series of inquiries, she helps overeaters find the underlying reasons for using food as an emotional buffer.
   Roth also provides seven basic guidelines for eating (which do not include counting calories) and other therapeutic self-help tools. Whether the trap is eating brownies or shopping in excess, her advice could be applied to any addiction.
    Look for this book in your local bookstore or purchase at Amazon.com.

Dina Roth Port’s book, Previvors, accomplishes something rare. By mixing the voices and stories of five women dealing with the reality of having the breast cancer gene with today’s science, she has compiled a compelling work of non-fiction filled with potentially lifesaving information.
   Here are the stories of Rori, Amy, Lisa, Suzanne, and Mayde, as varied as the women and as similar as their plight – a sisterhood formed by an errant gene. The book opens with four of these five brave young women doing a “show-and-tell” for Suzanne so she can see for herself what to expect if she has a prophylactic mastectomy.
   Knowing you have breast cancer is a horrible thing – but knowing you will probably have breast cancer because of a genetic mutation or family history may in some ways be worse. In today’s world, it is not uncommon for a woman to make decisions about whether or not to have her breasts and ovaries removed without ever knowing for sure if it’s necessary.
   Author Port weaves the stories of these five young friends together with interviews from more than seventy leading medical experts, to help give some meaning to the quandary of “am I next?” Previvors provides information to help guide women through the maze of using modern genetic testing to discover their risk. Options are discussed, as well as ways to cope with the emotional roller coaster this sort of decision-making entails.
   Readers will gain valuable information on the pros and cons of testing for the BRCA gene mutations; how to decide between surgical and non-surgical options; the latest research; advancements in reconstruction; the genetic link between breast and ovarian cancer; as well as how to overcome body image and sex issues post-surgery.
   The final chapter is not only titled A Promising Future but manages to give the reader what we all need – hope. Dina points out that great strides are being made in genetics, tests are more accurate, treatments are becoming more personalized, screening is improving, and progress is being made. Maybe one day we can put the word prophylactic back where it belongs – in a guy’s wallet or pants pocket!
   Look for this book in your local bookstore or purchase at Amazon.com.

By Alice McCall

Author Alice McCall designed Wellness Wisdom as a user-friendly guide to help readers navigate their daily journey through health issues, environmental toxins, nagging fears and their spiritual quest. The inspiration for this book was Alice’s breast cancer diagnosis in 2007.
   It is McCall's belief that in just four months, she healed herself of breast cancer without using traditional medical methods. She accomplished this by focusing on mastering her thoughts and emotions, feeding her body what it needed to heal and become whole, allowing her body to get the rest and sleep it needed, and by participating in a deeply spiritual journey. 
   According to McCall, Wellness Wisdom should be considered a sort of road map for self-healing. She shares three main priorities she feels are absolutely crucial for anyone hoping to have a successful healing journey, which are:
   -Doing inner work in a meditative state to learn what the emotional/mental causes of an illness are and then transforming that at a cellular and subconscious level.
   -Eating organic, alkaline foods with healing properties that target whatever a particular health issue happens to be.
   -Getting lots of rest and sleep because this is when the body is able to renew and heal itself.
   Her focus on food (and there is one!) stems from the concept of treating food as a sort of medicine, since what someone eats definitely affects his or her health. McCall firmly believes that foods can either enable disease or prevent it from occurring – and she includes handy lists of a variety of foods showing their potential values. There has been a lot of discussion in recent years about whether or not an acidic diet may contribute to diseases like cancer, so the information she shares about both acidic and alkaline foods is great for anyone trying to determine which is which. For readers hoping to explore these options, she has made it very accessible. 
   Wellness Wisdom also contains information about the mind, body, spirit connection; spiritual drawing, journaling and dreaming; healing with sound and color; cleansing and detoxification; and positive affirmations – along with myriad other topics.
   Will what she outlines work? It did for her, but perhaps more important for the reader, simply finding ways to live a healthier, more spiritually grounded life is a great first step, regardless of where it leads.
   McCall's book is available for purchase at her website, www.healingpath.info.

By Karla K. Morton

In those quiet, reflective moments many breast cancer survivors experience, carefully chosen words and phrases often provide comfort. Karla K. Morton (Poet Laureate of the State of Texas) used her personal experience with breast cancer to weave words, images, hopes, fears, anger and humility into a thoughtful collection of poems.
   Redefining Beauty is the outcome of her journey. The selected poems are intimately candid, often defiantly good humored, and always crushingly honest. Photographer Walter Eagleton’s black and white images together with Morton’s powerful and passionate work span her journey from survivor to warrior, presenting the reader with his or her own sense of hope and comfort.
   When Morton was diagnosed with breast cancer in May of 2008, she searched for information to help her fight the disease. What she found were facts and statistics, and self-help books. "But I needed more," she says. "I needed some grit, a leather strap between my teeth. And when I couldn't find what I needed, I simply wrote my way through it."
   Throughout Redefining Beauty, Karla presents a refreshing perspective on cancer. Essentially, her poems redefine more than just what is beautiful concerning our bodies, relationships, and poetry; her use of poetic imagery allows a redefining of the disease as well. Her voice mingles beauty and ugliness, sickness and sweetness, as well as humor and fear, creating a collection that both intrigues and entertains.
   Karla is the author of several upcoming books, including Becoming Superman, Names We've Never Known, and a collection of her works as part of the Poet Laureate series by the Texas Christian University Press. Please visit her website to learn more about her and her work.

by Nina Garcia

What’s not to love about a quirky, amusingly illustrated (thank you Ruben Toledo) book about personal style? The One Hundred (A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own) is the brainchild of Project Runway’s Nina Garcia.
   Author Garcia cuts quickly to the fashion chase by enumerating the absolute essentials for everyone’s wardrobe. In this case, everyone seems to be women who have some disposable income, can still pull off wearing a bikini – and think fur is fashionable (admittedly, she mentions you can wear faux).  Of course, we all knew we need a denim jacket and hoop earrings (didn’t we?) But just how many of us realized our wardrobes were lacking if they didn’t include a cape, cowboy boots and fishnets?
   What self respecting walk-in closet is complete without pajamas, a peacoat, a pearl necklace, a pencil skirt, perfume (Chanel No5 to be exact), a plain white tee, a Polo shirt, some Pucci – and a push up bra?
   When asked how she determined what items would appear in this book, Nina explains, “Well, for me, the must haves are the items I run back to my apartment for, the items I have stepped over dust and debris for – they are the items I simply cannot imagine living without. And why? Because these items have been there with me season after season. They have been with me through thick and thin. When trends begin to fade away, these are the items I can always turn to with confidence.”
   And we’re confident, whether your favorites are leather, denim or khaki pants, you’ll be sure to enjoy discovering just why each is essential, and just how close (or far away) you are from having what every stylish woman must own! If you’ve got some red lipstick, you’re headed in the right direction! Buy The One Hundred at Amazon.com.

Author, Maryanne Radmacher, has taken what should just be good, common sense and given her readers an opportunity to not only recognize that fact, but make her suggestions a part of their everyday lives. A part that will make them more fulfilling, more appreciated, and definitely more examined.
   Chapters talk about living with intention, practicing wellness, laughing, walking to the edge, standing by your family, doing what you love, and living as if this is all there is – to name just a few thought provoking subjects.
     Although this is not a book written specifically for women with breast cancer, women with breast cancer will find meaning and inspiration throughout. The book is divided into two sections, each filled with poems, antidotal information, life lessons and methods in which to put the advice you’ve read into practical use. The first portion provides the outline for how to begin leaning forward, and the second gives great reminders so you continue the work. In the chapter talking about practicing wellness, Radmacher instructs the reader:
  Practice forgiveness as a way to wellness. Be quick to make amends for what you have (or have not) done. Do not apologize as a quick fix or a way to avoid confrontation. Write letters that you will never send. Write your vivid anger slashingly on a page and then burn it and watch the smoke float away. When someone has died, or left in some way, write all the things that were left unspoken. When you need support or tenderness, write to give yourself the words you need. Reach deeply and pick the rose you planted in yourself so long ago.
   If, as the title’s by-line suggests, everyone began each day with purpose, it’s a safe bet our lives, regardless of where we may find ourselves at the moment, would be more vibrant and rewarding.
    Buy this book at Radmacher's website or Amazon.com

Compiled and edited by Beverly Vote

    Beverly Vote fully understands that breast cancer is about much more than a woman’s anatomy. For every diagnosis, there is a woman with a story. Popular jargon refers to these women as survivors, but as we all know, not everyone is able to make that claim. It is safe to say that most women who have had, or are now facing a breast cancer diagnosis learn quickly that life is much richer if they find ways to thrive. Beverly decided it is time to let these women share their conviction, clarity, passion and purpose, so she created a free e-book containing 44 personal stories you can now download for yourself and your friends.
   “This free book was created out of our need to give back after our lives were strengthened by others reaching out to us when we needed help for our next step forward. It is now our turn to reach out in hopes of making a difference for others,” says Vote.
    The 44 chapters candidly share the experiences that changed women from being scared and helpless to living an empowered life. The stories talk about choice, advocacy, support, advanced stages and recurrence of breast cancer. They also discuss divorce after breast cancer, new careers, new love, life lessons, and life purpose.
    You can download the e-book by following this link: http://www.breastcancerwellness.org/ebook.html

by Gina M. Maisano

    Okay, you’ve made it through breast cancer. You’re a survivor. You’re ready to jump back into life – but are you ready to jump back into bed? Few topics are as touchy or necessary as our sexuality after a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. It took decades for women to feel comfortable even talking about the disease itself, so it’s a small wonder conversations about sex and intimacy have taken place in whispers, if at all. Two-time breast cancer survivor Gina Maisano decided it’s time to open the discussion in a straightforward and honest way. 
    Intimacy After Breast Cancer is divided into two sections. The first deals with regaining control of your body and your spirit, examining ways to deal with the emotional and physical issues a woman may be facing so she can regain her sense of confidence and self-esteem.   
   The second tackles ways to reclaim your sexual self. Maisano discusses options for both married and single women candidly. The book is filled with survivor’s stories, enabling the reader to read firsthand accounts offering personal perspectives as well as specific examples of both physical and mental healing.   
   Intimacy After Breast Cancer also provides expert advice and scientific research, helping to round out and validate the information provided.    
   Many women are plagued by body image issues after their surgeries. They may also experience physical changes that are either unpleasant or at the very least, previously unexplored issues because were not previously a problem. Often times, when you’ve faced your mortality, it’s difficult to feel safe believing joy can once again be a part of your life. The old saying, "It’s better to have loved and lost," may not ring so true for women when the loss involves a breast. Intimacy and sexuality are as individual as the women facing the disease, so while this book may not be the perfect fit for everyone, it provides useful information and insights that should help anyone begin the journey to a new normal.

By Neal D. Barnard, MD & Jennifer K. Reilly, RD

Decisions, decision, decisions. Individuals who have been dealt the blow of a cancer diagnosis are often overwhelmed by the choices they face when trying to stay cancer free and healthy. The media grabs hold of an endless (and often mindless) stream of sound bites, filled with as much hot air as a soufflé, leaving most of us confused and worried about whether or not we are aiding and abetting cancer’s return.
    As a part of The Cancer Project’s Food for Life nutrition education program, Dr. Neal D. Barnard and senior dietitian, Jennifer K. Reilly have created a book based on research, not hype.
   The Cancer Survivor’s Guide discusses how research, over and over again, has shown that people following plant-based diets tend to have strikingly low cancer rates. In rural Asia and Africa, as an example, traditional diets are based on rise or other grains, starchy vegetables, fruits, and beans. Individuals consuming these types of foods on a regular basis generally avoid the disease. And when cancer does occur, they usually have better survival rates.
   The Cancer Survivor’s Guide provides comprehensive information and advice the reader can put into action to immediately start the process of making better choices to improve his or her health. By covering key topics like how to fuel up on low-fat foods, increase your fiber intake and replacing meat, the reader is given tools to use in order to take a new look at the connection between what we eat and how it affects our health.
    Not only does The Cancer Survivor’s Guide provide the science, there are more than 130 great, easy-to-prepare recipes, as well as a comprehensive list of references and resources for additional information on diet and cancer.
   If we had positive proof that simply watching what you eat would prevent cancer, we’d all be healthy. Unfortunately, there are myriad causes – but following a diet that is rich in wholesome foods that avoids items that are processed and filled with fat just makes sense, and is certainly one piece of the puzzle within our control.