NH: In literature, the heart, the eyes, the hands and other body parts are powerful symbols. And, many women undergoing treatment for breast cancer identify the loss of their hair as the worst point in their experience. Is it a uniquely American obsession to worry about the fate of our breasts? Why or why not?
JQ: I believe a woman's fear of losing her breasts is universal. As I wrote above, our sense of ourselves as women is inextricably tied up in our breasts. Breasts are both maternal and sexual. Breasts are symbols of nurturing and literally feed our babies. And of course breasts are the main symbol of female beauty and sexuality. There is no denying that a woman removing her breasts is a powerful and wrenching act. It takes a lot of inner strength and resilience to realize that our femininity and beauty as women lies much deeper than in our bodies.
Read reviews of Jessica Queller's book Pretty Is What Changes written by breast cancer survivors:
Laura Zigman writes, "The first page hooked me, and I read it straight through in less than a day." Read Laura's review.
PJ Hamel writes, "At the end of the day, these decisions [surrounding the choice to have a prophylactic double mastectomy] are like so many cancer decisions we've all had to make. You just simply... decide." Read PJ's overview and analysis.
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