October 11, 2004

Boise State Prof's New Book Looks At Personal Writings On Breast Cancer

A new book by Marcy Jane Knopf-Newman, a Boise State University assistant professor of English, uses women’s personal writings to explore the varied experiences of breast cancer patients. Depending on one’s vantage point, breast cancer can range from a personal struggle to a highly charged and politicized issue. Beyond Slash, Burn, and Poison: Transforming Breast Cancer Stories into Action brings a unique perspective to breast cancer by recognizing the overlapping relationship of all these realities. Drawing on the writings of Rachel Carson, Betty Ford, Rose Kushner and Audre Lorde, Beyond Slash, Burn, and Poison explores the various ways in which patient-centered texts continue to leave their mark on breast cancer in the political realm and, ultimately, on the disease itself. Ordered chronologically, the selections trace the progression of discussions about breast cancer from a time when the subject was kept private and silent to when it became part of public discourse. The texts included are personal accounts, written by women struggling to play an active role in their healing process and, at the same time, hoping to help others do the same. Passionately written and well-researched, Beyond Slash, Burn, and Poison transforms how we think about breast cancer. It is essential reading for anyone concerned with breast cancer and its history, as well as for those interested in the effect of the environment on public health and the role that literature plays in public policy and medicine. Knopf-Newman is the editor of The Sleeper Wakes: Harlem Renaissance Stories by Women and Jessie Fauset’s The Chinaberry Tree & Selected Writings. A portion of the author’s proceeds from the sale of Beyond Slash, Burn, and Poison will be donated to Breast Cancer Action. -30- Beyond Slash, Burn, and Poison: Transforming Breast Cancer Stories into Action By Marcy Jane Knopf-Newman ISBN (paper) 0-8135-3471-2, (cloth) 0-8135-3470-4, 224 pages, $19.95 Rutgers University Press, 2004 Contact: Marcy Knopf-Newman, English Department, (208) 426-1218, mnewman@boisestate.edu  Media Contact: Kathleen Craven, communications and marketing, (208) 426-3275, kcraven@boisestate.edu  Online at: http://news.boisestate.edu.