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The imaginative, hilarious, and moving memoir of a woman coping with multiple diseases.
At forty-three, Robyn Levy was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and breast cancer. With irreverent and at times mordant humor, Levy chronicles her early, mysterious symptoms of Parkinson's (a dragging left foot, a frozen left hand, and a crash into “downward dead dog” position), the devastating diagnosis, her discovery of two lumps in her breast, her mastectomy and oophorectomy, and her life since then dealing with her diverse disease portfolio.
Levy is accompanied on her journey by a fantastic cast of characters, including her Cry Lady (who always makes appearances at inopportune times) and perky Dolores the Prosthesis, as well as her loyal dog and a convoy of health professionals, family members, friends, and neighbors.
Both heartbreaking and hilarious, Most of Me offers a unique glimpse into a creative mind, an ailing body, and the restorative power of humor and fantasy.
At forty-three, Robyn Levy was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and breast cancer. With irreverent and at times mordant humor, Levy chronicles her early, mysterious symptoms of Parkinson's (a dragging left foot, a frozen left hand, and a crash into “downward dead dog” position), the devastating diagnosis, her discovery of two lumps in her breast, her mastectomy and oophorectomy, and her life since then dealing with her diverse disease portfolio.
Levy is accompanied on her journey by a fantastic cast of characters, including her Cry Lady (who always makes appearances at inopportune times) and perky Dolores the Prosthesis, as well as her loyal dog and a convoy of health professionals, family members, friends, and neighbors.
Both heartbreaking and hilarious, Most of Me offers a unique glimpse into a creative mind, an ailing body, and the restorative power of humor and fantasy.
Price: $13.99
Pages: 272
Publisher: Greystone Books
Imprint: Greystone Books
Publication Date:
09 September 2011
ISBN: 9781553656333
Format: eBook
"This memoir is proof of the power of the human spirit. By finding joy in the face of the worst circumstances, Levy shows that "what doesn't kill you makes you stranger" "and" stronger. Enthusiastically recommended."—Library Journal
"Levy’s comedic insertions into what might otherwise prove a depressing narrative provides readers an unexpected, though greatly appreciated, dissonance between subject matter and tone. …A traumatic tale surprisingly liberated by laughter."—Kirkus Reviews
"It is a brave story, not because of the private emotional reality [Levy] bares -- all memoirs require that. It’s her determined levity in the face of so much suffering that’s heartbreaking and raw."—Globe and Mail, Nov 7, 2011
"...Levy's writing style is so accessible and compelling that reading her memoir feels like sitting down with a good friend over coffee to hear the latest. Every page is loaded with emotion so heart-wrenching it's almost unbearable, yet her tone is so engaging, her humour so dark, that you can't help but keep reading."—Gerogia Straight, Oct 20, 2011
"It’s serious stuff, but Levy’s writing style is so accessible and compelling that reading her memoir feels like sitting down with a good friend over coffee to hear the latest. Every page is loaded with emotion so heart-wrenching it’s almost unbearable, yet her tone is so engaging, her humour so dark, that you can’t help but keep reading."—Georgia Straight, Oct 20, 2011
"It was such a privilege to read Robyn Levy's story. Her integrity and honesty simultaneously broke and healed my heart, fresh from my own journey through breast cancer. Riveting and endearingly funny, her story impacted me profoundly, covering me in a blanket of feelings and thoughts that will stay with me forever, like a friend." —Bif Naked, international recording artist, writer, poet, and actor, Jul 27, 2011
"Levy’s comedic insertions into what might otherwise prove a depressing narrative provides readers an unexpected, though greatly appreciated, dissonance between subject matter and tone. …A traumatic tale surprisingly liberated by laughter."—Kirkus Reviews
"It is a brave story, not because of the private emotional reality [Levy] bares -- all memoirs require that. It’s her determined levity in the face of so much suffering that’s heartbreaking and raw."—Globe and Mail, Nov 7, 2011
"...Levy's writing style is so accessible and compelling that reading her memoir feels like sitting down with a good friend over coffee to hear the latest. Every page is loaded with emotion so heart-wrenching it's almost unbearable, yet her tone is so engaging, her humour so dark, that you can't help but keep reading."—Gerogia Straight, Oct 20, 2011
"It’s serious stuff, but Levy’s writing style is so accessible and compelling that reading her memoir feels like sitting down with a good friend over coffee to hear the latest. Every page is loaded with emotion so heart-wrenching it’s almost unbearable, yet her tone is so engaging, her humour so dark, that you can’t help but keep reading."—Georgia Straight, Oct 20, 2011
"It was such a privilege to read Robyn Levy's story. Her integrity and honesty simultaneously broke and healed my heart, fresh from my own journey through breast cancer. Riveting and endearingly funny, her story impacted me profoundly, covering me in a blanket of feelings and thoughts that will stay with me forever, like a friend." —Bif Naked, international recording artist, writer, poet, and actor, Jul 27, 2011
Robyn Michele Levy is a visual artist, radio broadcaster, and writer. Her paintings can be found in private and public collections around the world. Her radio work includes documentaries, commentaries, poetry, and sketch comedy for CBC-Radio. Her writing has been published in the Vancouver Sun, the Georgia Straight, and the Vancouver Courier, among other publications, and she has also dabbled in stand-up comedy and slam poetry. She lives with her family and her remaining body parts in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Acknowledgments 1
Prologue 5
1 The Bad Old Days 7
2 Breaking News Is Hard to Do 25
3 Ladies in Waning 55
4 Sex and Dogs and Crowd Control 71
5 Lost and Found 87
6 Kissing My Cleavage Good-bye 115
7 In Search of Kick-Ass Clarity 141
8 Travels with Dolores 165
9 The Comeback Mama 185
10 Some Don’t Like It Hot 213
Prologue 5
1 The Bad Old Days 7
2 Breaking News Is Hard to Do 25
3 Ladies in Waning 55
4 Sex and Dogs and Crowd Control 71
5 Lost and Found 87
6 Kissing My Cleavage Good-bye 115
7 In Search of Kick-Ass Clarity 141
8 Travels with Dolores 165
9 The Comeback Mama 185
10 Some Don’t Like It Hot 213