"Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips" and "Survivor" Annoys

[Note: I promise! Not every post will be cancer related! But you'll have to excuse me for being slightly obsessed right now!]

A friend of mine suggested that I read a book that she and her mom are reading – Crazy Sexy Cancer Survivor (2008) by Kris Carr.  Being the book nerd that I am, I immediately went to my local library to pick up the book. I also borrowed Ms. Carr's first book Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips (2007). Having gone through cancer treatment once, I wasn't sure that I would find either book particularly helpful this time around, but I was willing to give them a read.

Synopses:  "Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips gathers the lessons learned and advice offered from Carr’s own journey, as well as the experiences of her cancer posse. Full-color photos accompany personal stories and candid revelations in this scrapbook of advice, warnings, and resources for the cancer patient. Chapters cover your changing social life, dating, sex, and appearance; essential health tips on how to boost your immune system; recipes; medical and holistic resources; and information on young survivor support groups. The resulting book is a warm, yet informative tool for any woman newly diagnosed with the disease and for those who love them." (Amazon.com)

"Crazy Sexy Cancer Survivor is the companion book to the bestselling Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips (featured on Oprah), which pairs even more of cancer cowgirl Kris Carr's smart, soulful, real advice with space for the reader to "chat back" and record her own experiences and reflections." (Amazon.com)

Review: Generally, my review will be based on Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips because I only skimmed through the other book. My first complaint about Ms. Carr and her books is that she has never actually gone through any cancer treatment, yet dispenses advice on how to successfully get through cancer treatment. Erm, huh?? Yes, Ms. Carr was diagnosed with cancer - a very rare, incurable, but extremely slow moving and non aggressive cancer for which Ms. Carr was advised by doctors to take the "wait and see" approach. As someone who is living untreated with a stable disease, Ms. Carr's life isn't full of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hair loss, pain meds, and hospital stays. She's lucky enough to be able to take meditative vacations and do daily yoga, but those cancer patients with nausea and neuropathy can't say the same, and it makes for frustrating "advice".  She also appears to have a unlimited amount of money to do all these fabulous suggestions; like taking a "cancercation" with her "Cancer Babes" (as she calls her little group of cancer survivors) or expensive shopping trips to Whole Foods, etc. Many of us have limited funds and cannot afford to spend money recklessly. I am just trying to figure out how I'm going to pay for the extra medical expenses.

As for her diet suggestions: her advice strikes me as too extreme and alarmist. To a certain degree, her advice is solid (more veggies, less processed junk), but I can only roll my eyes when someone declares that humans "aren't meant" to eat cooked food. Or that it's unnatural to drink cow's milk. Or that eating meat is evolutionarily wrong for us. Meh! There are healthy and unhealthy ways to do all those things. Furthermore, this advice is another example of how different her experience is from those patients undergoing treatment. Chemo and radiation patients have specific dietary needs that are not met by her advice. Immunodeficient patients are advised against eating raw food outside the home to avoid infection. Chemo and radiation patients are advised to eat a high-protein diet, and, when factoring in other side effects like mucositis or changes in taste, dairy and meat products are a natural choice. I don't think I could have survived chemotherapy without milkshakes and ice cream.

Additionally, too much of the book comes across as a egoistic and shallow. Each woman featured in this book talks about her height and weight, and Kris Carr makes numerous references to her own weight and desire to weigh less. It seems the opposite of "empowering", and perhaps a bit disingenuous, for a woman who looks (at least in her photos) radiantly healthy, beautiful, stylish, and very thin to keep making references to desire for weighing less. I wanted to just tell her to "eff off". Never mind the fact that Ms. Carr and her "posse" all have amazing heroic boyfriends or husbands who are there for them and make them feel better.  Whatever! Where's the cancer reality in that?

When I first read/skimmed the books, I felt sort of indifferent to them, but the more I thought about them, the more they annoyed me. Why should I take advice on feeling good from a cancer survivor who has never had an iota of treatment? The author has pissed a lot of people off, including those formerly in her circle, since she became a "cancerlebrity". Take this book and its message with a grain of salt. I am concerned for the legions of ill people who may be taking this girl's books to heart. Appearing on Oprah and jumping on a trampoline does not an expert make.

I'm just glad that I didn't spend money on these books. Here's another interesting blog post on Ms. Carr, which was written by an MD.

Rating:  1 out of 5 stars