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My Parent Has Cancer and It Really Sucks
Picture this: Your mom or dad has cancer--and suddenly, everything's different. Your parents are distracted by doctor's visits. Your friends can't understand what you're going through. And you feel like there is no one to turn to. Unfortunately this is the reality that more than one million teens face every day. This is why writer Marc Silver and his daughter Maya Silver--who was a teenager when her mother was diagnosed with cancer--have compiled a collection of stories and advice from more than a hundred teens who've faced this crisis and the experts who've helped them.
- GenresNonfictionGrief
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
16 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 24, 2024
A beautiful book for both children and adults. It really meant very much to me. I have leukemia.
I recommend.
I recommend.
September 28, 2015
Imagine being a senior in high school with a job, a five-page paper due, three dual-credit classes, a dance on Friday to prepare for-- and a parent with cancer. Being a teenager isn’t easy for anyone. School, dances, dating, friends, and preparing for the rest of their life takes up almost all of a teenager's time. So, on top of an already full plate, having to deal with a parent having cancer seems impossible. My Parent Has Cancer and It Really Sucks helps kids handle their ever growing to-do list and their parent.
“You may recognize yourself in the pages ahead--your worries, your fears, your optimism, your pessimism, your anger, your sense of humor, your feelings of despair, your hopefulness.” This non-fiction self-help book teaches kids how to deal with the terrifying diagnosis. The book is meant to lessen the daunting role of the kid whose parent has cancer. It gives these kids a chance to feel like they aren’t alone-- like someone out there has been in their shoes. It tells them that whatever they are feeling is okay, and chances are, someone else has felt the same way. However they choose to handle the cancer is up to them. They could choose to stay home and help all the time, or go out and maintain their normal lives. This book is a great way for parents and their teens to keep up a healthy relationship throughout the cancer treatment. Sometimes in life you have to realize you aren’t invincible and it is okay to ask for help.
I wanted to read this book because a little girl I know has cancer, and although she is not my parent I figured the book could still give me some pointers. I also want to be a pediatric oncologist when I grow up and wanted to know more about how the disease affected families. This book was very intriguing for anyone interested in cancer. For a kid whose parent(s) has cancer, this book could be a life-saver. It makes everything seem down to earth and easy to comprehend. The parent/child relationship is easy to let go to crap if no one knows how to maintain it throughout the treatment. This book could preserve a great relationship between the two. This book is not for anyone who has no interest in cancer or whose parent does not have cancer.
“You may recognize yourself in the pages ahead--your worries, your fears, your optimism, your pessimism, your anger, your sense of humor, your feelings of despair, your hopefulness.” This non-fiction self-help book teaches kids how to deal with the terrifying diagnosis. The book is meant to lessen the daunting role of the kid whose parent has cancer. It gives these kids a chance to feel like they aren’t alone-- like someone out there has been in their shoes. It tells them that whatever they are feeling is okay, and chances are, someone else has felt the same way. However they choose to handle the cancer is up to them. They could choose to stay home and help all the time, or go out and maintain their normal lives. This book is a great way for parents and their teens to keep up a healthy relationship throughout the cancer treatment. Sometimes in life you have to realize you aren’t invincible and it is okay to ask for help.
I wanted to read this book because a little girl I know has cancer, and although she is not my parent I figured the book could still give me some pointers. I also want to be a pediatric oncologist when I grow up and wanted to know more about how the disease affected families. This book was very intriguing for anyone interested in cancer. For a kid whose parent(s) has cancer, this book could be a life-saver. It makes everything seem down to earth and easy to comprehend. The parent/child relationship is easy to let go to crap if no one knows how to maintain it throughout the treatment. This book could preserve a great relationship between the two. This book is not for anyone who has no interest in cancer or whose parent does not have cancer.
July 29, 2018
I believe this book can be helpful to read how other people react to cancer.
I also believe that people are going to react how they are and a book isn't going to change that.
As for different types of cancer's teenagers can just google that.
I didn't like the way chemotherapy was explained in the book.
6 treatments in 6 months ? You can have 2 rounds in one month.You can have a pill,IV,a shot.There are many types of chemotherapy.
All in all it was a okay book.
I also believe that people are going to react how they are and a book isn't going to change that.
As for different types of cancer's teenagers can just google that.
I didn't like the way chemotherapy was explained in the book.
6 treatments in 6 months ? You can have 2 rounds in one month.You can have a pill,IV,a shot.There are many types of chemotherapy.
All in all it was a okay book.
January 19, 2026
Incredibly personally insightful, gave me a understanding about my brother.
Lots of typos.
Lots of typos.
July 15, 2013
I am pairing this book with I Kill Giants
Citation
Silver, M. (2013). My parent has cancer and it really sucks: Real-life advice from real-life teens. Naperville: Sourcebooks.
Audience
I would definitely give this book to my school counselor above all else. This is a great resource for those students who are struggling with a parent with cancer. I would also hand this off to a student who has talked about how they are dealing with their parent’s fight. I know that not all students will be so forth coming with the battle, but I might try to talk with a student about it if I heard through the grapevine about their parent.
Selection Criteria
Accuracy – This book does cover all the aspects of cancer and what it is and different ways to cope with it as a teenager. This takes on real life experiences and uses them as a teaching tool.
Authority – The authors of this book have dealt with cancer in their own lives before and have written several books on cancer as well and how to cope. The stories in this book are from real teenagers and how to cope at a teenager.
Relevance – I think that this book is relevant to the collection because it would spark a reading interest. There are many times that we do not want to talk to people because we are hurting too much. A book is something that a student or person could rely on for self-help.
Appropriateness – I feel that this book is most appropriate for high school students. They talk about many forms of cancer and even talk about how faith is connected in the struggle. They discuss their own reactions, good and bad, to the news. Some of the stories are better suited for the high school level.
Scope – This book covers the grieving process of cancer very well in how it looks at stress outlets, dealing with friends, faith, family, how to talk with concerned adults in your life and many other topics.
Literary Merit – The true merit in this book comes in the actual wording of the teenagers themselves. The raw emotion that is captured in the interviews and transcribed gives this book its power.
Value – I think that this book fills a niche in the library by helping students to better understand themselves and their friends who may be struggling. There should be a self-help section for teenagers as well.
Review Source
Erin Anderson. Booklist. (2013)
SOL
AP Psych
Discuss how experience and culture can influence perceptual processes
Ordering information
My Parent Has Cancer and It Really Sucks: Real-Life Advice from Real-Life Teens. Paperback. Non-fiction. 304p. 2013. Sourcebooks. 9781402273070. $14.99
Personal Response
After one of my fifth grader’s mother died this past year, I have been trying to figure out a way to talk about cancer with students. I selfishly prayed that she wouldn't die this year because I was uncertain of how to handle it in my classroom with my student. A book like this gave me a tool that I could use with students in better addressing their needs and choosing my words carefully. I have only experienced cancer once in my own family when my grandmother had breast cancer, but survived. I was only in the third grade at the time and did not have a great understanding of it. I only knew that she was sick and was going to the doctor a lot. This book really helped me to understand the perspective of a teenager, who is already dealing with so much in their life, as they struggle with therapies, counseling, and the fear of losing their parent.
Citation
Silver, M. (2013). My parent has cancer and it really sucks: Real-life advice from real-life teens. Naperville: Sourcebooks.
Audience
I would definitely give this book to my school counselor above all else. This is a great resource for those students who are struggling with a parent with cancer. I would also hand this off to a student who has talked about how they are dealing with their parent’s fight. I know that not all students will be so forth coming with the battle, but I might try to talk with a student about it if I heard through the grapevine about their parent.
Selection Criteria
Accuracy – This book does cover all the aspects of cancer and what it is and different ways to cope with it as a teenager. This takes on real life experiences and uses them as a teaching tool.
Authority – The authors of this book have dealt with cancer in their own lives before and have written several books on cancer as well and how to cope. The stories in this book are from real teenagers and how to cope at a teenager.
Relevance – I think that this book is relevant to the collection because it would spark a reading interest. There are many times that we do not want to talk to people because we are hurting too much. A book is something that a student or person could rely on for self-help.
Appropriateness – I feel that this book is most appropriate for high school students. They talk about many forms of cancer and even talk about how faith is connected in the struggle. They discuss their own reactions, good and bad, to the news. Some of the stories are better suited for the high school level.
Scope – This book covers the grieving process of cancer very well in how it looks at stress outlets, dealing with friends, faith, family, how to talk with concerned adults in your life and many other topics.
Literary Merit – The true merit in this book comes in the actual wording of the teenagers themselves. The raw emotion that is captured in the interviews and transcribed gives this book its power.
Value – I think that this book fills a niche in the library by helping students to better understand themselves and their friends who may be struggling. There should be a self-help section for teenagers as well.
Review Source
Erin Anderson. Booklist. (2013)
SOL
AP Psych
Discuss how experience and culture can influence perceptual processes
Ordering information
My Parent Has Cancer and It Really Sucks: Real-Life Advice from Real-Life Teens. Paperback. Non-fiction. 304p. 2013. Sourcebooks. 9781402273070. $14.99
Personal Response
After one of my fifth grader’s mother died this past year, I have been trying to figure out a way to talk about cancer with students. I selfishly prayed that she wouldn't die this year because I was uncertain of how to handle it in my classroom with my student. A book like this gave me a tool that I could use with students in better addressing their needs and choosing my words carefully. I have only experienced cancer once in my own family when my grandmother had breast cancer, but survived. I was only in the third grade at the time and did not have a great understanding of it. I only knew that she was sick and was going to the doctor a lot. This book really helped me to understand the perspective of a teenager, who is already dealing with so much in their life, as they struggle with therapies, counseling, and the fear of losing their parent.
April 3, 2015
Read review in its entirety at http://www.compassbookratings.com/rev...
A well-written, honest approach designed for adolescents dealing with a parent's cancer, My Parent Has Cancer and It Really Sucks, is written by father-daughter duo Maya and Marc Silver.
With inviting typography and a creative format, right away the reader is captured by the composition even before reading a sentence. Once the reader does get to the actual reading part, they will be pleased with the approachable analytical information mixed with real-life accounts making for a good-humored yet straightforward blend that produces a well-balanced narrative.
The chapters seemed to be ordered in progression with the cancer: from the news to the aftermath. Each section is an enlightenment of instruction, advice, and reports given by real-life teens and experts (doctors, therapists, and counselors) to help better prepare teens dealing with a parent's cancer and the situations they'll likely encounter.
As it is stated early on in the book, “ignorance isn't always bliss” and “knowledge is power”. Having genuine information is a great way to empower oneself and strengthen one's resolve to handle the eventualities of cancer. Not every chapter or section will resonate with each teen, but that is okay. Everyone is different. What the book does offer is a great gateway into starting a conversation about cancer between parent(s) and child(ren) and some coping mechanisms to help when communication isn't always open. So whether the cancer is treatable or terminal, genetic or exposure, the book is spot-on about one thing--CANCER SUCKS!
A well-written, honest approach designed for adolescents dealing with a parent's cancer, My Parent Has Cancer and It Really Sucks, is written by father-daughter duo Maya and Marc Silver.
With inviting typography and a creative format, right away the reader is captured by the composition even before reading a sentence. Once the reader does get to the actual reading part, they will be pleased with the approachable analytical information mixed with real-life accounts making for a good-humored yet straightforward blend that produces a well-balanced narrative.
The chapters seemed to be ordered in progression with the cancer: from the news to the aftermath. Each section is an enlightenment of instruction, advice, and reports given by real-life teens and experts (doctors, therapists, and counselors) to help better prepare teens dealing with a parent's cancer and the situations they'll likely encounter.
As it is stated early on in the book, “ignorance isn't always bliss” and “knowledge is power”. Having genuine information is a great way to empower oneself and strengthen one's resolve to handle the eventualities of cancer. Not every chapter or section will resonate with each teen, but that is okay. Everyone is different. What the book does offer is a great gateway into starting a conversation about cancer between parent(s) and child(ren) and some coping mechanisms to help when communication isn't always open. So whether the cancer is treatable or terminal, genetic or exposure, the book is spot-on about one thing--CANCER SUCKS!
January 20, 2016
This is a great book to give to a student that has a parent struggling with cancer. It goes into detail about all there is to be expected from the time you find out and beyond. It includes real teenager’s stories and tips and tricks to remember throughout. It really provides a lot of insight and also explains what exactly cancer, chemotherapy, and radiation are. Just knowing that you aren’t alone and that it is okay to feel sad, angry, or selfish is normal, it makes it a lot easier to cope with what their family is facing. This is also a great book for teachers to read if they have a student facing this kind of situation so the teacher can know what to expect from their students and maybe provide some advice for them. Something I found really interesting was that the book includes a section specifically for parents and what they can do in the situation. So even though this book is designed for teenagers, teachers, parents, and pretty much anyone can read it and get some sort of knowledge from it.
December 20, 2013
I enjoyed this book, it was very informative and I thought it was good.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews