Teresa Carlson was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 29, as the young mother a 17-month-old daughter, in 1972--when treatments were devastating; chances of survival, grim; and the subject, taboo. By age 35, Carlson had survived two bouts and a double radical mastectomy, and wrote this inspirational memoir as both an act of catharsis and an invitation to break the destructive silence surrounding breast cancer. As Carlson observes, it is only when we acknowledge and share our suffering that we can begin to heal and move forward. More than three decades later, Carlson's story and sage strategies for coping with loss and facing mortality prove as timeless as the classic literature that is beautifully woven throughout these compelling pages. May her journey be your guide.