Alice Hoffman has written 21 novels, 3 books of short fiction, and 8 books for children and young adults. Her books have been published in more than 20 translations and more than 100 foreign editions.
Alice Hoffman's hero when she was a young girl was Anne Frank who had the ability "to see beauty in a cruel world." This practice came in handy when her mother was diagnosed with cancer and then her sister-in-law died of brain cancer. They both demonstrated courage in the face of this disease. Then Hoffman is diagnosed with breast cancer and suddenly she finds herself facing the same rituals and deprivations.
At one point, the author states that if she were holding a dinner party and could invite anyone in history to attend, she would invite the Brontes, Edgar Allen Poe, and Emily Dickinson. Hoffman finds herself constantly making choices on what matters most throughout her battle with cancer. Among the topics she covers are choosing to plan for the future, choosing to love who you are, choosing to accept sorrow, choosing to dream, choosing something new, choosing to forgive, and choosing to be yourself. Her favorite grandmother gave her sweaters; she wears them on cold nights and envisions her grandmother's loving spirit in each stitch.
Hoffman models for us the ability to see the struggle with cancer as a spiritual learning experience. In the end, sharing is what life is all about and that is what Hoffman does on these pages. She has donated her advance of this book to the Hoffman Breast Center at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
