Holly K. Thrasher survived breast cancer and was told that a pair of breast implants would be the silver lining after a double mastectomy. Soon after breast reconstruction was completed, she realized that something was very wrong as her health had begun to decline. She complained to her doctors about the more than forty symptoms she was experiencing, but nobody had any answers to explain them. It took her over two years to find out that she was suffering from Breast Implant Illness (BII) as a result of an autoimmune response to the implants. She was told breast implants were safe and side effects were rare. She was caught completely off guard by the cure for BII and had to say bye-bye to her boobs a second time to regain her life and health. She had the implants removed and her chest reconstructed once again, but this time to FLAT. Bye-Bye Boobs blows the whistle on implant safety and symptoms and is a cautionary tale for anyone considering them. Holly chronicles her journey including everything you need to know before you consider implants for cosmetic or reconstructive reasons.

After watching too many family members die of cancer, at age 28, public speaker and comedian Caitlin Brodnick was tested for the BRCA1 gene mutation and tested positive, indicating an 87% chance she'd likely be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. She had a preventative double mastectomy, thereby becoming an everywoman's Angelina Jolie. Dangerous Boobies: Breaking Up with My Time-Bomb Breasts goes in depth into her experience from testing to surgery and on to recovery. With a warm, funny, and approachable voice, Caitlin tells readers the full story, even sharing what it was like to go from a size 32G bra -- giant, for a woman who is barely over five feet tall! -- to a 32C. Engaging and open, she admits to having hated her breasts long before her surgery, and enjoying the process of "designing" her new breasts, from the shape of the breasts to the size and color of the nipples. While Caitlin's primary narrative explores the BRCA gene and breast cancer, her story is also one about body acceptance and what it takes to be confident with and in charge of one's body. Her speaking engagements and comedy routines have shown that the wider topic of breasts, breast size, and personal identity is resonating with younger readers.

Red carpet fashion laureate, comic icon, and outspoken superstar Joan Rivers gives her signature straight-talking advice to women on how to live better through looking better. Joan Rivers’s abiding life philosophy is simple: in the appearance focused society of the twenty-first century, beauty is key—especially where men are concerned. So, getting something lifted, tightened, adjusted, or removed is as fundamental as wearing makeup or using hair conditioner. Now, for any woman considering her options, Joan takes the mystery out of cosmetic surgery with a practical overview, aided and informed by the country's top plastic surgeons. She takes us step-by-step through these entire processes, from finding the right doctor to the bruising truth about recovery and the facts about cosmetic surgery’s very real risks. Of course, Joan also dishes about who’s had what done in Hollywood and her own witty insights about her life under the knife. Part hilarious bitch-fest and part hands-on advice, this is a bracingly funny, wildly frank, and genuinely passionate argument for a woman's right to do whatever it takes to be beautiful, to feel better about herself, and most of all to be happy.

Having reached the age of six, Astrid has begun attending the Satanachia Academy of Sorcery. Her school life is nothing short of a minefield: she’s required to attend an orientation camp with all of the game’s love interests, rumors of her engagement begin to spread, and she even encounters a large poisonous bird. Fate seems determined to push her toward catastrophe! Be that as it may, Astrid is determined to enjoy academy life regardless. If she treads carefully, she may learn some advanced magic and make a few friends; every little bit helps as she works to blow her fate to bits!

Thanks for the Mammaries is a raw, uncensored tale of the author’s journey through breast cancer. From initial diagnosis at age 37, to chemotherapy, and on to life after surgery, author Sarah Demmon provides a humorous and sometimes warped perspective into what to expect from doctors, friends, and society. In addition to her personal journey, the book also contains references and terminology that will aid the reader. A Breast Cancer Survivor’s Story is a must-read for the newly diagnosed. “When I was diagnosed, I found that when I looked up literature about the disease, it was either overly emotional or highly technical. Everyone is told, ‘Go read Lance Armstrong’s book.’ In reality, there is little to relate in that book to the average individual dealing with cancer. I found myself blindsided, even as a scientist. I decided that I would write a true, raw tale that can impart some guidance to the newly diagnosed, so that hopefully they do not have to go through the bumps that I did.”

After a lifetime of seeking all things spiritual, wellness, and at times woo-woo, Paige Davis finds herself facing a breast cancer diagnosis at thirty-eight years old. She quickly realizes, however, that cancer is not her crisis point but a landing pad of experiences that’s inviting her to integrate her mind, body, and spirit. Ultimately, she embraces her diagnosis through a lens of love rather than as a battle to be fought—a perspective that allows her to find peace in the present moment, and heal from the inside out. In Here We Grow, Davis provides a refreshing new paradigm of integrative living that doesn’t deny the hardship of a situation, but instead encourages meeting difficulty through embodied heart-centered presence. Utilizing mindfulness, meditation, and mind-body disciplines, she shares a tool kit for transformation as she learns to befriend her body, cope through compassion, face survivor’s guilt, create a “new normal” post treatment, and discover the unexpected awakening of intuition and open-heartedness in the healing journey. Filled with honesty, humor, and present-moment awareness that reveals our true capacity for joy, connection, grace, and resilience, Here We Grow is Davis’s story of meeting fear and uncertainty with mindfulness, meaning, and the unconditional love inherent in us all.

A national bestseller! Breast cancer surgeon Dr. Kristi Funk offers a comprehensive and encouraging approach to breast care and breast cancer. Empower yourself with facts and strategies to understand your breasts, reduce your cancer risk, and open your eyes to interventions and treatments. Most women don’t want to hear about breast cancer unless they have it and need to make some decisions, but these days news about breast cancer—the number one killer of women ages twenty to fifty-nine—is everywhere. Chances are you know someone who has had it. But did you know that choices you make every day bring you closer to breast cancer—or move you farther away? That there are ways to reduce your risk factors? And that many of the things you’ve heard regarding the causes of breast cancer are flat-out false? Based on Dr. Kristi Funk’s experience as a board-certified breast cancer surgeon, she knows for a fact that women have the power to reduce breast cancer risk in dramatic ways. Many women believe that family history and genetics determine who gets breast cancer, but that’s not true for most people. In fact, 87 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer do not have a single first-degree relative with breast cancer. This book will help you: Learn the breast-health basics that every woman should know Reduce your cancer risk and recurrence risk based on food choices and healthy lifestyle changes backed by rigorous scientific research Understand the controllable and uncontrollable risk factors for breast cancer Outline your medical choices if you're at elevated risk for or are already navigating life with breast cancer There have been few solid guidelines on how to improve your breast health, lower your risk of getting cancer, and make informed medical choices after treatment—until now. With her book available in 10 languages and in more than 30 countries, Dr. Funk is passionate about her mission of educating as many women as possible about what they can do to stop breast cancer before it starts. Praise for Breasts: The Owner’s Manual: “Dr. Funk writes Breasts: The Owner’s Manual just like she talks: with conviction, passion, and a laser focus on you.”—Dr. Mehmet Oz, Host of The Dr. Oz Show “Breasts: The Owner’s Manual will become an indispensable and valued guide for women looking to optimize health and minimize breast illness.”—Debu Tripathy, MD, Professor and Chair, Department of Breast Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center “Breasts: The Owner’s Manual not only provides a clear path to breast health, but a road that leads straight to your healthiest self. As someone who has faced breast cancer, I suggest you follow it.”—Robin Roberts, Co-anchor, Good Morning America

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.

(Applause Acting Series). Never before has a monologue book been written completely by people who are actually funny for a living. This incredibly hysterical, cutting-edge collection of monologues will give an actress the extra bang she needs to land the perfect comedic role. Women's Comedic Monologues features 60 monologues by writers and comics who have written for or performed on Chelsea Lately , Carson Daly , The Tonight Show , Last Comic Standing , Comedy Central Stage, and many more. This book is the answer to the comedic monologue needs of female actors everywhere!