A Series of Catastrophes and Miracles

Writer Mary Elizabeth Williams is reflective and rueful in her performance of her memoir about her journey through Stage IV melanoma. Williams capably balances information on cancer and its treatment with the pathos, banality, and flashes of humor that characterize her life with her husband and their two small children during the years she sought treatment. Ultimately, she wound up in a clinical trial of an immunotherapy regimen that saved her life. Williams is bare in her reading and writing. Her conversations with friends and family members also undergoing cancer treatment particularly shine with love, humor, and candor. This emotional and thoughtful portrait of a life sheds light on a new and promising branch of cancer treatment. A.F. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine