On the Other Side: The Journey of a Cancer Survivor is just that, a telling of one woman’s battle with cancer. Her fight for survival is chronicled in detail in the pages of this book. It reads like a series of letters from a good friend or even a peek into Sue Northey’s journal. While there are facts and useful information that can certainly help people who need this information, the tone of the book is more a one-on-one dialogue. She tells about her feelings after the diagnosis, details how it felt for her to go through chemotherapy, and tells about how she feels now that she is cancer free.

While the subject matter of this book is not, at first glance, overly joyful, this is a book that is informative, well written, candid and filled with useful information. Most importantly, perhaps, is the fact that it is a firsthand account of a very serious subject. The author and her journey through the diagnosis of cancer is the subject of this book. There are many passages that are especially difficult to read but cancer isn’t a subject that most people are thrilled to think about, let alone read about. But many people either know someone with the disease or are patients themselves, so this is a much needed volume. On the Other Side: The Journey of a Cancer Survivor is one of the best books on the subject that I’ve ever read. Bravo, Ms. Northey, for tackling a scary subject and giving it a very human face! Kudos, and thank you.

Reviewed by: Carly