Christie Watson: Deborah James's memoir made me cry – and has shaken me awake
msn.comher death on June 28 2022, and now continues in her name, her memory, and here, in her own words. “At the age of 35, I was blindsided by incurable bowel cancer – I was given a less than 8 per cent chance of surviving five years. ” She did survive five years, during which time she lost too many close friends, but somehow maintained her radical optimism, her absolute love of life, and her belief that being human is always beautiful, even when it’s terrible.
I worried that overwhelming positivity in the face of death might prove tricky to read, but instead it has shaken me awake, asking myself, what the f--- do I have to complain about?
As well as challenging my own perceptions of life and death and how to do both, I imagine the prescriptive chapters full of practical advice (Deborah was a deputy head teacher) written in an easy-to-read style will help many, many people, perhaps especially those with a cancer diagnosis, or facing life limiting illness.
I didn’t love the motivational quotes from famous people slicing occasionally through the text, from Oprah Winfrey to Khalil Gibran: Deborah’s words are full enough of great wisdom.
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