Bald in the Land of Big Hair: A True Story |  | Author: Joni Rodgers
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
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Rating:  31 reviews
Sales Rank: 343353
Media: Paperback
Pages: 272
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.7
ISBN: 0060955260
Dewey Decimal Number: 362.196994460092
EAN: 9780060955267
ASIN: 0060955260
Publication Date: February 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Bald in the Land of Big Hair is the hilarious-and often heartbreaking-tale of Joni Rodgers's journey through the badlands of cancer told with humor, occasional anger, and unflinching honesty. More than just a cancer book, this is a deeply affecting memoir of one woman's struggle to come to terms with everything that life throws her way.Ultimately, this is a moving celebration of the true meaning of human triumph and courage, the importance of community and the imperative of living everyday with joy.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 31
 The Hair Grows Back February 14, 2001
V. Lonnquist (Helena, Mt USA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I laughed and I cried. Although Joni Rodgers cancer experience is the reason for the story, it is not the whole story. This is a book about how one woman and one family dealt with a terrible illness. How they pulled apart and pulled together. How a Mom & Dad lived through one of the scariest of modern America's illnesses. The cancer is there, lurking in the background through the entire book, but the real story is how Joni & Gary brought Malachi and Jerusha into the circle of the illness and made them a part of the healing process. You'll hear the cries of a little girl sitting on the floor outside the bathroom door as her Mother goes through the agony of chemo-aftermath, and you can picture her as she comforts her Mom by holding a wet wash cloth to her burning forehead and becomes part of the healing experience. You can see cancer from a small boys viewpoint as Malachi tells the story of a Prince who goes forth to slay the dragon and find the magic moss which will save the Queen from her terrible sickness. From the initial diagnosis to her fight with God in the shower stall, Joni Rodgers will pull the reader inside the family circle. Your heart will ache with sadness and with joy as she shares the most intimate details of a terrible time. This is a great story. I cried. I laughed. I read it again.
A REALLY GREAT BOOK February 28, 2001
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
Elizabeth Berg gives this book such an awesome quote on the back jacket that I had to buy and read it--she was right. She says this is "a very important book. It's not only a book about cancer but also a book about how to ground yourself in the life you're living. About how to let go of false concepts of beauty and of self and start living a far richer, truer life than you might ever have imagined. Reading this book is like being given the extraordinary insight that comes with catastrophic illness without having to endure the dieseaase itself. Read it." I couldn't say it better, now that I've read it. This is a really wonderful memoir about life, love, family, and overcoming the bad things life tends to throw your way. I did laugh and I did cry and I will read it again and again.
Funny and REAL December 16, 2001
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I have never had cancer or even known someone with the disease, so I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book -- but I did! What made me appreciate Rodgers' novel was that it wasn't a collection of survivor bromides and platitudes, inspirational quotes, or overused Bible passages. In fact, the author did a fine job explaining her true feelings about all those "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger"-like messages. I also liked the fact that Rodgers doesn't hide the less-than-appealing parts of the disease - vomiting, mouth sores, disappearing toenails - and also addresses more personal matters like her sexuality during the disease's course and relationship with her young children. It was real and uncensored, which gave the book a complete human quality.
And, of course, this book was also very funny! Rodgers has a way with words that will have you laughing in spurts throughout the novel.
I was never bored reading this book and finished it in less than two days. Aside from being a good read, it also introduced me to the pitfalls of cancer that I never knew about before.
a great read on a bad hair day March 15, 2001
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Wow! This is a book that once opened can not be put down. The true story of Joni Rodgers is remarkable on many levels. Her battle with a devastating illness is retold with the greatest humanity. Her humor and keen observation is a testament to the capacity for kindness and strength in the face of the most humbling of circumstances. A must read for anyone interested in the power of the human spirit!
Heartbreaking, funny and real May 10, 2001
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is one of the most inspirational books I've ever read. It made me look at my own life in terms of priorities, how I treat my family and how I treat myself. There's a lot to learn from the author, who had cancer--but even if you don't have cancer, this is a wonderful, inspirational book. It's the kind of book I tend to read more than once so I'm keeping mine and buying a few for some friends.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 31
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