Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy: A Memoir

Geralyn Lucas

Apr 2014 · Open Road Media

About this ebook

“A bold memoir” of one young woman’s courageous battle with breast cancer—the basis for the Emmy-nominated Lifetime movie starring Sarah Chalke (People).
 
Having recently graduated from Columbia Journalism School and landed her dream job at 20/20, the last thing twenty-seven-year-old Geralyn expects to hear is a breast cancer diagnosis. And there is one part of the diagnosis that no one will discuss with her: what it means to be a young woman with cancer in a beauty-obsessed culture. Trying to find herself while losing her vibrancy and her looks, Geralyn embarks on a road of self-acceptance that will inspire all women. Although her story is explicitly about a period of time when she was driven by fear and uncertainty, Geralyn managed a transformation that will encourage all women under siege to discover their own courage and beauty. The important and outrageous lessons of Why I Wore Lipstick come fast and furious with the same gusto that Geralyn has learned to bring to every aspect of her life.

Ratings and reviews

I didn't end up finishing the book. I bought this book when I was diagnosed with breast cancer last year at 25. I thought this book will somehow help me, since the author clearly was diagnosed at a young age too. After a few chapter, I grew tired of her self-pitying. The only chapter that actually mattered was when she was in her room awaits her surgery, the rest of the book, to sum up my impression: " ohh poor thing, you're so young and beautiful, how could this happen to you. " I am not trying to sound cynical, but the author rubs me wrong in a way she's so self absorbed. You want to read a good book about breast cancer? Read Bright Hour by Nina Riggs, that's the book you need in your life when you go through crisis. 2 stars for the effort.

About the author

Geralyn Lucas is a Columbia University School of Journalism graduate and was an editorial producer at 20/20 for ABC News for seven years before becoming a director of original programming at Lifetime Television. She is also a proud member of Lifetime’s Stop Breast Cancer for Life initiative. She lives in New York City with her husband, Tyler, and her daughter, Skye. She never leaves home without lipstick. Visit Lucas at www.whyiworelipstick.com.