In Know Your Enemy, A Guidebook for your Cancer Journey, Frank has created an “introductory guide to cancer that presents information in a format that is both easy to read and allows readers to select topics of interest, like choosing items on a menu versus reading a book from cover to cover. It is the hope of the author that this book will provide readers with the knowledge and confidence necessary to develop a “battle plan” to both treat and defeat cancer.

“There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why….I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?”

– Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

 

A New Beginning, A New Ending

Know Your Enemy: A Guidebook for Your Cancer Journey was planned to be a continuation of the experiences and themes captured in the first edition with the caveat of how time – five years removed from these battles – had impacted my views on confronting cancer.

The outcome of this effort surprised all involved in the creation of this book. What we found was a softening of the tone and message in the new text. The language changed from an aggressive, adversarial and combative tone to a message of optimism, compassion and the sense of a greater good and purpose in life.

One of the ways I attempted to show this contrast is in the covers of the books. The first edition cover, dominated by a deep red for the lettering, a dark black for the backdrop, and a cancer cell in the crosshair, was imposing and aggressive. It signified the seriousness of the journey and commitment to the journey as a battle and removing the “enemy.” This edition’s cover portrays warm blue shades of beautiful sky on a sunny day at the beach. It is meant to characterize the softening of memory with time, lessons learned, and remembrance of loved ones. The bird hovering over the water, to me, symbolizes the spiritual nature of difficult and life-changing journeys and a reminder that there is no constant, but we must keep flying.