Tumor (Object Lessons)

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.

One in two men and one in three women will develop invasive cancer. Tumors have the power to redefine identities and change how people live with one another.

Tumor takes readers on an intellectual adventure around the attitudes that shape how humans do scientific research, treat cancer, and talk about disease, treatment, and death. With poetic verve and acuity, Anna Leahy explores why and how tumors happen, how we think and talk about them, and how we try to rid ourselves of them.

Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.

“Leahy looks a tough subject right in the eyes, and tells its story with grace, insight, alacrity, and wit.” –  David Eagleman, Stanford neuroscientist, New York Times bestselling author of Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain, and host of the PBS series The Brain with David Eagleman

“In clear, compelling language, Anna Leahy writes with insight and empathy about cancer and the social and cultural dimensions of one of our greatest fears. A blend of science, journalism, and deeply personal storytelling, this book takes a lyrical approach to a complex subject we all face in some way.” –  Kristen Iversen, Professor of English & Comparative Literature, University of Cincinnati, USA, and author of Full Body Burden: Growing Up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flats (2012)