OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Prostate Cancer: Sheep or Wolf?" by Murray Keith Wadsworth.]

Prostate Cancer: Sheep or Wolf? by Murray Keith Wadsworth details the author's experience with prostate cancer. At the age of forty-seven, after making the decision to include healthy checkups as a part of his wellness plan, he tested positive for prostate cancer. The urologist's prescription of a radical prostatectomy did little to ease his concerns. Therefore, the author decided to move to England from Texas in search of answers to his condition. This search for answers led him to further questions about the state of prostate cancer healthcare, like why is prostate cancer not taken as seriously as breast cancer or colon cancer, despite the similarities in their prevalence? Could this be because prostate cancer is referred to as an "old man's disease" and death is an acceptable statistical loss of life to the system?

Questions like these led the author to carry out further research and write this book with the purpose of challenging the misconceptions about prostate cancer and helping other men avoid any errors he may have made along the way. The first part of the book that piqued my interest was the author's use of "sheep or wolf" to classify cancer's aggressiveness, using a barn and a highway as similes for lymph nodes and blood vessels respectively. This gave me a better understanding of what prostate cancer was about and what treatment procedures hoped to achieve.

Another highlight of the book was the author's use of personal stories. Readers will get to know the author's family, friends, hobbies, and fears as they follow him on his road to recovery. This could be seen as a distraction, but it was necessary for me to connect to what the author was saying and root for him as he fought for his life. The importance of good friends and participating in his hobbies, like traveling, camping, bike riding, and skiing as a source of strength and means to clear his head, were emphasized.

Furthermore, there were also comparisons between the United States' prostate cancer health care and that of several European countries, and the revelations of the ways the United States' healthcare is behind were shocking, considering that they are one of the leading countries in healthcare. I liked that the author includes this discussion in the book, as it will help healthcare providers note areas where they can improve.

In addition, readers will get to know about a lot of different tests and treatment methods used in prostate cancer, including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, high-frequency ultrasound (HIFU), and fluciclovine positron emission tomography scans. Side effects are also discussed. Murray uses more of an informative tone than a suggestive tone, as the book isn't intended as a self-help book to learn about prostate cancer therapy. It got a bit confusing at times having to understand certain medical terms, but I liked that the author tried as much as possible to explain the meaning of most medical terms used in the book, including graphs of his medical results.

With respect to editing, I didn't find a single error throughout the book. At first, I thought it was because of how engrossed I was in Murray's story, but a second read confirmed that the book was exceptionally well edited. There wasn't anything to dislike about this book, which is why rating the book 4 out of 4 is an easy decision. The book is concise, well researched, captivating, and perfectly executed. I would recommend this book to men, especially those suffering from prostate cancer. Prostate cancer caregivers can also learn a thing or two from the author's experiences.

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Prostate Cancer: Sheep or Wolf?
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This sounds like a well written book on a difficult subject. As a male in the 'at risk' age group, I think I would benefit from reading this. Great review!

This is a subject that should be talked about. Cancer in any form is too prevalent in our world. However, it's not really a topic for me (I'm a woman). I also enjoy stories that include more alternative treatments with it. Thanks for the review, though.

It's great for the author to raise more awareness about prostate cancer. Every form of cancer should be talked about. Great review.

An important book to write and definitely an important conversation to have. Cancer continues to take millions of lives away and the more awareness that can be raised, the better! Thanks for the review!

A guy at my work had signs that sent him for a prostate check, then suddenly ALL the "older" men were going for checks. They talked about it amongst themselves, something for which I was grateful. I liked that the younger men were hearing about it, I liked that I was hearing about it. That gave me a way to start a conversation with my own sons too. Having a source of information like this book is great for men who don't have anyone to talk about it to I think, something personal that will give more than dry medical speech. They can read what it's actually like to go through it and hopefully it will help.

I know it's important because another man in a different area was telling me about his experiences, then freaked that he was talking to a total stranger and a woman at that! I tried to reassure him that it makes sense to talk to a stranger, he clearly NEEDED to talk. And since I have sons, I appreciated knowing what they might need to know so it was helping us both. I'm so glad this book is available.

Incredibly well written book on a cancer diagnosis and disease. The book is really good that one can read to learn about more information about cancer.
Definitely a wonderful review.

Thank you, for a well written book review. It drew me in and I can't wait to read this book. I am an APN so the person's perspective is important to me.

Thank you, for a well written book review. It drew me in and I can't wait to read this book. I am an APN so the person's perspective is important to me.