A Series of Catastrophes and Miracles

A firsthand dispatch from the new frontier of cancer, this inspiring memoir chronicles acclaimed Salon journalist Mary Elizabeth Williams' incredible victory over malignant melanoma. Personal, intimate, and exquisitely reported, her book illuminates the new science of immunotherapy, a breakthrough drug protocol just approved by the FDA that is slated to change the face of cancer research.

Narrated by an impassioned wife, mother, and acclaimed journalist, this memoir marries a deeply personal story with cutting-edge science. After being diagnosed with malignant melanoma and given six months to live, Mary Elizabeth Williams wins a place in a Phase I clinical trial with a world-famous immunology team; against all odds, her cancer disappears completely—in just 12 weeks. This book is a human report from the front lines of a disease that, at the current rate, will strike a minimum of one in three Americans. Wry, witty, and laugh-out-loud funny, Williams shares her experiences as a bona fide guinea pig for immunotherapy, weaving in the voices of experts in the field and cutting-edge research that is changing the face of medicine. Alongside her reporting is her own journey, from the moment of her harrowing diagnosis to her struggles to support her best friend, who is also battling cancer but doesn't qualify for the immunotherapy trial. Williams' stark honesty and graceful wit bring readers into the emotional side of medicine, as well as the realities of illness and healing. This powerful story is an unflinching account of the tenacity it takes to weather disease, the extraordinary new developments that are rewriting the rules of medicine—and ultimately, the profoundly healing power of human connection.

MARY ELIZABETH WILLIAMS is a senior staff writer for award-winning Salon.com whose columns are regularly among the top viewed, commented on, shared, and cited as among the best of the week. The "Lab Rat" series on her clinical trial was nominated for the 2012 Online Journalism Award for Commentary, and her essay on receiving a melanoma diagnosis is in the Harper anthology The Moment, an Entertainment Weekly "Must List" pick—alongside essays by Elizabeth Gilbert, Jennifer Egan, and Dave Eggers. She is the author of Gimme Shelter: Ugly Houses, Cruddy Neighborhoods, Fast Talking Brokers, and Toxic Mortgages: My Three Years Searching for the American Dream. A starred Booklist selection,Gimme Shelter was called "poignant and funny" (Kirkus), "a must-read" (New York Daily News), "hilariously evocative" (Time Out Kids) and "compelling" (Publisher's Weekly). She lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.