Bless the Blood - A Cancer Memoir

A searing debut YA poetry and essay collection about a Black cancer patient who faces medical racism after being diagnosed with leukemia in their early twenties, for fans of Audre Lorde''s When Walela is diagnosed at twenty-three with advanced stage blood cancer, they''re suddenly thrust into the unsympathetic world of tubes and pills, doctors who don’t use their correct pronouns, and hordes of "well-meaning" but patronizing people offering unsolicited advice as Walela navigates rocky personal relationships and shares their story online. But this experience also deepens their relationship to their ancestors, providing added support from another realm. Walela''s diagnosis becomes a catalyst for their self-realization. As they fill out forms in the insurance office in downtown Los Angeles or travel to therapy in wealthier neighborhoods, they begin to understand that cancer is where all forms of their oppressed identities intersect. In

About the author

Walela Nehanda is a nonbinary cultural worker, stem cell transplant and cancer survivor, and mental health advocate born and based in Los Angeles, California.

Summary

A searing debut YA poetry and essay collection about a Black cancer patient who faces medical racism after being diagnosed with leukemia in their early twenties, for fans of Audre Lorde's The Cancer Journals and Laurie Halse Anderson's Shout.

Product details

• Authors: Walela Nehanda
• Publisher: Penguin Young Readers US
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: from age 14
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 28.01.2025
• EAN: 9780593529508
• ISBN: 978-0-593-52950-8
• No. of pages: 400
• Dimensions: 137 mm x 208 mm x 21 mm
• Subjects: Children's and young people's books > Non-fiction books / Non-fiction picture books > History, politics; People & places (Children's / Teenage), United States of America, USA, Relating to LGBTQ+ people, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Places and peoples, Relating to African American / Black American people, YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION / Places / General, Relating to LGBTQIA+ people