Laurel Ridge staff and faculty are welcome to join us for the Do Empathy Book Series, a monthly book discussion that encourages us to see through others' eyes and grow in understanding of the human experience. Whether you read all the book, some of it, or none, you're welcome to join us!

August's book is Kimiko Tobimatsu's memoir, Kimiko Does Cancer (96 p.), illustrated by Keet Geniza. The graphic novel tells the story of a young, queer, mixed-race woman’s experience with the physical realities of breast cancer, but also the interpersonal – dealing with isolation from friends, dating while in menopause and talking about feelings with family. Join us as we consider:

• The stress of navigating the healthcare system with a serious illness
• What a traditional "cancer narrative" tends to be and how that might not reflect every individual's experience 
• How healthcare might be experienced when queer and a person of color

Register through this page for a calendar invitation, event reminders, and notifications of when the book is ready for check-out. Registrants will be notified when the library has copies available for loan, typically five weeks in prior to discussion!

At the age of twenty-five, Kimiko Tobimatsu was a young, queer, mixed-race woman with no history of health problems whose world was turned upside down when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. In an instant, she became immersed in a new and complicated life of endless appointments, evaluations, and treatments, and difficult conversations with her partner and parents. Kimiko knew that this wasn’t what being twenty-five was supposed to be like … but then, she didn’t have a choice.

With tender illustrations by Keet Geniza, Kimiko Does Cancer is a graphic memoir that upends the traditional “cancer narrative” from a young woman’s perspective, confronting issues such as dating while in menopause, navigating work and treatment, and talking to well-meaning friends, health care professionals, and other cancer survivors with viewpoints different from her own. Not one for pink ribbons or runs for the cure, Kimiko seeks connection within the cancer community while also critiquing the mainstream cancer experience.

Honest and poignant, Kimiko Does Cancer is about finding one’s own way out of a health crisis.