Embroidered Cancer Comic

by Sima Elizabeth Shefrin

'Come to bed with me?'As soon as Bob was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer, he and his wife Elizabeth started making cancer jokes to take the edge off of an otherwise frightening situation. A lot of those jokes were about sex. Here, textile artist Elizabeth Shefrin has picked up a needle and thread to share those intimate jokes, revealing how they helped her and her husband to process the realities of cancer treatment.Giving lightness and humour to a rarely discussed topic, this unpretentious and wry embroidered comic will create awareness and discourse around a taboo topic, resonating with others in similar situations and reassuring us that it's ok to laugh.

Genres: Comics, Biography Memoir

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 21, 2016

Reviews

[Anusha Narasimhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. The concept is original and the content made me chuckle. The couple's positive attitude is inspiring. The idea of embroidering the comic sounds unique.

With 32 pages, the book is very small. I'd have loved to read more of it, be it in embroidery, printed or digital format.

Note: I received a free copy of the book from the publisher. This review is my personal opinion and has not been influenced by anyone.

[January Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. Would make a nice gift for someone dealing with Cancer.

[Loz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A palpable exercise in processing and framing. Really interesting.

[Derek Newman-Stille · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sima Elizabeth Shefrin takes a fascinating approach to comics, creating a comic out of textiles, embroidering her narrative onto fabric. There is a sense of intimacy about using textiles to talk about cancer that links the artworks produced to the history of textile work in the home. The use of embroidery, for me, evokes memories of embroidery samplers on the walls of the home, and transforming this textile basis into a comic allows a sliding of forms between the usually stagnant stitched image and the dynamism and mobility of the comic book.

Shefrin’s Embroidered Cancer Comic deals with the complexity of cancer and its presence in the home, exploring the disease not through its pathology, but through the effects it has on the family. Shefrin openly shares her experiences of her husband’s cancer and the intermingling of their feelings from his diagnosis through to his surgery. She examines the way that people try to take control over their cancer narratives either by changing their diet, or by avoiding the doctor, instead using alternative health practices to try to avoid medical intervention.

You can check out a more complete version of this review on my website at https://disabledembodiment.wordpress....

[Bex T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who thrives on humor in tough situations, I loved this book. It’s touching and real. I read it virtually, but the embroidery made it all the more touching… and the notes at the end. Thanks for sharing a tough side of life with us.

[Jeannie Miller]

A candid, touching, adorable embroidered short comic about supporting a partner through prostate cancer treatment.

[Brittany Wisneski · Rating 2 out of 5]

Copy provided by Netgalley for review

This is a short comic about a man named Bob living with prostate cancer, as told through the lense of his wife. The illustrations are all hand embroidered by the author/Bob's wife.

Sadly, I wasn't too impressed by the story. From the afterward, I can see that the author writes beautifully and has a sincere story to tell. The comic was supposed to show how she and Bob kept their sense of humor through Bob's battle with cancer, but I didn't find the narrative funny or all that interesting. I did learn some things about prostate cancer, though, and was prompted to research more about the subject.

As for the art, I thought it was a great idea to embroider all the panels. I have done some embroidery, so I know it's a time consuming craft. The image on the front cover is not a sample of the work inside, though. The panels are all line drawings stitched with black thread.

Overall, I thought the idea of this book was wonderful and interesting, but it just didn't end up being my cup of tea. The most enjoyable part was the afterwards from the author, her husband, and his doctor. If Sima Elizabeth Shefrin ever writes a memoir I'd be happy to pick it up!

[Ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The message behind this short comic, the feeling behind it and the reason for creating it are heartfelt and lovely. I would have liked to see more of the journey, more detail to it, but the fact that it’s created from photographs of embroidered pieces is, to me, quite admirable. There was work put into creating this by the author, a time dedicated to—in part—likely cope with her husband’s illness.

The jokes fell a bit flat to me, but at the same time, that made sense. It’s a crucial, difficult part in someone’s life when diagnosed with cancer. Family members of mine, including my mother, have dealt with this, and through them—on a different level—I have as well. Sometimes the laughter is preferred over the alternative and even if the jokes are not HA HA funny to others, for those who are experiencing it, they work.

I enjoyed the read.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

First let me say though I have lost loved one to cancer, I had not had a spouse have it, so the humor in this book, and the situation were not written for me. So, as an outsider, the "jokes" presented here were amusing, but not funny. I get that having prostrate cancer made it so you couldn't have sex. Not sure why that would be the punch line of a joke, but ok.

This book was really created for Sima, and she admits that in her afterward, that it was a way with coping with the reality of her husband's cancer.

So, probably a good book for those dealing with cancer. But, other than that, you will not have lost anything by not reading this.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this is a hard book to down mark, even if you have to point out that it's small, a very short read, and while showing the bravery regarding one or two aspects of a couple experiencing prostate cancer, does not give that rounded an experience that the inquisitive would desire. The debate over surgery or radiation takes far too many pages, and even when so much work must have been done to embroider these line cartoons, the fact we only have a few has to be mentioned, with no hint of malice or real churlishness. I think it's a success inasmuch as it's a personal document, one lady taking an obviously feminine medium to convey what the couple felt due to a masculine disease, but I can't recommend it as having much substance beyond the obvious visual design and that personal touch.

[Hristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This comic revolves around a simple concept: positivity. In the darkest moments of your life, you have to look at it a bit more positively, especially when in comes to scenarios involving any type of illness. Even some psychologists recognize that positive thinking can affect the health of the body. And I think that drawing attention to this is a wonderful thing.
The comic itself is presented as filled with jokes, and I have to note that these jokes aren't the laugh-out-loud kind, more dark humor, bit of ironic puns. All in all, it's an original take on something that is often found disturbing, and that is all it takes for me to fall in love with it.

[Gladimore · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this book from NETGALLEY in exchange for an honest review

Embroidered Cancer Comic is made up of simple black and white sewn comics. They are the story of a supportive wife and her husband's struggle against aggressive prostate cancer. Most of the comics are jokes relating to or about sex. While this book was made with good intentions it was not portrayed well. The sewn drawings took skill to make but they were just not all that interesting or humorous to me. Props to the couple putting themselves out there and sharing their story with others which I know is a hard thing to do. Overall is was okay and I wish it had gone more in depth or was splashed with a little color.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sorta-kinda-not-really-graphic novel: Shefrin is a textile artist who responded to her partner’s diagnosis of prostate cancer by embroidering about 60 panels of a comic detailing his treatment decisions and their (mostly sexual) adjustments to a new life. The drawings and handwriting alike seemed a bit amateurish to me – but then again, what would I know about trying to embroider figures and words freehand?! The e-book is very nicely put together, and I can imagine a physical copy being the perfect gift to put in the hands of a couple who have recently received a cancer diagnosis. Takes 10 minutes maximum to read.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet, funny, and touching.

Embroidered Cancer Comic documents one couple's journey with prostate cancer.

The panels consist of photos of actual embroidered comics.

The simplicity of the comic lies in juxtaposition to the heaviness of the content.

But Sima Elizabeth Shefrin expresses herself well in her art and presents a sweet, sometimes sad, sometimes funny, journey through a difficult time.

Recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for a copy in return for an honest review.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thankfully (knock on wood!) I have never known anyone close to me with cancer. So I was definitely not the target audience for this book, and I hope that the target audience does get more out of it than I did. It made me chuckle at times, but mostly just made me feel sad and introspective. Life is hard.

The format, however, was splendidly unique: Sima Elizabeth Shefrin embroidered each of the 60 panels of the comic. So cool!

[Simon Sweetman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet wee comic this, a light-hearted look at cancer - if there can be such a thing. No, it's not even that, just an honest look at how a couple processes the lemons handed to them and the lemonade they make from it.

[Susan]

I didn't like the book. Too small for a cancer story.