What do you think?
Rate this book
The Story Of My Tits (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) by Jennifer Hayden
A landmark work of graphic memoir and a cancer narrative that pulls no punches.When Jennifer Hayden was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 43, she realized that her tits told a story. Across a lifetime, they’d held so many hope and fear, pride and embarrassment, life and death. And then they were gone. Now, their story has become a way of understanding her story. Growing up flat-chested and highly aware of her inadequacies… heading off to college, where she “bloomed” in more ways than one… navigating adulthood between her mother’s mastectomy, her father’s mistress, and her musician boyfriend’s problems of his own—not to mention his sprawling family. Then the kids come along… As cancer strikes three different lives, some relationships crumble while others emerge even stronger, and this sarcastic child of the ‘70s finally finds a goddess she can believe in.For everyone who’s faced cancer personally, or watched a loved one fight that battle, Hayden’s story is a much-needed breath of fresh air, an irresistible blend of sweetness and skepticism. Rich with both symbolism & humor, The Story of My Tits will leave you laughing, weeping, and feeling grateful for every day.
Library Binding
First published September 1, 2015
37 people are currently reading
1893 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 293 reviews
October 8, 2015
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I requested to read this - and a couple other
Cancer- related - supporting books as my way to honor our friends who have suffered.
Since receiving this book to read - just last week, another one of my good friends has
recently been diagnosed. I found out 2 days ago. My stomach caved - again.
I've lost close friends to Breast Cancer . I've watched many more survive. I've driven a friend to her chemo treatments.. walked with her when she had energy... watched lots of videos together ... and enjoyed a celebration dinner at their house when she was Cancer Free.
"THE STORY OF MY TITS"....is touching- warm-sweet- funny - sad- loving ... an emotional
graphic memoir.
The author Jennifer Hayden takes us on a journey from a young girl into adulthood ....
sharing her relationships with her breasts - her mother's - the family- dating- marriage- fears- joys- worries-and the horrible stress of being diagnosed with cancer.
Illustrations are priceless. Jennifer's drawings have a lot of feeling in them.
Every since I read "Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant", by Roz Chast, ...
I've become more open to graphic novels. I won't turn away so easily anymore because some of them are very special. This is one of those special graphic-memoirs!
Touching!!!!
Thank You Diamond Book Distributors, Netgalley, and Jennifer Hayden.
Cancer- related - supporting books as my way to honor our friends who have suffered.
Since receiving this book to read - just last week, another one of my good friends has
recently been diagnosed. I found out 2 days ago. My stomach caved - again.
I've lost close friends to Breast Cancer . I've watched many more survive. I've driven a friend to her chemo treatments.. walked with her when she had energy... watched lots of videos together ... and enjoyed a celebration dinner at their house when she was Cancer Free.
"THE STORY OF MY TITS"....is touching- warm-sweet- funny - sad- loving ... an emotional
graphic memoir.
The author Jennifer Hayden takes us on a journey from a young girl into adulthood ....
sharing her relationships with her breasts - her mother's - the family- dating- marriage- fears- joys- worries-and the horrible stress of being diagnosed with cancer.
Illustrations are priceless. Jennifer's drawings have a lot of feeling in them.
Every since I read "Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant", by Roz Chast, ...
I've become more open to graphic novels. I won't turn away so easily anymore because some of them are very special. This is one of those special graphic-memoirs!
Touching!!!!
Thank You Diamond Book Distributors, Netgalley, and Jennifer Hayden.
April 18, 2021
Yazarın memeleri üzerinden; kadın olmak, beden algısını arka plana alarak kendi ergenliğe girişinden yetişkinliğe uzanan bütün hayatının; ailesindeki kadınların göğüsleriyle ve erkeklerle olan sınavlarını, yaşlanmayı, unutmayı, kanseri ve onunla savaşı anlatıyor. 352 sayfa oluşu ve bazı ayrıntılarıyla yorucu olsa da, bir hayata bu kadar açık bir anlatıyla şahit olmak etkileyici.
April 24, 2016
The graphic memoir of Hayden's relationship to her breasts, with each chapter focusing on some aspect of them and how she is defined by them in any given stage of her life. An illustrator and fiction writer, Hayden published Underwire in 2011, and in it I liked her original and attractive style and snarky sense of humor. I just thought it was okay for a first effort. She says she got the idea for this project after reading Marisa Acocella Marchetto's Cancer Vixen, as she herself is a breast cancer survivor, and she thought then how she might expand on the subject, broaden the topic to include her view of her body, her relationships with men, and her relationships with her family, whom to a person don't like to talk about themselves much at all compared to Hayden.
Hayden's mom is a breast cancer survivor, but she didn't think she wanted "to dwell on it." Hayden does indeed want to dwell on it, for more than 340 pages, and for me it was maybe a bit long, maybe just a little too expansive and detailed in all aspects of the double mastectomy and reconstruction and her relationships to her husband and parents and kids, but since I am not the primary audience for this book, I am sure most readers will not complain. Her most supportive person in the process is her husband, whom she dedicates the book to, but she has lots of support, generally. Her greatest support is her hilarious and a little bit crude sense of humor. There's a lot about self image as it relates to her breasts, quite a bit of frank and funny talk about sex, and then there's the main part, her cancer and all the other cancer she encounters through the loss of friends that most of us can relate to.
As I said, I can't imagine she thought her primary audience for this was men. I just happen to have read a lot of cancer survivor (and other health) memoirs in the past few years. I have really never read anything quite like this story, so refreshingly frank and informative and even occasionally fun on this topic. When you read superhero comics (as I do) or are otherwise bombarded with breasts on social media and magazines and films, as we all are, you have a sort of stereotypical relationship with images of women's breasts, of course.
But this isn't the straightforward anti-sexist story one might expect, though. Hayden is snarky and sexy and blunt and so many things about her breasts. Her story is really worth reading, for everyone. And the artwork is terrific, perfect for the lightness of her telling. Don't avoid this one because of the unsettling title or topic. Check it out, I'd say for sure.
Hayden's mom is a breast cancer survivor, but she didn't think she wanted "to dwell on it." Hayden does indeed want to dwell on it, for more than 340 pages, and for me it was maybe a bit long, maybe just a little too expansive and detailed in all aspects of the double mastectomy and reconstruction and her relationships to her husband and parents and kids, but since I am not the primary audience for this book, I am sure most readers will not complain. Her most supportive person in the process is her husband, whom she dedicates the book to, but she has lots of support, generally. Her greatest support is her hilarious and a little bit crude sense of humor. There's a lot about self image as it relates to her breasts, quite a bit of frank and funny talk about sex, and then there's the main part, her cancer and all the other cancer she encounters through the loss of friends that most of us can relate to.
As I said, I can't imagine she thought her primary audience for this was men. I just happen to have read a lot of cancer survivor (and other health) memoirs in the past few years. I have really never read anything quite like this story, so refreshingly frank and informative and even occasionally fun on this topic. When you read superhero comics (as I do) or are otherwise bombarded with breasts on social media and magazines and films, as we all are, you have a sort of stereotypical relationship with images of women's breasts, of course.
But this isn't the straightforward anti-sexist story one might expect, though. Hayden is snarky and sexy and blunt and so many things about her breasts. Her story is really worth reading, for everyone. And the artwork is terrific, perfect for the lightness of her telling. Don't avoid this one because of the unsettling title or topic. Check it out, I'd say for sure.
January 11, 2018
The Story of My Tits would be a good graphic novel IF (and that’s a big IF) it consisted only of the last 100 pages, where tits are actually the focus. The drawing is fine (except for the disconcerting fact that the main character kept changing her hairstyle and looking like a new person), there’s a nice solid plot, and there are plenty of witty remarks and sub-drawings. But in the 344-page book, there’s just soooooooo much. The artist’s whole life is in there, almost down to every tree and leaf. Before the celebrated tits ever came to be the focus, I wanted it to stop. I didn’t have the energy to finish strong. I finished, but it felt like I crawled over the finish line. And that’s a pity, because I think I would have liked the book just fine if it had focused on the tits.
December 21, 2015
I added this book to my to-read list after reading Nancy Powell's in-depth review in Shelf Awareness. Hayden's graphic memoir is "an emotionally gripping and self-deprecating, yet good-natured tale of cancer survival and a celebration of all things inherently female." Wow! Must read this, I thought, and put it on hold at the library.
But having finished the book, I can't agree that it's a "landmark work deserving a place in the pantheon of comics artists," even though Hayden is certainly talented. Her choice to frame her life through the story of her breasts is creative, her narrative compelling. She builds a moving story, tragedy striking with an emotional intensity.
But ultimately marring the memoir is the blatant, unchallenged misogyny. You can't ignore it — Hayden grows up in a family where her father leaves issues Playboy on the living room table for his daughters to aspire to, and before she's even hit puberty she knows that her mother's ultimate pride is in having big enough breasts to impress her husband. Hayden internalizes this world view wholesale, and breasts, and boys, become the all-consuming drama of her life. "Do boys like tits or personality?" she asks, worried, as a teen lacking the former, that she has no value in the economy of patriarchy. She dates men who make misogynistic jokes and endlessly comment on her body as representation of her worth. She defends her philandering misogynist of a father — a man who, let's be clear, abandons his once well-endowed wife when she's hit by breast cancer — and refuses to forgive herself for not forgiving him immediately. This man is described, mildly, by Hayden's boyfriend as a "skirt-chaser" — probably the harshest term to befall him in the entire book.
The degree of misogyny in the men around Hayden, alongside her own unchallenged internalized misogyny, is hard to stomach. And it's no fault of Hayden's that she grows up as a woman in a woman-hating world. But, disappointingly, she doesn't grow in this regard. She moves from "Boys like tits, not personality" to "Boys like both," but never ever considers the possibility that she doesn't exist for boys, that what boys like is not the point.
But having finished the book, I can't agree that it's a "landmark work deserving a place in the pantheon of comics artists," even though Hayden is certainly talented. Her choice to frame her life through the story of her breasts is creative, her narrative compelling. She builds a moving story, tragedy striking with an emotional intensity.
But ultimately marring the memoir is the blatant, unchallenged misogyny. You can't ignore it — Hayden grows up in a family where her father leaves issues Playboy on the living room table for his daughters to aspire to, and before she's even hit puberty she knows that her mother's ultimate pride is in having big enough breasts to impress her husband. Hayden internalizes this world view wholesale, and breasts, and boys, become the all-consuming drama of her life. "Do boys like tits or personality?" she asks, worried, as a teen lacking the former, that she has no value in the economy of patriarchy. She dates men who make misogynistic jokes and endlessly comment on her body as representation of her worth. She defends her philandering misogynist of a father — a man who, let's be clear, abandons his once well-endowed wife when she's hit by breast cancer — and refuses to forgive herself for not forgiving him immediately. This man is described, mildly, by Hayden's boyfriend as a "skirt-chaser" — probably the harshest term to befall him in the entire book.
The degree of misogyny in the men around Hayden, alongside her own unchallenged internalized misogyny, is hard to stomach. And it's no fault of Hayden's that she grows up as a woman in a woman-hating world. But, disappointingly, she doesn't grow in this regard. She moves from "Boys like tits, not personality" to "Boys like both," but never ever considers the possibility that she doesn't exist for boys, that what boys like is not the point.
May 5, 2017
Behind the wiseass title is a terrific book that does what great comics do: pulls you into someone else's way of seeing the world, their thought patterns, private symbols, and metaphoric links, their mental and emotional landscape, their braided associations and triggering images. A more profound and enthralling experience than I at first expected. Though I had thought that the book's rigid layouts, small, tight, busy drawings, and chatty, discursive style might add up to something too obvious, too controlling, too signpost-y, Hayden proved me wrong by going ever deeper and deeper. A lot of surprises here, and real emotional heft.
October 12, 2016
It has been a while since I read this. I've fallen behind in reviews. To do a thorough review I'll have to take it out of the library again, but I'll try to say a bit, as I don't like to give star ratings without reflecting.
What I remember initially is being frustrated with the title. This is a memoir about much more than Hayden's relationship with her chest area, and to begin a very long memoir with this idea that it is focused on a particular anatomical situation was both misleading and a bit befuddling. I wondered as I read what would have happened, how I would have experienced the book differently, had the title not been focused in that way. I still wonder how much a title affects my experience of a book (as far as I can tell, this book makes one think about titles.)
On the other hand, so much of a person's life revolves around their relationship with their body, and the bodies of those around them. Whether we want to see it that way or not, I don't think any memoir can transcend our physical experiences and the way they inform our identities. The fact that she announces her relationship with her body is taking center stage is perhaps refreshing, or meant to be refreshing. And the title announces a kind of attitude and humor, too, I suppose.
Still, I found the title misleading. This is a memoir about familial relationships, complicated kinds of love, friendship and love over time, and illness, and loss. It's kind of epic. Epic memoir, spanning quite a few years and at least two major mastectomies (her mother's and her own.) It's thoughtful, funny, tender and curious. I couldn't always relate to her way of viewing people, places and things, but I appreciate her dedication to the story of her own social and emotional growth, and her growing and deepening understanding of other people's (complicated) relationships (her parents, for example.)
What I remember initially is being frustrated with the title. This is a memoir about much more than Hayden's relationship with her chest area, and to begin a very long memoir with this idea that it is focused on a particular anatomical situation was both misleading and a bit befuddling. I wondered as I read what would have happened, how I would have experienced the book differently, had the title not been focused in that way. I still wonder how much a title affects my experience of a book (as far as I can tell, this book makes one think about titles.)
On the other hand, so much of a person's life revolves around their relationship with their body, and the bodies of those around them. Whether we want to see it that way or not, I don't think any memoir can transcend our physical experiences and the way they inform our identities. The fact that she announces her relationship with her body is taking center stage is perhaps refreshing, or meant to be refreshing. And the title announces a kind of attitude and humor, too, I suppose.
Still, I found the title misleading. This is a memoir about familial relationships, complicated kinds of love, friendship and love over time, and illness, and loss. It's kind of epic. Epic memoir, spanning quite a few years and at least two major mastectomies (her mother's and her own.) It's thoughtful, funny, tender and curious. I couldn't always relate to her way of viewing people, places and things, but I appreciate her dedication to the story of her own social and emotional growth, and her growing and deepening understanding of other people's (complicated) relationships (her parents, for example.)
August 17, 2018
loved it
May 31, 2016
If you are a woman your breasts are a significant part of your biography. There is that moment when you realize that you are no longer allowed to run around topless. There are those horribly restrictive days of wearing your first bra, and maybe later your first under-wire one. You might have been someone who agonized about the lack of growth in those buds, or alternately, someone who was anguished by how big they were getting. And on and on it goes. In no way am I implying that there is not more to women than their breast size and shape (au contraire!), but there is no avoiding how much angst they tend to give rise to until one gets more mature. And then, just when you are comfortable with them, you might get breast cancer.
This is a graphic memoir about the author and her tits. It's not often that we get that point of view. The black and white art is sketchy and rather cartoonish, but works really well juxtaposed against the text. Like any life, the story is funny and sad, full of heartbreak and loss, and moments full of joy. Up. Down. Repeat. It is the story of one life, and the lives of others also affected (and lost) to cancer. There are tangents that don't add to the overall story, but I really liked the honesty in the telling of this one.
This is a graphic memoir about the author and her tits. It's not often that we get that point of view. The black and white art is sketchy and rather cartoonish, but works really well juxtaposed against the text. Like any life, the story is funny and sad, full of heartbreak and loss, and moments full of joy. Up. Down. Repeat. It is the story of one life, and the lives of others also affected (and lost) to cancer. There are tangents that don't add to the overall story, but I really liked the honesty in the telling of this one.
February 8, 2024
How do you deal with breast cancer as you try to live your life? As a man I am glad I read this important graphic novel...I had no idea how many different issues women who have breast cancer have to try to come to terms with. This would be a book to read if you have or know someone dealing with breast cancer.
November 11, 2015
Jennifer Hayden grew up flat-chested. She was frustrated and embarrassed. Suddenly, she bloomed in her later teens. She was happy, with her new endowments and then her mother developed breast cancer and had a mastectomy.
Was her turn next? At age, 43, she was diagnosed with the same thing, targeting the same breast.
Jennifer decided to tell her story, in an illustrated format. It is brutally frank, funny and quite emotional.
Breast cancer runs in my own family: my mother, my sister and aunt were all survivors, so I found this story, especially rewarding and gave me a better insight into their struggle. Highly recommended.
Was her turn next? At age, 43, she was diagnosed with the same thing, targeting the same breast.
Jennifer decided to tell her story, in an illustrated format. It is brutally frank, funny and quite emotional.
Breast cancer runs in my own family: my mother, my sister and aunt were all survivors, so I found this story, especially rewarding and gave me a better insight into their struggle. Highly recommended.
April 23, 2018
I made a stop at a library other than my home branch to pick up a movie, and that particular branch had an entire display on feminism, featuring books written by and for women. As a lover of graphic novels, especially ones that are also memoirs, I absolutely snatched this up as soon as I saw it.
This has to be one of the best graphic novels I've ever read. Hayden was a late bloomer, not developing breasts or even getting her period until her mid-teens (which made me intensely jealous, as I've been wearing a bra since I was 8 and got my period at age 10). Growing up in the 70s, she felt that she was somehow lesser than her friends due to her lack of breasts. But all of a sudden, she begins to develop, and the world opens to her, especially in college.
Then her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer and has a mastectomy to remove her breast. When Hayden in her 40s has a mammogram that detects abnormal growths, she too decides to have a mastectomy, but she decides to remove them both in case her other breast becomes malignant later on. The loss of a woman's breasts is generally quite traumatic, and even though Hayden mourns them, she also views her surgery with a degree of equanimity, deciding instead to focus on the fact that her tits are no longer trying to kill her once they've been removed.
I think my favorite part of the book was seeing the relationship develop between Hayden and her boyfriend and later husband Jim. You get the sense that maybe he's not quite as into her as she's into him in the early years, but as time goes on the love they have for one another is amazing and beautiful to behold. I love how she draws him as her literal knight in shining armor when he is her biggest support during her mastectomy and recovery. The two of them seem so wonderfully balanced.
If you read one graphic memoir this year, let this be it. It's just absolutely wonderful, and considering how prevalent breast cancer is in this day and age, it's quite an important look at the disease.
Highly recommended.
This has to be one of the best graphic novels I've ever read. Hayden was a late bloomer, not developing breasts or even getting her period until her mid-teens (which made me intensely jealous, as I've been wearing a bra since I was 8 and got my period at age 10). Growing up in the 70s, she felt that she was somehow lesser than her friends due to her lack of breasts. But all of a sudden, she begins to develop, and the world opens to her, especially in college.
Then her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer and has a mastectomy to remove her breast. When Hayden in her 40s has a mammogram that detects abnormal growths, she too decides to have a mastectomy, but she decides to remove them both in case her other breast becomes malignant later on. The loss of a woman's breasts is generally quite traumatic, and even though Hayden mourns them, she also views her surgery with a degree of equanimity, deciding instead to focus on the fact that her tits are no longer trying to kill her once they've been removed.
I think my favorite part of the book was seeing the relationship develop between Hayden and her boyfriend and later husband Jim. You get the sense that maybe he's not quite as into her as she's into him in the early years, but as time goes on the love they have for one another is amazing and beautiful to behold. I love how she draws him as her literal knight in shining armor when he is her biggest support during her mastectomy and recovery. The two of them seem so wonderfully balanced.
If you read one graphic memoir this year, let this be it. It's just absolutely wonderful, and considering how prevalent breast cancer is in this day and age, it's quite an important look at the disease.
Highly recommended.
September 24, 2015
Don't be spooked by its provocative title! This book is not just about boobs! It is also about being a daughter and a mom and a wife and a woman searching for meaning and fulfillment in her life (and here and there, how her changing body was a part of those identities and that search) and also I guessss it's about breast cancer and also its about how mortality makes everything just that much more poignant and beautiful. But you know what? It's not cheesy. It's hilarious, and by turns tear-jerking, and Hayden is refreshingly not trying to be cool or philosophical or super-technical about it, and you end up with a picture of a smart and grateful and deeply creative woman that you are so freaking glad she shared with you. Please read this, it is silly, and wacky, and beautiful and self-reflective without being self-indulgent. Important lessons to be learned by all!
March 1, 2016
I've been hesitating but ultimately a person must just say what she believes and the fact of the matter is that this is a perfect graphic novel, a perfect book.
December 10, 2015
I love this book so much! Hilarious, sweet, sad, with so many clever little details if you look closely. Definitely one of the best books of 2015.
April 27, 2016
Wow. This book is amazing! I'm baffled as to why cancer narratives are a sizeable genre unto themselves in the graphic novel world, but The Story of My Tits is one of the better ones. Jennifer Hayden delivers on the title's promise, tracing her story from pre adolescence to the present. The book is warm and funny and wise and tragic and uplifting and just generally a great big slab of life. For someone so late to the graphic novel party, her quiet command of the form is impressive. She has a wonderfully fuzzy style of drawing that reminds me of ... blanking on the name, but he drew for the New Yorker ... Koren, maybe? Anyway, the styles are at least vaguely similar, or so my admittedly faulty memory tells me. I'm not easily given to book induced emotional displays, but there were several times when I was near to tears. There was even one place--page 334, in fact--that had me laughing and crying at the same time. No book has ever done that to me before, so thank you, Jennifer Hayden, for the experience. I love this book! If you only read one cancer graphic novel, you'd be hard pressed to do better than this one.
January 4, 2019
Personal Impression
This book is characterized by its combining between discussing something horrible such as breast cancer and not forgetting the slight shade of humor which helps us to endure life's hardships. The author narrates her story with her breasts from her girlhood up to her forties. From being a girl with no tits, up to being a woman with chopped tits off.
Nevertheless, I reckon this book is woman-to-woman before it's for men. Hence I didn't like how much of womanly bla bla bla is in it. The author is telling us too many details about her life without any purpose. And the story is just about her tits? Oh! Thank heaven! she didn't write a story about her life!
The picturing is fine.
***
Scenes I liked:
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
This book is characterized by its combining between discussing something horrible such as breast cancer and not forgetting the slight shade of humor which helps us to endure life's hardships. The author narrates her story with her breasts from her girlhood up to her forties. From being a girl with no tits, up to being a woman with chopped tits off.
Nevertheless, I reckon this book is woman-to-woman before it's for men. Hence I didn't like how much of womanly bla bla bla is in it. The author is telling us too many details about her life without any purpose. And the story is just about her tits? Oh! Thank heaven! she didn't write a story about her life!
The picturing is fine.
***
Scenes I liked:
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 15, 2015
Once again, I thank NetGalley for bringing this book to my attention by providing me with a free copy to read and review. I hadn't heard of this book prior to seeing it listed on NetGalley, and that is a shame. People should be talking about this book.
This is the story of a woman's life told through words and pictures. In 4 squares per page she captures her experience of the relationships, places and things she encounters, along with the inner voice (critic) whose running commentary we can all relate. This visual simplicity makes The Story of My Tits accessible to both graphic novel fans and those not accustomed to the medium.
One of my favorite recurring themes is "noli me tangere" which translates in latin as "do not touch me" or "touch me not" and has also been referenced in the bible and art, translated to mean "cease holding onto me" or "stop clinging to me" -- this phrase shows up at numerous points in a visual cue card, subtly demonstrating the many points in life when we need to let go of things, or accept things and move on. Hayden's story will definitely resonate with women, but there are so many universally human insights and an underlying humor that will be relatable to both male and female readers.
And let's be real, this book has one of the best titles ever. Hayden is neither precious nor ashamed when relaying her experience throughout the book, and I love how clearly that comes across in the title itself. This is a refreshing, straight-forward attitude for a woman to take in talking about her body, and in telling her story. Give this book to your mom or your sister or your friend. The title might shock them, but the story will remind them of how much we have in common as women and as humans. I found that to be both comforting and empowering.
This is the story of a woman's life told through words and pictures. In 4 squares per page she captures her experience of the relationships, places and things she encounters, along with the inner voice (critic) whose running commentary we can all relate. This visual simplicity makes The Story of My Tits accessible to both graphic novel fans and those not accustomed to the medium.
One of my favorite recurring themes is "noli me tangere" which translates in latin as "do not touch me" or "touch me not" and has also been referenced in the bible and art, translated to mean "cease holding onto me" or "stop clinging to me" -- this phrase shows up at numerous points in a visual cue card, subtly demonstrating the many points in life when we need to let go of things, or accept things and move on. Hayden's story will definitely resonate with women, but there are so many universally human insights and an underlying humor that will be relatable to both male and female readers.
And let's be real, this book has one of the best titles ever. Hayden is neither precious nor ashamed when relaying her experience throughout the book, and I love how clearly that comes across in the title itself. This is a refreshing, straight-forward attitude for a woman to take in talking about her body, and in telling her story. Give this book to your mom or your sister or your friend. The title might shock them, but the story will remind them of how much we have in common as women and as humans. I found that to be both comforting and empowering.
June 29, 2015
Sometimes it seems that almost everybody I know has had breast cancer or know's somebody else who does. This fierce and loving graphic memoir is about Jennifer Hayden's own harrowing struggle through Stage 0 breast cancer when she was in her forties as well as the story of her mother's mastectomy when Ms Hayden was younger. What I enjoyed most about Ms Hayden's story was her ability to show us how a family, over time and through affairs, divorce, step parenting and of course, the brutal diagnosis and treatment of breast, and other cancers, handled, in their own genuine, clumsy, hurtful and loving manner the vicissitudes of family life. Ms Hayden skillfully shows us how imperfect love can be and how in the end it is what we have as we plow through the hard stuff. I also enjoyed Ms Hayden's story of h er tits as she pines for them as a teenager, watches them grown and take "shape" and misses them when they are gone. Yet, it is quite clear that she has made peace with this and has grown to love her body as is, an almost impossible task for women in this culture. I also wanted to heartily congratulate her for not being swayed by New Age philosophies that subtly, and not so subtly blame the victim for cancer while she does clearly appreciating all that she has. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to review this book for an honest opinion.
August 23, 2016
Inspiring. As I read this I considered the possibilities in telling stories through the lens of meaning-laden body parts. Framing a tale this way.
She definitely doesn't focus on her breasts during the entire tale - it feels a bit like a gimmick in places. It's really a story of her life, leading up to a major diagnosis.
I wanted her partner to be more fleshed out as a human - he didn't really go 3d for me until late late late in the book - I spent most of the book not expecting him to last in her life.
And there were places where I could feel her inexperience with the genre.
BUT.
I found this engrossing. It pulled me in more than I've been in a while.
Black and white, every page has four panels which are square, there are chapters (with cringe-worthy puns on the word "tit" in each chapter title).
She lays herself bare. I really appreciated the part where she talked about her shift in perspective on her chest - and the feeling she had after a pivotal decision was made real. (p. 291-2)
Great use of the medium.
She definitely doesn't focus on her breasts during the entire tale - it feels a bit like a gimmick in places. It's really a story of her life, leading up to a major diagnosis.
I wanted her partner to be more fleshed out as a human - he didn't really go 3d for me until late late late in the book - I spent most of the book not expecting him to last in her life.
And there were places where I could feel her inexperience with the genre.
BUT.
I found this engrossing. It pulled me in more than I've been in a while.
Black and white, every page has four panels which are square, there are chapters (with cringe-worthy puns on the word "tit" in each chapter title).
She lays herself bare. I really appreciated the part where she talked about her shift in perspective on her chest - and the feeling she had after a pivotal decision was made real. (p. 291-2)
Great use of the medium.
October 12, 2019
I should have liked this more than I did, but it just dragged on, and I (thankfully) haven't had the same direct experiences to break down over pages (see: Waves, Kid Gloves) that would make this book seem like my own unspoken thoughts.
More than anything, this is a graphic novel memoir that combines coming of age with aging, and while boobs are the official medium, they are often an afterthought in the journey from preteen to 50-ish adult with grown children.
Recommended for: fans of graphic novel memoirs like Blankets, relatives dealing with cancer
More than anything, this is a graphic novel memoir that combines coming of age with aging, and while boobs are the official medium, they are often an afterthought in the journey from preteen to 50-ish adult with grown children.
Recommended for: fans of graphic novel memoirs like Blankets, relatives dealing with cancer
April 4, 2016
WOW great memoir. Yes, it's about the author's breasts but so much more as well - love and its many possibilities and surprises, families in all of their permutations, survival, forgiveness, parenting and more. The graphic novel format works really well; I love the very busy panels and the plentiful text much of it playful. Hayden uses her drawings to express apt metaphors. I love her husband as knight in shining armor and the ropes that show the complicated ties that connect family members. We are with her every step of the way, sharing in her awkwardness, confusion, disappointment, anxiety, hope, and appreciation. Ultimately the Story of my Tits is a brave, honest, and remarkable coming of age (and beyond) story. I hope to read more from this author/illustrator.
November 9, 2015
This book is a ambitious and visually detailed story of Hayden's life with her breasts. It's more than a book about surviving breast cancer, and it's even more than a book about a woman's relationship with her breasts and how (for better or for worse) they define her. This is a larger life story where relationships and cancer take the center stage. I wish I had had the opportunity to talk with Hayden at SPX this year. We're discussing this book as part of our Top Shelf spotlight on this week's podcast.
May 8, 2019
I hated every page of this rather large book with every fiber of my female being. From the flippant way the author moves through childhood into adulthood, to the exaggerated sex to the way the author seems to loathe being female, I could not get through this entire book without feeling sorry for the mangled, forgotten mother, or anger at the overly handsy, less-than-supportive boyfriend. This book was not the breast cancer survivor story I anticipated it being when I picked it up.
October 10, 2015
The story is engaging; the story, extremely personal. It reads extremely quickly, and is thoroughly well-written. Some of the edges are too painful, some of the people not trustworthy, and the art odd enough that it did not quite reach 4 stars.
I received a free copy of the book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received a free copy of the book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 2, 2015
I really loved this book, and I read the whole thing in one long sitting (ok, I took a break to eat dinner, but otherwise, it was a marathon reading session!). Both story and the artwork are great and personal and unique: highly recommended for folks who like graphic memoirs!
June 20, 2015
Oh my, this graphic novel has been so funny and tender and damn life affirming I feel like I'm about to explode with creative energy. Seriously, you need to read this. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
June 28, 2017
A graphic novel has never made me cry before. I've never read one so deeply personal and with such a profound and beautiful message.
Jennifer Hayden writes with such humor; sharp, dark, and self-deprecating (just how I like it). The funny bits are not only a sweet relief from the achingly painful sad bits, they also make Hayden and her life that much more human. She's a real person, these are her real stories, and you can't help but feel them and believe them.
This is everything I ever wanted from a graphic novel and more: cute and detailed illustrations, engaging plot and writing, fully-fleshed out characters, and a glorious 352 pages.
Thank you for this beautiful gift of a memoir. I think I'm buying it for my mom, also a breast cancer survivor, for Christmas.
Jennifer Hayden writes with such humor; sharp, dark, and self-deprecating (just how I like it). The funny bits are not only a sweet relief from the achingly painful sad bits, they also make Hayden and her life that much more human. She's a real person, these are her real stories, and you can't help but feel them and believe them.
This is everything I ever wanted from a graphic novel and more: cute and detailed illustrations, engaging plot and writing, fully-fleshed out characters, and a glorious 352 pages.
Thank you for this beautiful gift of a memoir. I think I'm buying it for my mom, also a breast cancer survivor, for Christmas.
February 26, 2018
I like the book but It was really difficult for me to finish, I fell that the narrative beat around the bushes a lot, but I liked the sincerity about everything and that it talks about really hard things without being overwhelming sad.
August 10, 2016
I have been shit at reviewing lately. I never even mentioned that 2016 is the Jugs & Capes year of Only Reading Ladies, which makes me/us feel vaguely noble even though there are those who would troll us for it. Whatever.
I have little to say about this book I read eight goddamn months ago, because I am a slacker. But this is a lovely, hearbreaking, heartwarming, terrific memoir. I thought it got a leeeeettle bit hokey at the end, but given the subject matter, obviously anything is fair game and all is forgiven. Also fellow J&Cer Hannah calls this "a perfect book," and Hannah is brilliant wonderful gal, so.
Here is what we ate! I would never have remembered that this meeting was at my apt, but that there is my peeking little pup Prufrock, as well as a pan of cornbread that I made with my own two hands, nom.
I have little to say about this book I read eight goddamn months ago, because I am a slacker. But this is a lovely, hearbreaking, heartwarming, terrific memoir. I thought it got a leeeeettle bit hokey at the end, but given the subject matter, obviously anything is fair game and all is forgiven. Also fellow J&Cer Hannah calls this "a perfect book," and Hannah is brilliant wonderful gal, so.
Here is what we ate! I would never have remembered that this meeting was at my apt, but that there is my peeking little pup Prufrock, as well as a pan of cornbread that I made with my own two hands, nom.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 293 reviews