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Welcome to the Sh*t Show: A Memoir of Colorectal Cancer and the Power of Self-Advocacy
For colorectal cancer patients, the people who love them, and the professionals who care for them, a clear-eyed account of one woman's fight to survive
224 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication February 24, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
“The Self-Help Memoir”
Where was this book in 1980? This not just an ordinary memoir. It a textbook on self-advocacy. Welcome to the Sh*t Show by Shannon Ivey is a must read for everyone.
Ivey shares a typical story going through disability or illness. You start with shock, then grief, then determination wrapped up in celebration. Welcome to the Sh*t Show navigates this maze in a way that you will learn not just about her journey but your own. I first met Shannon Ivey through an author event in 2025. Her writing is just as dynamic as she is as a person. Just from meeting her, I put this memoir on my to be read list. I love that her memoir is warm and dynamic.
I love stories of self-growth through advocacy. Being disabled since birth, I read Welcome through the lens. I related to being the patient. I related to being the support person. I felt isolated within the group at times. For me, the story allowed me to appreciate what my family went through. I could step in their shoes. I noticed the layers of support I overlooked in my life. Welcome put names to things that I had observed. It validated feelings I had growing up. For many years, I have tried to protect those around me from the negative around my disability. I appreciate this memoir for opening my eyes. I will no longer act to protect.
Shannon's writing provided comfort as I experienced the loss of a classmate from the same cancer. Their stories could have paralleled each other just with a different ending. Just the first two chapters opened my eyes to the nature of support I could offer my classmate and our class. Perfect timing for this book.
I can not recommend Welcome to the Sh*t Show more. It will finish 2026 in my top ten releases. If you are a crier, you will need a towel. You will cry tears of sadness and joy. The waves that I crested were worth it. I encourage you to get a copy. It is one of the best current memoirs in the disability community. It is a training guide for self-advocacy.
I was provided a copy of Welcome to the Sh*t Show by the University of South Carolina Press in exchange for this review.
Where was this book in 1980? This not just an ordinary memoir. It a textbook on self-advocacy. Welcome to the Sh*t Show by Shannon Ivey is a must read for everyone.
Ivey shares a typical story going through disability or illness. You start with shock, then grief, then determination wrapped up in celebration. Welcome to the Sh*t Show navigates this maze in a way that you will learn not just about her journey but your own. I first met Shannon Ivey through an author event in 2025. Her writing is just as dynamic as she is as a person. Just from meeting her, I put this memoir on my to be read list. I love that her memoir is warm and dynamic.
I love stories of self-growth through advocacy. Being disabled since birth, I read Welcome through the lens. I related to being the patient. I related to being the support person. I felt isolated within the group at times. For me, the story allowed me to appreciate what my family went through. I could step in their shoes. I noticed the layers of support I overlooked in my life. Welcome put names to things that I had observed. It validated feelings I had growing up. For many years, I have tried to protect those around me from the negative around my disability. I appreciate this memoir for opening my eyes. I will no longer act to protect.
Shannon's writing provided comfort as I experienced the loss of a classmate from the same cancer. Their stories could have paralleled each other just with a different ending. Just the first two chapters opened my eyes to the nature of support I could offer my classmate and our class. Perfect timing for this book.
I can not recommend Welcome to the Sh*t Show more. It will finish 2026 in my top ten releases. If you are a crier, you will need a towel. You will cry tears of sadness and joy. The waves that I crested were worth it. I encourage you to get a copy. It is one of the best current memoirs in the disability community. It is a training guide for self-advocacy.
I was provided a copy of Welcome to the Sh*t Show by the University of South Carolina Press in exchange for this review.
February 24, 2026
A story that, however sad, ends well for now, and above all, the author manages to convey it with a certain lightness and a good dose of irony. Among the many important things I have learned, I believe the main one is what people who inform us that they have cancer expect to hear (and above all, not to hear).
Una storia che per quanto triste, per ora finisce bene e soprattutto l'autrice riesce a rendere con una certa levitá ed una buona dose di ironia. Tra le tante cose importanti che ho imparato, credo che la principale sia stata quello che si aspettano di sentire (e soprattutto di non sentire) le persone che ci informano di avere un tumore.
I received form the Publisher a digital advanced review copy in exchange for a honest review.
Una storia che per quanto triste, per ora finisce bene e soprattutto l'autrice riesce a rendere con una certa levitá ed una buona dose di ironia. Tra le tante cose importanti che ho imparato, credo che la principale sia stata quello che si aspettano di sentire (e soprattutto di non sentire) le persone che ci informano di avere un tumore.
I received form the Publisher a digital advanced review copy in exchange for a honest review.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews