What do you think?
Rate this book
Living With A Brain Tumor
Each year, 100,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with a brain tumor. With his new book, Dr. Peter Black fills a gap in the lay readership, providing an accessible medical resource for adult patients and their families. Dr. Black, who has operated on more than 3,000 patients with brain tumors, is uniquely qualified to discuss both clinical treatment of and research into brain tumors.
This invaluable resource tells patients everything they need to know to understand and address their diagnosis, in a four-part structure: • "What is a Brain Tumor?" provides straightforward information about how brain tumors are diagnosed, the different types of tumors and how they develop, and where to go for treatment. • "Coping with Shock" addresses the emotional impact of the diagnosis on the patient and their family, offering specific advice on support groups and how to managing work and finances during your treatment. • "Treatment options" outlines the complex array of available treatments in a sequential, logical, and thorough manner, enabling readers to make informed decisions. • "Recovery" describes how to deal with the aftermath, addressing issues ranging from physical scars to speech and occupational therapy. Dr. Black believes that more than half of brain tumor cases can be resolved with relatively minor side effects or none at all. Equipped with this informative book, patients and their family and friends can learn how to fight brain tumors effectively, putting them on the path to wellness.
This invaluable resource tells patients everything they need to know to understand and address their diagnosis, in a four-part structure: • "What is a Brain Tumor?" provides straightforward information about how brain tumors are diagnosed, the different types of tumors and how they develop, and where to go for treatment. • "Coping with Shock" addresses the emotional impact of the diagnosis on the patient and their family, offering specific advice on support groups and how to managing work and finances during your treatment. • "Treatment options" outlines the complex array of available treatments in a sequential, logical, and thorough manner, enabling readers to make informed decisions. • "Recovery" describes how to deal with the aftermath, addressing issues ranging from physical scars to speech and occupational therapy. Dr. Black believes that more than half of brain tumor cases can be resolved with relatively minor side effects or none at all. Equipped with this informative book, patients and their family and friends can learn how to fight brain tumors effectively, putting them on the path to wellness.
- GenresNonfictionHealth
336 pages, Paperback
First published October 31, 2006
10 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
Peter Black
6 booksPeter McLaren Black, neurosurgeon, professor emeritus at Harvard Medical School, spent years travelling with the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University, cum laude in 1966, a Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery from McGill University in 1970, and a Doctor of Philosophy from Georgetown University in 1978.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University, cum laude in 1966, a Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery from McGill University in 1970, and a Doctor of Philosophy from Georgetown University in 1978.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 28, 2021
This book was not as informative as I would’ve been have liked. It talked about mainly primary tumors and I have a metastasis brain tumor. Also it talked mostly about treatment options and by the time I read it I had already had my treatment. I wanted to know what symptoms people who have to live with brain tumors can expect. All in all it had a lot of information and was well written, it was just not what I needed.
January 20, 2016
Comprehensive and comforting.
Having just been diagnosed with multiple meningioma s, and waiting impatiently for an appointment with a neurosurgeon, reading this book helped me tremendously.
Having just been diagnosed with multiple meningioma s, and waiting impatiently for an appointment with a neurosurgeon, reading this book helped me tremendously.
March 16, 2026
Welp, I never imagined I’d be reading a book on brain tumors but here we are.
In early December of 2025 I was in a head on collision when an Amazon driver decided to use my lane when taking a bend in the road. The impact left my car totaled and sent me to the emergency room, where a precautionary CT scan revealed an unexpected finding: a 20 × 30 × 27 mm (~2 x 2 x 3 cm) mass, presumed to be a meningioma (though without a biopsy it's uncertain, as it presents with some atypical features post MRI). It is situated in the left parieto-occipital region, extra-axial in location, and arises from the falx (aka the hemispheres.)
What started as an ordinary drive into the office that morning became the unlikely prelude to a chapter I never anticipated writing.
As I'm in the "watch and wait" stage with additional CT and MRI scans scheduled at Moffitt next week, I thought it would be prudent to educate myself a little further on the subject. A search came up with Peter Black, M.D.’s Living with a Brain Tumor: A Guide for Patients and Their Families, widely considered a definitive resource for those of us navigating the physical and emotional complexities of a brain tumor diagnosis.
Furthermore, my mother was diagnosed with a vestibular schwannoma behind her left ear a couple years back and underwent treatment to have it removed. So learning about this particular tumor is insightful as well.
Drawing on decades of experience operating on thousands of patients, Dr. Black explains in clear terms what brain tumors are, how they’re diagnosed, and the different types patients may encounter. The book is organized into sections that cover the emotional shock of diagnosis, the full range of treatment options (from surgery to radiation and chemotherapy), medications and practical guidance on recovery and coping with life after treatment.
For me, this paragraph hit particularly hard. A brain tumor does more than threaten the body; it unsettles the very essence of who a person is, and so the tragedy lies not only in the medical battle but in the quiet, painful transformation of familiar traits fading, emotions shifting, and memories slipping away. It’s a profound reminder that our personalities, our histories, and our relationships are all rooted in the fragile organ that makes us who we are and I’ve been dwelling on this more than anything else.
The section on surgery, though insightful, was a bit unnerving as well. Given the location of my tumor, treatment would most likely require a craniotomy; an operation in which a portion of the skull is temporarily removed to allow access to the brain and then later replaced. I could only hope it would not involve an “awake” craniotomy, a procedure in which surgeons perform cortical mapping during the most delicate stages of the operation where I would remain conscious, speaking and responding while the surgical team stimulates and tests areas responsible for movement, sensation, language, and reading. I was also unaware that (though uncommon) a range of horrifying complications can follow surgery such as edema (especially with the hemispheres!), stroke, hydrocephalus, and cerebrospinal fluid leak - yikes! along with several other general medical problems having to do with the lungs, bladder, heart and skin.
However, it's not all doom and gloom, as he does offer advice on support networks, managing life changes during treatment, and fostering hope and wellness.
With that being said, Dr. Black is clearly a titan in the field of neurosurgery, however this book did feel a bit text-booky in certain chapters. Being a patient already suffering from “information overload” or cognitive fog, as I have been, the deep dives into surgical techniques and cellular biology was a bit to process.
Additionally, because the field of neuro-oncology moves so rapidly, some of the specific sections on clinical trials and newer targeted therapies felt a bit dated compared to what is currently available in 2026. It’s a solid foundation, but it definitely needs to be supplemented with more current research to get the full picture of modern treatment.
I feel the general takeaway from Dr. Black’s philosophy would be that knowledge is the best antidote to the fear that a brain tumor diagnosis brings. And if I’m to have a brain tumor, I guess a meningioma doesn’t seem like the worst type to have, despite this ominous quote from a long-term haver of a meningioma: “I know how lucky I am, but you do always think that it's lurking there.”
In early December of 2025 I was in a head on collision when an Amazon driver decided to use my lane when taking a bend in the road. The impact left my car totaled and sent me to the emergency room, where a precautionary CT scan revealed an unexpected finding: a 20 × 30 × 27 mm (~2 x 2 x 3 cm) mass, presumed to be a meningioma (though without a biopsy it's uncertain, as it presents with some atypical features post MRI). It is situated in the left parieto-occipital region, extra-axial in location, and arises from the falx (aka the hemispheres.)
What started as an ordinary drive into the office that morning became the unlikely prelude to a chapter I never anticipated writing.
As I'm in the "watch and wait" stage with additional CT and MRI scans scheduled at Moffitt next week, I thought it would be prudent to educate myself a little further on the subject. A search came up with Peter Black, M.D.’s Living with a Brain Tumor: A Guide for Patients and Their Families, widely considered a definitive resource for those of us navigating the physical and emotional complexities of a brain tumor diagnosis.
Furthermore, my mother was diagnosed with a vestibular schwannoma behind her left ear a couple years back and underwent treatment to have it removed. So learning about this particular tumor is insightful as well.
Drawing on decades of experience operating on thousands of patients, Dr. Black explains in clear terms what brain tumors are, how they’re diagnosed, and the different types patients may encounter. The book is organized into sections that cover the emotional shock of diagnosis, the full range of treatment options (from surgery to radiation and chemotherapy), medications and practical guidance on recovery and coping with life after treatment.
A brain tumor is unlike any other health problem. If you lose a breast or even a leg, you can still function and the person you are inside remains intact. Yet because the brain controls your physical, psychological, and emotional nature, a brain tumor and its treatments can truly change who you are. You may lose your early memories or only have memories of the past. Depending on the area of the brain where the tumor is, you also may experience euphoria, absence of feeling (flat affect), impatience, anger, and depression. These personality changes can be quite difficult for you and your family to adjust to. -page 109
For me, this paragraph hit particularly hard. A brain tumor does more than threaten the body; it unsettles the very essence of who a person is, and so the tragedy lies not only in the medical battle but in the quiet, painful transformation of familiar traits fading, emotions shifting, and memories slipping away. It’s a profound reminder that our personalities, our histories, and our relationships are all rooted in the fragile organ that makes us who we are and I’ve been dwelling on this more than anything else.
The section on surgery, though insightful, was a bit unnerving as well. Given the location of my tumor, treatment would most likely require a craniotomy; an operation in which a portion of the skull is temporarily removed to allow access to the brain and then later replaced. I could only hope it would not involve an “awake” craniotomy, a procedure in which surgeons perform cortical mapping during the most delicate stages of the operation where I would remain conscious, speaking and responding while the surgical team stimulates and tests areas responsible for movement, sensation, language, and reading. I was also unaware that (though uncommon) a range of horrifying complications can follow surgery such as edema (especially with the hemispheres!), stroke, hydrocephalus, and cerebrospinal fluid leak - yikes! along with several other general medical problems having to do with the lungs, bladder, heart and skin.
However, it's not all doom and gloom, as he does offer advice on support networks, managing life changes during treatment, and fostering hope and wellness.
With that being said, Dr. Black is clearly a titan in the field of neurosurgery, however this book did feel a bit text-booky in certain chapters. Being a patient already suffering from “information overload” or cognitive fog, as I have been, the deep dives into surgical techniques and cellular biology was a bit to process.
Additionally, because the field of neuro-oncology moves so rapidly, some of the specific sections on clinical trials and newer targeted therapies felt a bit dated compared to what is currently available in 2026. It’s a solid foundation, but it definitely needs to be supplemented with more current research to get the full picture of modern treatment.
I feel the general takeaway from Dr. Black’s philosophy would be that knowledge is the best antidote to the fear that a brain tumor diagnosis brings. And if I’m to have a brain tumor, I guess a meningioma doesn’t seem like the worst type to have, despite this ominous quote from a long-term haver of a meningioma: “I know how lucky I am, but you do always think that it's lurking there.”
December 27, 2025
Must read.
As someone who has just been diagnosed with a brain tumor, this book is a must read. It is filled with valuable information. I can see myself referencing the material frequently as I go along my journey.
As someone who has just been diagnosed with a brain tumor, this book is a must read. It is filled with valuable information. I can see myself referencing the material frequently as I go along my journey.
February 15, 2014
On a personal level this book was helpful to describe the symptoms and reasons for them according to the specific tumor I am dealing with. Crazy how it has affected my right side so drastically but gave me a better understanding of why. Also, it seems to me that immediate surgery is my first and best treatment course of action.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews