Pretty is What Changes: Impossible Choices, the Breast Cancer Gene, and How I Defied My Destiny. by Queller, Jessica - 2008

Sydney: Random House, 2008. Australian ed.. Paperback large trade, very good condition, top corner tip rear cover creased, pages lightly toned, minor edgewear. 247 pp. After her mother died of cancer, Jessica Queller took the test for a BRCA mutation - the genetic marker for breast and ovarian cancer. The test came back positive, meaning she had an 85% chance of getting cancer herself. Yearning for a family of her own, she faced an agonizing choice: a lifetime of vigilant screenings and a commitment to fight the disease when caught, or radical double mastectomy that would effectively restore life to her - even as it would challenge her most closely held beliefs about body image. This book reaches beyond those who have been directly touched by cancer, and will inspire debate among all who appreciate the difficult choices that come with balancing love, family, career and life as a whole.