Despite the title, this book was not radical, but very educational and informative. I learned a lot about many different facets of breast cancer, breast health, and research.

I loved Radical: The Science, Culture, and History of Breast Cancer in America by Kate Pickert. This book is a thorough review of large breakthroughs in breast cancer research, including the evolution of our basic understanding of breast cancer, the mainstay treatments, and our increasing ability to personalize risk and treatments. It also provided an overview of how advocacy efforts have grown and changed in recent years. After reading The Undying by Anne Boyer earlier this month, which provided searing commentary about pink ribbons and the detrimental impacts of treatments, a detailed history like this was perfect for filling in the blanks about why these things are the way they are. In particular, I was fascinated by the chapter discussing the rise and fall of Susan G. Komen.

Pickert was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at age 35. I enjoyed her small memoir sections, which were woven through the chapters to provide personal experiences. However, I would have liked if they had more clearly guided the book’s narrative. It sometimes felt like there was no driving force from chapter to chapter, since each chapter covered a distinct topic.

As a health-care journalist, Pickert does not shy away from controversial topics in breast cancer research. Population-wide breast screening practices have been a point of contention for years, and I thought that her coverage of the topic was nuanced and compelling. She did not appear to be biased in her reporting, and I don’t think she expected readers to come away with one clear answer on any of these complicated issues.

This book would be very accessible to someone with little to no scientific knowledge. I am a cancer genetic counselor, so I was already familiar with today’s treatments and controversies. I still found this book to be a refreshingly approachable way to learn more about the history of the field. This was an ambitious book, and it was very well executed.

Thank you to Little, Brown Spark and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Kate Pickert, a health-care journalist, got up close and personal with her usual subject matter when was was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent treatment. This book is a a medical history of breast cancer, a cultural history of movements like the infamous pink ribbon, a survey of changing treatments, an investigation into our society's complex feelings about mammary glands, and lastly, a memoir of her experiences.

Pickert takes a thoughtful, measured approach. As a reader of Maya Dusenbery's <i>Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick</i> and Barbara Ehrenreich's <i>Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America</i>, I was a little surprised by how neutral Pickert's take was. She addresses the gross injustice of the medical complex to women but also praises its advances. The section on the debate about mammograms was particularly well done. The book left me thinking hard about how women and their breasts are treated in our society and truly relieved by recent medical advances.

A really excellent read for anyone who enjoys cultural histories and certainly for anyone with breasts.