No Cure for Being Human: (And Other Truths I Need to Hear)
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- Create Date：2021-08-30 02:19:09
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Kate Bowler
- ISBN：B08RHF2RV5
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Summary
The bestselling author of Everything Happens for a Reason （And Other Lies I've Loved） asks， how do you move forward with a life you didn't choose？
It's hard to give up on the feeling that the life you want is just out of reach。 A beach body by summer。 A trip to Disneyland around the corner。 A promotion on the horizon。 Everyone wants to believe that they are headed toward good， better， best。 But what happens when the life you hoped for is put on hold indefinitely？
Kate Bowler believed that life was a series of unlimited choices， only to find that she was stuck in a cancerous body at age 35。 In No Cure for Being Human， Kate searches for a way forward as she mines the wisdom （and absurdity） of our modern "best life now" advice industry， which offers us exhausting positivity， trying to convince us that we can out-eat， out-learn and out-perform our humanness。 With dry wit and unflinching honesty she grapples with her cancer diagnosis， her ambition， and her faith and searches for some kind of peace with her limitations in a culture that says that anything is possible。
In facing down cancer， Kate， a Christian Joan Didion （Glennon Doyle）， searches for hope without cheap optimism， and truth with room for mystery。 We are as fragile as the day we were born， and we will need each other if we're going to tell the truth: Life is beautiful and terrible， full of hope and despair and everything in between， but there's no cure for being human。
It's hard to give up on the feeling that the life you want is just out of reach。 A beach body by summer。 A trip to Disneyland around the corner。 A promotion on the horizon。 Everyone wants to believe that they are headed toward good， better， best。 But what happens when the life you hoped for is put on hold indefinitely？
Kate Bowler believed that life was a series of unlimited choices， only to find that she was stuck in a cancerous body at age 35。 In No Cure for Being Human， Kate searches for a way forward as she mines the wisdom （and absurdity） of our modern "best life now" advice industry， which offers us exhausting positivity， trying to convince us that we can out-eat， out-learn and out-perform our humanness。 With dry wit and unflinching honesty she grapples with her cancer diagnosis， her ambition， and her faith and searches for some kind of peace with her limitations in a culture that says that anything is possible。
In facing down cancer， Kate， a Christian Joan Didion （Glennon Doyle）， searches for hope without cheap optimism， and truth with room for mystery。 We are as fragile as the day we were born， and we will need each other if we're going to tell the truth: Life is beautiful and terrible， full of hope and despair and everything in between， but there's no cure for being human。
Reviews
Ashley Medendorp
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Kate puts so many of our， very human， thoughts into eloquent phrases woven through a heartbreaking and joyous story。 My mama heart broke with her in those late night snuggles with Zach。 She helps you face the bittersweet reality of being human， with the promise of a resurrected saviour。
Katy Wilson
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Writing a memoir of her own cancer journey， Kate Bowler describes to us in glorious detail， her struggles both physical and emotional after getting a diagnosis of Stage 4 Cancer。It seems that so far her life has been blessed – her close relationship with her beloved father and the rest of her family， her wonderful loving husband， her sweet 3 year old son and of course her glittering career。Then came the dreaded words， strangely from the mouth of a doctor’s assistant who gave her the news over th Writing a memoir of her own cancer journey， Kate Bowler describes to us in glorious detail， her struggles both physical and emotional after getting a diagnosis of Stage 4 Cancer。It seems that so far her life has been blessed – her close relationship with her beloved father and the rest of her family， her wonderful loving husband， her sweet 3 year old son and of course her glittering career。Then came the dreaded words， strangely from the mouth of a doctor’s assistant who gave her the news over the phone。 The journey begins and as I read I was both struck by the horror of her situation – a 35 year old young mother – and the good fortune that she has。 Her family and friends are extremely supportive， her own marriage is clearly happy and loving and her child is bright and cuddly。 Kate is a Christian - but even as she finds herself in this challenging situation there is never a hint that she rails against God or even questions the fairness of it all。 As a UK reader I find myself slightly jarred by the godliness of the book – it’s not very British to talk about it so much。 But this is a small matter and I was also fascinated enough to look up Mennanites to understand more about the community。I read the book rapidly， at first wondering if it would end in her tragic death but gradually realising this was a story of survival。 While other Kate’s on the drug trial were not so lucky， our Kate survived。 Knowing this important fact while writing must have made it harder to describe the terror and the confusion of the journey。 The fact is that while I enjoyed it， there was something lacking for me in this book。 A terrible and frightening thing happened to an incredibly lucky person， and it all ended happily after all。 What I did like were some of the descriptions – “For months I have been vigilant about my doctors， alert for any nuances in facial expression…。。The handful of times when I cried， or asked a particularly unvarnished question， I watched my clinical trial doctor retract like a salted slug”There was also great power in her description of her dawning realisation that taking part in a clinical trial turned her from a patient， to a study participant， and her 'doctor' was a scientist。 I will continue thinking about her description of the difference between pastoral and apocalyptic time which is very relevant to the human race in this year of 2021。 So you see there was much to enjoy in this book and I am so glad there was a happy ending。 If there was something lacking for me it is perhaps because I ask for a little more complexity in a book dealing with life and death。 Or maybe I am just envious of those who have happy families。 。。。more
Helen Frost
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Poignant， heart wrenching honest and a really powerful insight into living with cancer， the highs and lows and facing your own mortality。 Brilliantly written and very accessible style with a dash of humour and lots of strength and determination。 A humbling and very thought provoking read， with lots of very memorable sentiments and lines， puts a lot into perspective， definitely recommend。
Janet
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Date reviewed/posted: August 13， 2021Publication date: September 30， 2021When life for the entire galaxy and planet has turned on its end， you have personally decided to basically continue on #maskingup and #lockingdown to be in #COVID19 #socialisolation as the #fourthwave （#fifthwave？） is upon us， superspeed readers like me can read 300+ pages/hour， so yes， I have read the book … and many more today。 Plus it is hot as all heck and nothing is more appealing than sitting in front of a fan with a Date reviewed/posted: August 13， 2021Publication date: September 30， 2021When life for the entire galaxy and planet has turned on its end， you have personally decided to basically continue on #maskingup and #lockingdown to be in #COVID19 #socialisolation as the #fourthwave （#fifthwave？） is upon us， superspeed readers like me can read 300+ pages/hour， so yes， I have read the book … and many more today。 Plus it is hot as all heck and nothing is more appealing than sitting in front of a fan with a kindle！I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley， the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review。 From the publisher， as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews， I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸。The bestselling author of Everything Happens for a Reason （And Other Lies I've Loved） asks， how do you move forward with a life you didn't choose？Hailed by Glennon Doyle as 'the Christian Joan Didion'， Kate Bowler used to accept the modern idea that life is an endless horizon of possibilities， a series of choices which if made correctly， would lead us to a place just out of our reach。 A beach body by summer。 A trip to Disneyland is around the corner。 A promotion on the horizon。 But then at thirty-five， she was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer， and now she has to ask one of the most fundamental questions of all: How do we create meaning in our lives when the life we hoped for is put on hold indefinitely？In No Cure for Being Human， Kate searches for a way forward as she mines the wisdom （and absurdity） of our modern 'best life now' advice industry， which offers us exhausting positivity， trying to convince us that we can out-eat， out-learn and out-perform our humanness。 With dry wit and unflinching honesty， she grapples with her cancer diagnosis， her ambition and her faith and searches for some kind of peace with her limitations in a culture that says that anything is possible。Frank and funny， dark and wise， Kate's irreverent， hard-won observations in No Cure For Being Human chart a bold path toward learning new ways to live。I am reviewing this very quickly because I read a friend's ARC as I was told "YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK NOW"！。。。thank God I did。 This is an all-in memoir that is not pretty at times， but all-out funny at other moments。 This is a very Jesus-positive book but that is okay，。。。I cannot see if offending Muslims or Jews as that is not the heart of the story 。。。 the author is。 This is a great book club pick - there is so much to discuss as there will be a LOT of opinions and not all will be the same。 Trust me。 I will also highly recommend this book to friends， family， patrons， and people reading books in the park as we do … I have had some of my best conversations about books down by the Thames！ 。。。more
Emily Lund-Hansen
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"No Cure for Being Human" is at once a memoir and a take-down of the cultural scripts that tell us we can perfect our lives， control our fates--if we only do this， buy that。 I flew through this book in a few sittings， and I'll be returning to its wisdom again and again。 This is the kind of book you read， highlighting every page， then make a list of people to buy it for so you can talk about it with them。 （Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book！） "No Cure for Being Human" is at once a memoir and a take-down of the cultural scripts that tell us we can perfect our lives， control our fates--if we only do this， buy that。 I flew through this book in a few sittings， and I'll be returning to its wisdom again and again。 This is the kind of book you read， highlighting every page， then make a list of people to buy it for so you can talk about it with them。 （Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book！） 。。。more
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Susie Meister
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It’s everything you imagine a Kate Bowler book will be。 Life lets us down sometimes， but Kate hasn’t yet。 My god， she’s good。
Gretchen Rubin
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A beautiful， candid， insightful memoir （not available until September）。 I love the work of Kate Bowler—both her book Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved and her podcast Everything Happens。 A beautiful， candid， insightful memoir （not available until September）。 I love the work of Kate Bowler—both her book Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved and her podcast Everything Happens。 。。。more
Becki
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Full disclosure- I adore author Kate Bowler。 She is the only writer I know who routinely makes me sob at the beautiful truths that she lays down and simultaneously laugh through my tears as she reveals the absurdity of it all- and by "it all"， I mean。。。 life。 In her most personal book yet， Bowler shares her continuing journey through a stage four cancer diagnosis as a young mother and her subsequent treatment。 I've never had cancer， but she paints with strokes that we all recognize- bucket lists Full disclosure- I adore author Kate Bowler。 She is the only writer I know who routinely makes me sob at the beautiful truths that she lays down and simultaneously laugh through my tears as she reveals the absurdity of it all- and by "it all"， I mean。。。 life。 In her most personal book yet， Bowler shares her continuing journey through a stage four cancer diagnosis as a young mother and her subsequent treatment。 I've never had cancer， but she paints with strokes that we all recognize- bucket lists and dreams for our children。。。 and wondering if we are wasting our most precious commodity— time。。。 This book is incredibly precious and oh so relatable。I read a lot and I like to think that I usually do a decent job of putting words together， but when I finish a book like this one， I feel absolutely incapable of sharing my thoughts adequately。 Kate's words are just too lovely and real。 I can only say that I absolutely loved this book。 Read it。My thanks to the author， publisher， and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of this beautiful book。#NoCureForBeingHuman 。。。more
Kristy
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I always appreciate Kate Bowler's realism--life is hard， no need to sugar-coat it。 But she tempers that with good friends and family， hard work， faith， and happiness。 Her narration of her cancer is harsh， but besides the crying I was also laughing and appreciating the very real portrayals of the people in her life--doctors， family， colleagues， friends。 And I love her practical tips at the end in the Appendix， the "instead of this cliche， try this reality"。 I find those so helpful。 Thanks to Netg I always appreciate Kate Bowler's realism--life is hard， no need to sugar-coat it。 But she tempers that with good friends and family， hard work， faith， and happiness。 Her narration of her cancer is harsh， but besides the crying I was also laughing and appreciating the very real portrayals of the people in her life--doctors， family， colleagues， friends。 And I love her practical tips at the end in the Appendix， the "instead of this cliche， try this reality"。 I find those so helpful。 Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Laurie
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Kate Bowler takes an honest look at what it means to really "live" life as she faces her cancer diagnosis。 She's not one to mince words and doesn't shy away from the struggles she faces in her relationships as she moves through the clinical trials in an effort to reclaim a future for herself。 While Bowler is a professor at Duke Divinity School， this book doesn't refer to her beliefs too often， rarely speaking about heaven， hell and eternal life。 Instead， she focuses on her life here - her son， h Kate Bowler takes an honest look at what it means to really "live" life as she faces her cancer diagnosis。 She's not one to mince words and doesn't shy away from the struggles she faces in her relationships as she moves through the clinical trials in an effort to reclaim a future for herself。 While Bowler is a professor at Duke Divinity School， this book doesn't refer to her beliefs too often， rarely speaking about heaven， hell and eternal life。 Instead， she focuses on her life here - her son， her husband， family and friends - and her concerns about the legacy she'll leave behind。Thank you， NetGalley， for the ARC。 。。。more
Trish Ryan
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This was a tough one to review， because in other circumstances I would say that this memoir reads as if the author did not have enough distance - emotionally or chronologically - to sort through her experiences and craft them into a book。 I kept thinking that she might feel differently about certain things if given a bit more time。 But of course， the lack of time is the entire point in this book， the second memoir by the author about her cancer diagnosis and all the questions it raised about lif This was a tough one to review， because in other circumstances I would say that this memoir reads as if the author did not have enough distance - emotionally or chronologically - to sort through her experiences and craft them into a book。 I kept thinking that she might feel differently about certain things if given a bit more time。 But of course， the lack of time is the entire point in this book， the second memoir by the author about her cancer diagnosis and all the questions it raised about life and time， relationships and perspective。The strength of this book is how relatable she is。 Any type-A， goal-oriented person will understand the abject terror of being told that the life you’ve always controlled and directed is now running fast down a track you didn’t choose。 But this is also my greatest disappointment， in that the author is a professor of religion， but seems at all times to be acting as her own god， turning again and again to her own powers in order to regain some sense of control。Her account of what she learned about clinical drug trials makes this book important for anyone considering this path - the distinctions she draws are surprising， raw， and not at all what one hopes。 And yet reality rather than fantasy is an important theme throughout these pages。I’m of mixed opinion， but will say that for anyone who things this might be for you， it’s worth a try。 I suspect many will find it helpful and informative。 Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book。 。。。more
Olivia Coletta
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This is by far one of the best books I’ve ever read。 Kate writes so poetically about the pain and beauty of her life she didn’t choose。 I cried both tears of joy and sadness。 Walking away with so many pieces of wisdom。 This book is a gift。
Liz
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I received this book in a first reads giveaway in exchange for an honest review。Kate Bowler was a woman who life worked for until she got diagnosed with incurable colon cancer。 She does a wonderful job exploring what it means to live under a diagnosis which is potentially fatal。 The part of the book I liked the most was her commentary on how spectacularly unhelpful a lot of the cliche American advice we give to folks with poor health diagnosis is。
Ayelet
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Such a fan of Kate Bowler！
Molly Marus
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I’d like to call this book beautiful and terrible， but truthfully I only saw it’s beauty。 I simply gobbled up this honest account of the complexity of humanity in less than 24 hours， after receiving an advance copy。 Kate Bowler tells her story interwoven with various truths of the human condition。 Naming the fact that we are all facing this incurable condition of life， one wherein no one escapes alive。 There is never enough time。 And that is the simple beauty of the experience。 I have admired Ka I’d like to call this book beautiful and terrible， but truthfully I only saw it’s beauty。 I simply gobbled up this honest account of the complexity of humanity in less than 24 hours， after receiving an advance copy。 Kate Bowler tells her story interwoven with various truths of the human condition。 Naming the fact that we are all facing this incurable condition of life， one wherein no one escapes alive。 There is never enough time。 And that is the simple beauty of the experience。 I have admired Kate Bowler’s work since reading her first book a couple of years ago。 As someone living with several chronic conditions， I am continually inspired by her work to continue hoping。 Hoping for tomorrow and kindness and beauty to be found within。 Thank you so much for this wonderful set of truths that I definitely needed to hear。 。。。more
Mary Saou
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Kate's writing is stunning。 If you haven't read her first memoir， "Everything Happens for a Reason （and other lies I've loved），" stop right now and pick up a copy。 It's a keeper。"No Cure for Being Human" is her second memoir that digs even deeper to questions about meaning， suffering， existing as a human in a finite body。 I stopped to reread passages more than once， as her thoughts provoked my own questions and tender places。 The realness with which she shares her experience and asks difficult q Kate's writing is stunning。 If you haven't read her first memoir， "Everything Happens for a Reason （and other lies I've loved），" stop right now and pick up a copy。 It's a keeper。"No Cure for Being Human" is her second memoir that digs even deeper to questions about meaning， suffering， existing as a human in a finite body。 I stopped to reread passages more than once， as her thoughts provoked my own questions and tender places。 The realness with which she shares her experience and asks difficult questions is disarming and alluring。 This is one of those books you highlight something on nearly every page， full of wisdom and depth。I was honored to have Kate as my professor for Church History back in seminary。 It was before her cancer diagnosis， and we were her first class she taught after having her son， Zach。 So much of that class was memorable， not only for the creative ways she covered the content， but her clear delight in the fun side of life。 Years and chemo treatments later， that perspective may have shifted but has not disappeared。 Kate somehow holds together deep grief and levity in a way I wouldn't have thought possible。This a book to be savored; to share with a close friend; to journal。 "No Cure for Being Human" is one of the most honest & insightful books I've ever read。Thank you to Kate Bowler， Random House， and netgalley。com for access to this free advanced review copy。 This review is voluntary and thoughts are my own。 。。。more
Joy Matteson
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Kate Bowler doesn't mince words about life and death。 I loved how starkly honest and true her words rang as she recounts her struggles with "being human" and having a body that tried to kill her via cancer in her 30s。 It's raw， funny， and inspiring in the best way。 No platitudes here， but some real truth and love。 Highly recommended。 Kate Bowler doesn't mince words about life and death。 I loved how starkly honest and true her words rang as she recounts her struggles with "being human" and having a body that tried to kill her via cancer in her 30s。 It's raw， funny， and inspiring in the best way。 No platitudes here， but some real truth and love。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Susie Stangland
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…these are the choices I’ve made。 The people I’ve loved…。 Kate Bowler reminds us life is a limited period of time， choose well how you spend it。 Learn what is important and forgive yourself for the times you haven’t。This is one of the most perfect books I have ever read。 I’m thankful it crossed my reading path and have and will continue to share it with all I know。 Her podcast too！！
Marika
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5 star， review to come* I read an advance copy and was not compensated
Literary Redhead
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