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February 4, 2020
Jennifer Spiegel's Playlist for Her Memoir "Cancer, I'll Give You One Year"
In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book.
Previous contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Lauren Groff, Bret Easton Ellis, Celeste Ng, T.C. Boyle, Dana Spiotta, Amy Bloom, Aimee Bender, Heidi Julavits, Roxane Gay, and many others.
Jennifer Spiegel's Cancer, I'll Give You One Year is a boldly told memoir of illness and identity.
Gina Frangello wrote of the book:
"Jennifer Spiegel is—thank God—an anti-guru. This frantic, real-time memoir contains absolutely zero ‘love yourself’ or ‘wellness’ platitudes and instead burns with panic, rage, body shame, jealousy, exhaustion, nausea, marital frictions and loyalties, the emotional labor and primal urgency of motherhood, and one writer’s obsessive need to document her transformation—to interrogate rather than instruct on concepts of femininity, sexuality, and autonomy. Though Spiegel’s experience with breast cancer is fully her own, her wild, darkly comic and brazenly honest rant is a must-read for anyone who has struggled with the ways illness and body parts inform identity."
In her own words, here is Jennifer Spiegel's Book Notes music playlist for her memoir Cancer, I'll Give You One Year:
The memoir is the book I wrote when I thought I’d be dead soon.
I know that’s very dramatic. I can’t think of how to be understated about it.
When I’m asked for the one-paragraph description of the book, I say this: Cancer, I'll Give You One Year: A Non-Informative Guide To Breast Cancer, A Writer's Memoir In Almost Real Time is not about eating kale. The book is 100% literary nonfiction and 0% self-help. It was actually written for the author’s children in case she died. This sounds morbid, but maybe “pointed” and “candid” are better words. Embracing candor as an aesthetic, this real-time story hits upon the sacred, the profane, a trip to Epcot, a colonoscopy, her kids’ responses to everything, and OJ Simpson’s parole hearing. Writing-centric, voice-driven, and conscious of a death sentence . . . no diets or exercises are offered, but the author may give horrible parenting advice. It’s undoubtedly funny, but also a meditation on meaning.
And this is the playlist to go with the book. Some songs were added during revision. If I were going to editorialize on my choices, I might note the reversion to old habits and the down-to-the-basics quality of the selections.
I did start with the same song that was close to the end of the playlist for And So We Die, Having First Slept. Not sure what that means.
It’s really a great playlist! Go here for the music.
1. “Praying Arm Lane” by 16 Horsepower
2. “Big God” by Florence + The Machine
3. “A Sort of Homecoming” by U2
4. “Wanted Man, Take One” – Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash
5. “Spectrum” by Florence + The Machine
6. “Pour Mouth” by 16 Horsepower
7. “Kiss” by Prince
8. “Sunday Bloody Sunday” by U2
9. “Shake It Out” by Florence + The Machine
10. “Heel on the Shovel” by 16 Horsepower
11. “Mary, Don’t You Weep” by Prince
12. “Tomorrow” by U2
13. “Heavy in Your Arms’ by Florence + The Machine
14. “Burning Bush” by 16 Horsepower
15. “I Feel For You” by Prince
16. “Leave My Body” by Florence + The Machine
17. “Driving With You” by Meg Tennant
18. “All My Tears” by Julie Miller
19. “Straw Foot” by 16 Horsepower
20. “With a Shout (Jerusalem)” by U2
21. “Silver Saddle” by 16 Horsepower
22. “Bad” by U2
23. “Ain’t No Grave” by Johnny Cash
Jennifer Spiegel and Cancer, I'll Give You One Year links:
the author's website
the author's blog
Largehearted Boy Book Notes playlist by the author for And So We Die, Having First Slept
Largehearted Boy Book Notes playlist by the author for Dead Inside
Largehearted Boy Book Notes playlist by the author for The Freak Chronicles
Largehearted Boy Book Notes playlist by the author for Love Slave
Vol. 1 Brooklyn interview with the author
also at Largehearted Boy:
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Book Notes (2015 - ) (authors create music playlists for their book)
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my 11 favorite Book Notes playlist essays
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