"I spent five years of my life being treated for cancer, but since then I've spent fifteen years being treated for nothing other than looking different from everyone else. It was the pain from that, from feeling ugly, that I always viewed as the great tragedy of my life. The fact that I had cancer seemed minor in comparison."

At age nine, Lucy Grealy was diagnosed with a potentially terminal cancer. When she returned to school with a third of her jaw removed, she faced the cruel taunts of classmates. In this strikingly candid memoir, Grealy tells her story of great suffering and remarkable strength without sentimentality and with considerable wit. Vividly portraying the pain of peer rejection and the guilty pleasures of wanting to be special, Grealy captures with unique insight what it is like as a child and young adult to be torn between two warring impulses: to feel that more than anything else we want to be loved for who we are, while wishing desperately and secretly to be perfect.

Amazon.com Review
At age nine, Lucy Grealy was diagnosed with a potentially terminal cancer. When she returned to school with a third of her jaw removed, she faced the cruel taunts of classmates. In this strikingly candid memoir, Grealy tells her story of great suffering and remarkable strength without sentimentality and with considerable wit. Vividly portraying the pain of peer rejection and the guilty pleasure of wanting to be special, Grealy captures with unique insight what it is like as a child and young adult to be torn between two warring impulses: to feel that more than anything else we want to be loved for who we are, while wishing desperately and secretly to be perfect

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 95 reviews)

Great book

I think this is a great book. No wonder it has been adopted by so many high schools. The way Ms.Grealy wrote the book it seems as if you want to be going through the same thing she does. It makes me just want to comfort her because of all the pain and sadness she went through.I think this one of the best books ever written.
August 30, 2008

A beautiful child

I liked this book very much, it was hard to read about Lucy. I knew her when she was a beautiful little girl. She would come into the Spring Valley Library with her twin sister. One day I told her she had ink marks on her face and she told me that was for the radiation. She went to school with my kids but they never said anything unkind about her, and years later I saw her on the street, terribly
deformed on her face. It is a very sad end for a very brave girl who didnt deserve the hand she was dealt. Read the book and rejoice in your better luck.
August 27, 2008

Autobiography of a Mind

We lost Lucy Grealy too soon. By we, I mean the world of art. She was truly a gifted writer. Her writing slides across the page as if the words are riding sentence surfboards atop waves of emotion. Yeah, I'm pretty corny when it comes to metaphor, but as Lucy might say, "This girl isn't." I wish I could describe how well written this book is, but I've already demonstrated my inability to do it justice. If you haven't read it, you owe it to yourself to meet this incredible little dynamo and see inside someone who held her head and her spirit high enough to challenge us to climb up with her.
August 13, 2008

A compelling story

This book is inspirational and eye-opening. I experienced a different standpoint of truth and beauty. I enjoyed the mechanics and vocabulary in the book. I found the amazing chapter structure easy to use. "Autobiography of a Face" is intelligent and heartfelt . Lucy Grealy surprised me, after reading the afterword by Ann Patchett, when she stated that she was 'making art not a documentary'. I would've look forward to reading Autobiography of a Face: The "Real" Story although I know it would not be written.
August 11, 2008

A Journey to Self-Acceptance

Grealy was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma at the age of nine. From then on, her life was divided into two parts before and after cancer. After the surgery to remove half her jaw, Grealy spent over two years enduring weekly chemotherapy treatments. When she was finally declared 'healthy', Grealy returned to the sixth grade -- only to be met with scorn and cruelty from her classmates.

Her story is written clearly and concisely. She is unerringly honest about how her disease affected her family, her developing personality, and those around her. As we follow her through years of skin and bone grafts, we witness her need or acceptance from others and her gradual acceptance of herself.

I was particularly struck by Grealy's need to be 'strong.' She is constantly reminded not to cry and to never show fear. This begins Grealy's quest to be the model patient. I am amazed that this small child was able to internalize and minimize her emotions, suffering, and considerable pain. To me, she seemed like an adult soul in a child's body.

I recommend Autobiography of a Face -- it is a moving and meaningful read.
August 09, 2008

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