Author’s Night: “From Whispers to Shouts: The Ways We Talk About Cancer”

Dr. Elaine Schattner will discuss her new book, From Whispers to Shouts: The Ways We Talk About Cancer, published by Columbia University Press. Copies will be available for purchase and signing at the event.

From Whispers to Shouts examines changing public perception of cancer through stories in newspapers and magazines, social media, and popular culture from before 1900 to the present day. The author, a cancer survivor and former oncologist, traces the origins of patient advocacy and activism highlighting how, while doctors have lost control of messages about cancer, survivors have gained visibility and voice. In the concluding section, Schattner lays out provocative questions facing the cancer community today including distrust of oncologists, concerns over financial burdens, and disparities in cancer care. She considers how patients struggle to make decisions amid conflicting information and opinions, and explores the ramifications of openness, good and bad, asking: Has awareness backfired? Instead, Schattner contends, we need greater understanding of cancer’s treatability.

About the Presenter

Dr. Elaine Schattner is a journalist, cancer survivor, and physician who worked as a blood and cancer specialist before completing a journalism degree at Columbia University. She is a clinical associate professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. Her freelance work has appeared in the New York Times, Scientific American, Washington Post, NPR and elsewhere. She is an elected fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine and of the American College of Physicians, member of the American Society for Clinical Oncology, and a distinguished member emeritus of the American Society of Hematology.