The cover of Mom's Cancer by Brian Fies.Title: Mom’s Cancer
Author(s): Brian Fies
Artist(s): Brian Fies
Category: Autobiographical, Science, Medicine
Languages: English, French
Grade Level(s): 7-12
Mature Content?:N/A

Synopsis:

When Brian Fies’s mother was diagnosed with cancer, he began cataloguing and dealing with the ordeal in a web comic and had no idea what the ending would turn out to be. Mom’s Cancer won an Eisner Award as a small, independently published collection that deals with grief, grieving, and how cancer treatment works. It can be dark, beautiful, and painful, but always insightful and clever, striking at the heart of the experience of disease in a family.

Teaching Points:

Mom’s Cancer is written by a scientific mind, but Fies is by no means a doctor. That being said, it gives a good, solid understanding of some of the science of cancer, an excellent view of grief and grieving, and a fascinating look at a patient’s experience in cancer treatment. While few resources exist for how Mom’s Cancer can or should be used in a classroom, it seems an ideal paired text to At the Will of the Body: Reflections on Illness. It is also featured on Graphic Medicine, which collects medical and science comics.

A look inside Mom's Cancer by Brian Fies.

Related Resources/Lesson Plans:

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