The FIRST LOOK

"Grappling head-on with America's ""hidden killer,"" The First Look presents direct statements from breast cancer survivors together with photographs of their postsurgery bodies. This powerful volume counters the fear of the unknown by providing concrete information on what breast cancer survival looks and feels like.Amelia Davis's bold photographs equip those facing surgery with real information on what to expect, on reconstructive options, and on lymphedema, a frequent result of mastectomy. This essential book also provides companions-in-arms for newcomers to the battle against cancer. Behind each photograph, behind each story is a woman who triumphed. Their ""battle wounds"" serve as reminders of the resilience of the female spirit and as symbols of survival, perseverance, and strength.A diverse portrait of renewal, regeneration, and most of all reality, The First Look presents mothers, grandmothers, wives, and daughters ranging in age from twenty-five to seventy-six. Some have undergone reconstructive surgery or been fitted with prostheses; some have not. All have struggled with cancer's wide-ranging impact on their bodies, their relationships, and their daily lives.""Posing for this book . . . is sort of like 'coming out,'"" a twenty-eight-year-old subject of this book reports. By taking a stand to make breast cancer visible rather than hidden, The First Look affirms the human body as an art form, not only as it was created, but also as it is reshaped in the course of a life. "