A Kingdom of Tender Colors
by Seth Greenland
A Kingdom of Tender Colors is a book about cancer--the funny side. One unremarkable day at the age of 37 Seth Greenland finds himself in everyone's nightmare - a routine doctor visit, some swollen glands, a series of tests, a biopsy, and finally a diagnosis of an aggressive form of lymphatic cancer. A screenwriter and satirist with a blooming career in Hollywood, Seth has felt pretty good about his life until now; suddenly, the world has tipped on its axis. With the support of friends and family, Seth launches into an attempt to save his own life without losing either his sanity or his sense of humor. From chemotherapy treatments, to meditation and more alternative treatments, he battles the disease with wit, honesty, and no small amount of sheer terror. There are no pat answers or inspirational revelations here, just one man confronting hopes and fears recognizable to us all - and triumphing.
Hardcover
English
Brand New
Author Biography
Seth Greenland is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter, and author of five novels, including Shining City (A Washington Post Best Book of the Year) and The Hazards of Good Fortune (nominated for the 2019 Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger). Born in New York City, Greenland lives in Los Angeles with his wife.
Review
Praise for A Kingdom of Tender Colors "Intelligent, self-aware, and resistant to easy answers, A Kingdom of Tender Colors defies any expectation of being a cancer survival guide. Instead, more radically, it is a book about finding a way of being. It is existential in the way of Camus's The Stranger, without the murder and with more jokes."--Tom Teicholz, Los Angeles Review of Books "[Greenland] provides genial, engaging, humorous company throughout the narrative, showing how one can gain a new appreciation for life at its most mundane as well as miraculous."--Kirkus Reviews "Absorbing and funny...Readers may come for the screenwriter/novelist's cancer story, but they'll stay for his gifts as a raconteur."--Shelf Awareness "A Kingdom of Tender Colors brings a charming humor to a subject that is nothing if not dire [ . . . ] Greenland holds nothing back, including his feelings of inadequacy and incredulity."--Alta Journal Praise for Seth Greenland "Savagely hilarious"--Wall Street Journal "Uproarious."--Publishers Weekly "Affecting and funny."--The New York Times "Intoxicating, ultimately moving, and peppered with wit."--The LA Review of Books "A wild entertainment that dares to dance with the profound."--The Los Angeles Times
Review Quote
"Savagely hilarious"-- Wall Street Journal "Uproarious."-- Publishers Weekly "Affecting and funny."-- The New York Times "Intoxicating, ultimately moving, and peppered with wit."-- The LA Review of Books "A wild entertainment that dares to dance with the profound."-- The Los Angeles Times
Description for Sales People
TARGET CONSUMER * For readers of Furiously Happy: A Funny Book about Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson; Calypso by David Sedaris; The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k by Mark Manson; Everything Happens for a Reason by Kate Bowler; Just Like Someone Without Mental Illness Only More So: A Memoir by Mark Vonnegut. * Readers who are dealing with illness themselves or through friends or family, but also a wider audience who will appreciate the novel's mix of dark humor and honest meditations on mortality. KEY SELLING POINTS * What sets this apart from other illness memoirs is the voice--smart, ironic, deeply touching, and very funny. * Inspirational but never sappy * A fascinating tale of one man's quest for a cure, his struggle to hold onto his emotional health, and the redemptive effects of family and friends with an irresistible blend of self-lacerating humor. * Will appeal to those with first-hand experience of cancer and to those who enjoy a good tale of an everyman's triumph in the face of the odds.
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