Author Archives: Jennie Spotila

Favorite Reads of 2023

Listen, I know that everyone posted their favorite books of 2023 already. I wanted to as well, but my recovery from breast cancer surgery took longer than I anticipated, and now I’m getting radiation treatment. However, I still really want … Continue reading

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Enough

I’ve been waiting until I felt well enough to post about my breast cancer surgery and recovery, about the treatment I will begin in January. I have words to say about experiencing the healthcare system as a person with cancer … Continue reading

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“I have cancer”

I told my husband last week, “It’s just as hard to tell people you have cancer as it is to find out you have cancer in the first place.” So, let me take a deep breath and say: I have … Continue reading

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29

I got sick on October 6, 1994. Writing a memoir that spans almost three decades requires a lot of self-reflection, not only about what I’ve been through but about the choices I made, what I got wrong, and what I … Continue reading

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Ed Yong Made Me Cry

There I was, reading Ed Yong’s latest newsletter, and wondering if I had the energy to go downstairs for a cup of coffee. Near the end, Yong listed his upcoming appearances along with an invitation: Come say hi; please wear … Continue reading

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Lightning Book Review: Crip Up The Kitchen

I’ve loved to cook since I was a kid. I wanted to grow up to throw fancy dinner parties like my aunt, complete with appetizers and an elaborate dessert. And I did give some pretty awesome dinner parties, with menus … Continue reading

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Favorite Reads of 2022

Books are one of my favorite things, and I love to talk about them. Every reader is unique, of course, and we each have a wheelhouse–characteristics that will make us love (or hate) a book. Maybe you love stories about … Continue reading

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New York Magazine Article Biased and Riddled with Errors

Today I sent the following email to the Editor of New York Magazine: As a reader of New York Magazine, I have come to expect your articles to be accurate, well-researched, and fair. Unfortunately your recent piece, “Has Long COVID … Continue reading

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How to Avoid Covid

For the first time in three weeks, I live in a Covid-free house. Day 0: My husband was the first to get sick. He woke up with severe congestion and a headache, but tested negative for Covid on an antigen … Continue reading

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In The World

I have spent more time in public in the last month than I have in two-and-a-half years. We were having some work done on the house, and I could not stay there in the midst of the noise, dust, and … Continue reading

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