The Prostate Monologues: What Every Man Can Learn from My Humbling, Confusing, and Sometimes Comical Battle With Prostate Cancer - Hardcover

"I know from personal experience that deciding whether or not to intervene after a prostate cancer diagnosis can be agonizing. Fortunately, Jack McCallum has written an honest, even-handed book to help separate fact from myth. I wish it had been around two years ago." --Phil Jackson, 13-time NBA champion and author of Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success "Jack McCallum has skin in the game and has created a compelling narrative which is personal, humorous, practical and informative. The Prostate Monologues is the perfect book for men with prostate cancer as well as those who love them." --Steven A. Kaplan, M.D., Chief, Institute for Bladder and Prostate Health, Weill Cornell Medical College "It is time for men to be as open and informed about prostate cancer as women became about breast cancer. With humor, humanity, frank discussion, and good information, Jack McCallum helps men understand the disease and the decisions many of them will face." --Jeff Jarvis, author of Public Parts and What Would Google Do? and a prostate patient "Jack McCallum's book sheds much light on a subject that sometimes confounds even those of us in the prostate cancer field. The Prostate Monologues has the potential to help thousands of men trying to make a difficult decision. Please read it." --Dr. David Lee, Chief of Urology, Penn-Presbyterian Medical Center "Jack McCallum's book manages the impossible, sifting through mountains of data, conflicting 'expert' opinion, the personal and the biomedical, all in an engaging manner that is just serious and funny enough to do the trick." --Dr. Peter Bach, attending physician, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center "Writing a compelling and informative book on the subject without sounding clinical or distasteful can prove challenging even to a seasoned wrtier...McCallum does a great job of presenting each of these facets in ways that are both informative and candid. He takes the reader through his apprehensions and presents a clear picture of what it was like for him." --Morning Call "Irreverent, brave and unfailingly honest, this book follows one sportswriter's journey through prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment. No lectures, McCallum promises, and no regrets." --Grand Forks Herald "[McCallum] tackles the subject in great detail, brining his everyman attitude and a researcher's eye towards translating an oft-confusing and frightening topic for the general audience....For those interested in, or worried by, prostate cancer...it's an accessible starting point." --Publisher's Weekly

Recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and approaching surgery, Jack McCallum wanted to tackle the confusion, misconceptions, and conflicting medical advice that so many men struggle with when thinking about the disease. So he got to work writing The Prostate Monologues. Through the lens of his own experience, McCallum attacks the nitty-gritty questions about prostate cancer that men think about (but may be too bashful to ask their doctors) with honesty and humor. For example, "When is it safe to attempt intercourse, or at least, self-inflicted orgasm?" Or, if you have surgery, "What's it like the first time you shop for adult diapers?" With wry humor, McCallum decodes the sometimes-confusing jargon of medical professionals so that it is understandable and relatable to "regular" men. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men and the second most fatal. Worse than the obvious commonality and mortality of the disease, though, is the fact that prostate cancer can rob a man of his manhood. Accordingly, McCallum handles the subject not only with care and knowledge, but also with good cheer. Through the honest telling of his own story, and drawing on the latest research, McCallum shares insight into what's worked for him--and what's proven to work--in surviving cancer with your sense of humor intact.