THE IMMUNE SPIRIT (Fall 2001)

Susan Ryan Jordan is a breast-cancer survivor. She is also the estranged mother of actress Meg Ryan, whom she refers to here by her childhood name, Peggy. What's troubling is that it's difficult to tell which of these aspects is more important to Jordan's memoir of disease and recovery. The former high school teacher grounds her story with frank discussions of how the cancer diagnosis and her subsequent mastectomy affected her sense of femininity and self-worth. But her efforts are tainted by the undercurrent of anger and resentment that flows toward her famous daughter.