After breast cancer : a common-sense guide to life after treatment. / Schnipper, Hester Hill; Schnipper, Lowell E - New York: Bantam Books, 2003.

After breast cancer: answers to the questions you’re afraid to ask. / Mayer, Musa - Sebastopol, Ca. O’Reilly & Associates, Inc. 2003.

Life goes on: losing, letting go and living again. /Boulanger, Gail - Nanoose Bay, B.C. Notch Hill Books, 2002.

Although the need for information is so critical at diagnosis and during therapy, women still have questions and struggles after treatment ends, and new books and resources can help.

"Life Goes On" does more than talk about coping with loss and change, it is a practical workbook with questions and projects at the end of each chapter to help the reader in her own "grief work." It is not speci.cally about cancer, but includes a wide range of people and experiences to provide the framework for handling loss in a healthy way. Unthreatening and yet deeply personal, this is a good book for anyone struggling with overwhelming, persistent, or confusing emotions following cancer treatment.

In 2003, two different women who have had breast cancer published books called "After Breast Cancer," to help others navigate their new life. Both books cover important topics such as facing the end of treatment, medical follow up and testing, the threat of recurrence, and personal change. They have indexes and lists of resources at the back. Each author has drawn on her own personal experiences and also quotes extensively from other women.

Hester Schnipper's book is thorough and gentle, with chapters on such things as sexuality and genetic testing. She is a social worker, and provides in most chapters clear lists of practical tips and strategies for dealing with each topic, from physical changes to helping children adjust. This book covers a few more topics than the other and gives plenty of information.

Musa Mayer's book is very direct and incorporates plenty of experiences from other women. The quotes are set out clearly in the text, which is helpfully marked with subheadings throughout. Information from medical studies is presented in tables and charts to make it easier to follow. The author gives current research to back up her statements, but this is not a scary medical textbook. It is very easy to read, straightforward, and the substantial quotes should help women feel less alone in their "new normal."