"The entire first paragraph...is what hooked me initially. I love this book. I love your descriptions of characters and events and the science surrounding the novel. I know I will read it again some day."                            

                          -Ginny Koberstein, Fitchburg, Wisconsin

"I'll never look at cancer treatment in quite the same way again. For about the first 20 pages, I thought this was a true story! Every element of the book, from the characters to the plotting, the science, and even the prose, was superlative."

-Dori Schatell, Madison, Wisconsin

"I had to put the book down to get some sleep but picked it up again at 3 a.m. to finish. I LOVE this book. I've been telling everyone to read it immediately."

-Cynthia Wheeler, Madison, Wisconsin

"I am a breast cancer survivor who has been on quite the roller coaster over the last nine years. I absolutely LOVED this book and I'm sending copies to folks as gifts."

-Robin Douthitt, Madison, Wisconsin

"Your book, given the right circumstances, could be life changing. It is beautifully crafted. I would put it in the same category as 'Tuesdays with Morrie' and 'My Sister's Keeper' by Jodi Picoult. It is a disservice to humanity that this book is not readily available at all retail booksellers. No one who has had any experience at all with cancer would be left untouched by the insightful and positive way in which you have written about this dreadful disease."

-Carol Birch, Madison, Wisconsin

"I loved the book. It also strikes close to home. I am a multiple myeloma patient. At diagnosis 8 years ago the newest treatments were more than 30 years old. Clinical trials to develop new and compare old 'gold standards' did not add one single day of longevity to MM patients from 1968 through 1998, as documented by Mayo Clinic. I am plugging this book as a very good read that provides much food for thought."

- Chuck Koval, Madison, Wisconsin

"Down to the last page, I loved the book. You are the thinking woman's author -- it actually taught me something about a vital issue and I feel smarter after having read it. The plot is so good it could be made into a movie. And the writing is artful, realistic and original, as are the characters (I want to have a drink with Gretchen some time...or maybe I don't!). I will recommend this book to all of my friends."

- Cathy Riddle, Middleton, Wisconsin

"The storytelling is masterful and the plotting rich and complex. I'm unashamed to say that it brought me to tears several times. The characters are so well drawn. I came to know especially well Gus and Alta, and in particular Deering -- a fascinating dictator and a fierce lion, but not devoid of the gentleman. Variations of this guy resided, and thrived, in my former work world. I also delighted in the scads of observational detail."

- Chris Wilcox, Madison, Wisconsin

"I couldn't put the book down, I had to read it from cover to cover as soon as I could. It was very much like the book critic described. My wife would have enjoyed reading it! I loved watching the Clancy movies, she loved reading them. This was true literary realism."

- Greg D. Pawelski, Wernersville, Pennsylvania

"I could hardly wait to spend time reading this book; I even rationed the pages. It strikes close to home for anyone who has had experience with cancer, and it raises fundamental questions about the way we are approaching treatment of this disease. I can say, honestly, that it moved me to tears."

- Ashley G. Anderson Jr., M.D., Madison, Wisconsin

"The book is fabulous, in the can't-put-it-down category. It would make a great screenplay. Only one other book I recall actually bringing me to tears, and that's 'Death in the Afternoon' by James Agee. I am certainly recommending this book."

- Eva Wright, Madison, Wisconsin

"The book was wonderful. I could see myself at the hospital. There's too much cancer and we are not fighting it in the right way."

- Mary Ann Alexander, Toronto, Canada

"I was enthralled with the book. I hated to see it end. I can't believe others of my age would not also enjoy reading it. The politics of the cancer center will hit home, I am sure."

- Sharon Abraham, Madison, Wisconsin

"I happen to love medical concerns, questions, mysteries and intrigue, and this book really got to me. I could hardly put it down. When/if I am ever diagnosed with cancer, I will definitely approach treatment in a very different way. The book reminded me of Allegra Goodman's 'Intuition', but this is definitely superior. The character development is so much better and the science is clear and complete without being condescending."

- Pat Wilcox, Madison, Wisconsin

"The characters were great fun and colorful -- exuberant, passionate, and realistically complex in their relationships. I loved Alta! And your literary skills continued to the end, I felt like I had completed a wonderful five-course meal."

-Geeg Drum, Madison, Wisconsin

"Really, really compelling with so many wonderful intricacies and plot twists. The story would be seriously compromised if you didn't give readers enough of the science for them to follow what is so galling about the whole thing. This book will appeal to people who want a fleshed-out narrative as well as scientific facts."

- Evelyn Strauss, PhD, Santa Cruz, California

"The book is a gripper. Characters one cares about, however annoying; haunting issues; unflagging pace. The Door County chapter an aching tranquillity."

- Jim O'Brien, Madison, Wisconsin

"I'm a woman on a mission. I'm going to encourage everyone I know to purchase this book."

"One very strong market will be book clubs, all those avid readers who thrive on depth, meaningful topics, piquant word choices, character, plot, and world-view discussion points galore. Plus, we all have friends or acquaintances with cancer and may want to bring the information to them. I did!"

"The entire thing kept my interest. The characters are so well drawn, especially Leo, the teenager. All that's missing is some sort of Preface about the science -- not everyone will read the website; they'll think the science is all fiction.

- Hannah Pinkerton, Madison, Wisconsin

"So much excellent imagery that I was totally immersed and felt so much a part of the drama. I predict this book will be discovered and become a huge success, it definitely deserves to be."

"I liked the mental and emotional twists and turns; I even hissed once or twice at a doctor. I couldn't read it just before going to bed--I got too charged up."

- Kay Frazier, Cottage Grove, Wisconsin

“I'm telling everyone I know about it. I absolutely loved it, couldn't put it down!"

"The book seriously reminds me of a Michael Crichton novel in the way that he weaves science and fiction together. I loved every last word and have been a bit depressed since I finished it. Not because of the content, but because of the void left behind."

“While I remained fascinated by the characters themselves, in the second half the science and politics really heated up, and your balancing act was remarkable. Really, the book is remarkable.”

"The story sucked me in and I read it when I should have been doing other things. Few stories do that for me. It would be compared to the kind of book that Crichton would write."