Assessment:
Plot/Idea: This touching memoir—chronicling Smith's battle against brain cancer—is organized chronologically and gifts readers with an intimate view of Smith's years-long fight, as well as her long-term recovery. The snippets of humor, emotionally wrought moments, and, above all, powerful determination to never give up, are striking.
Prose: Smith writes conversationally, recounting her journey through simple but profoundly inspiring prose.
Originality: Smith's candid, down-to-earth treatment of a devastating diagnosis makes this memoir relatable, moving, and emotive.
Character/Execution: Welcome to Katie's Brain shares the author's day-to-day experiences in heartfelt tones that will inspire and deeply impact readers, particularly for those who have faced serious illness themselves.
Date Submitted: October 01, 2024
Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite
Welcome to Katie's Brain: A Brain Cancer Survivor's Story by Katie Kaiser Smith chronicles the author’s journey after being diagnosed with inoperable, terminal brain cancer at 41. Through a daily diary that began as a way to update friends and family, Katie documents her four-year battle with the disease, sharing her physical, mental, and spiritual transformation. The memoir captures her resilience, the evolving relationships with loved ones, and the profound impact of laughter, tears, and unwavering support in her fight for survival. Katie Kaiser Smith’s candid and heartfelt storytelling offers an inspiring and deeply personal look into the challenges of living with a terminal illness, and it’s incredible and terrifying to think that such small circumstances could lead to the discovery of enormous changes in one’s own life.
Katie Kaiser Smith delivers her story with a beautiful blend of humor and raw honesty that’s so easy to read that it softens the blow of a book entirely about facing terminal cancer. She conveys complex emotions and undesirable topics with authenticity and grace, never shying away from reality, but also reminding herself (and us) of the power of focusing on the positive. That is a consistent and confident narrative theme that offers much hope and encouragement to others facing similar battles. The organization of the memoir builds on the chronology while introducing us to Katie’s wider world and the people who helped her through an impossibly difficult time. I especially enjoyed the reports of brilliant conversations, some jovial and some extremely serious, and how all of it helped her onto a positive and resilient path of survival and future happiness. Overall, Welcome to Katie’s Brain is a powerful and engaging read that everyone should engage with and appreciate. I know I did.
