In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness month (the disease that led to Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low’s death in 1927), I want to recommend the Pulitzer Prize-nominated book Bathsheba’s Breast: Women, Cancer, & History (2002) by fellow Texas scholar James S. Olson. The book traces the history of the treatment, personal experiences, and public discussions of cancers that impact women from the dark ages through the latter 20th century.
Remarkably, Olson finished writing the book while dealing with cancer himself, leading to the amputation of his left hand and forearm. His personal experiences with cancer lend an extra layer of empathy to his analysis of the women throughout history who dealt with a disease that until relatively recently was not discussed in polite company. This was certainly true for Daisy Low, who went to such great lengths to keep her cancer secret as she worked tirelessly to grow her Girl Scouts organization that even close friends were caught off guard by her death.
As we pause this month to think about the Girl Scout founder’s birthday on October 31 and the disease that led to her demise, Olson’s book offers a valuable resources in understanding the history that preceded Daisy’s journey and how far we have come since then. Highly recommend!
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