Better

How I Let Go of Control, Held On to Hope, and Found Joy in My Darkest Hour

De: Amy Robach

Narrado por: Amy Robach

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “An inspiring story of coming back from cancer and learning to cherish every moment.”—People

“I have breast cancer.” When Good Morning America anchor Amy Robach revealed her shocking diagnosis on live television in November 2013, the seasoned news reporter embarked on the most difficult and illuminating journey of her life. In this intimate memoir she retraces the twelve months following her announcement and speaks candidly, for the first time, about how her illness affected her family life and her marriage, tapped into her deepest fears and strengths, and transformed her in ways she never could have imagined.

Only weeks earlier, in September 2013, ABC producers asked Robach to get an on-air mammogram to highlight Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Her first instinct was to say no—there was no history of cancer in her family, she was only forty years old, and she felt strange drawing attention to herself when she had no personal connection to the issue. (She’d been meaning to get her first mammogram that year but had conveniently “lost” the prescription.) Her colleague Robin Roberts, herself a cancer survivor, convinced her to do it with one simple sentence: “I can pretty much guarantee it will save a life.”

To Robach’s surprise, the life she saved was her own: Tests revealed malignant tumors in her breast, and she immediately underwent a bilateral mastectomy, followed by six months of chemotherapy treatments.

Better is more than a story of illness and recovery. Robach recounts the day she and her husband, Andrew Shue, got the terrible news; the difficulty of telling her two young daughters, and the challenges of carrying on with the everyday duties of parenting, nurturing a fledgling second marriage, and managing a public career. She lays bare the emotional toll of her experience and mines her past for the significant moments that gave her the resilience to face each day. And she describes the incredible support network that lifted her when she hit bottom.

With honesty, humility, and humor, Robach connects deeply with women just like her who have struggled with any kind of sudden adversity. More important, she shares valuable wisdom about the power of the human spirit to endure the worst—and find the way to better.

Praise for Better

“By selflessly sharing the incredible story of her unexpected journey with breast cancer, Amy has given countless others hope. Better is the perfect title for her beautiful book. Sitting next to her every morning at GMA, I’m blessed to experience how my dear colleague and friend makes everything and everyone better.”—Robin Roberts, co-anchor of Good Morning America

“Amy is tough as nails and tenderhearted. The perfect combination, no? I have loved her for years, but never more than when I watched her beat cancer with such strength and grace. Her book is full of hope and healing—for Amy, and for all of us.”—Hoda Kotb, co-host of Today

“[Robach’s] beautiful new book, Better, is an exploration of her battle with breast cancer. What I love about it is that she never claims to be fearless; she was petrified. . . . Super inspiring stuff, the kind we need way more of in general.”—Meredith Rollins, editor in chief, Redbook

“With the amazing background to Robach’s discovery of her disease, plus her inspirational tenacity during her career, readers will likely never miss their annual mammogram again. For all patient health collections.”—Library Journal

Reseñas de la Crítica

“By selflessly sharing the incredible story of her unexpected journey with breast cancer, Amy has given countless others hope. Better is the perfect title for her beautiful book. Sitting next to her every morning at GMA, I’m blessed to experience how my dear colleague and friend makes everything and everyone better.”—Robin Roberts, co-anchor of Good Morning America

“Amy is tough as nails and tenderhearted. The perfect combination, no? I have loved her for years, but never more than when I watched her beat cancer with such strength and grace. Her book is full of hope and healing—for Amy, and for all of us.”—Hoda Kotb, co-host of Today

“[Amy Robach’s] beautiful new book, Better, is an exploration of her battle with breast cancer. What I love about it is that she never claims to be fearless; she was petrified. . . . Super inspiring stuff, the kind we need way more of in general.”—Meredith Rollins, editor in chief, Redbook

“With the amazing background to Robach’s discovery of her disease, plus her inspirational tenacity during her career, readers will likely never miss their annual mammogram again. For all patient health collections.”—Library Journal

“In Better, Amy Robach deftly brings us to the brink and back, showing us how, in life’s most wicked rapids, we can rise above our fear and find safe passage.”—Kelly Corrigan, author of Glitter and Glue

“Amy Robach describes her experience with cancer in a way that incorporates the medical, emotional, personal, professional, maternal, and romantic aspects of life. You will laugh, cry, and learn.”—Jennifer Ashton, M.D., ob-gyn, ABC News senior medical contributor and co-host of The Doctors

“Amy is a powerful and personal voice for breast cancer awareness and research. Not only has she demonstrated incredible poise and strength during her journey with breast cancer, but she uses her experience to advocate for the cause and galvanize women and men across the nation. This is a must-read.”—Leonard A. Lauder, chairman emeritus, the Estée Lauder Companies, and co-chairman, Breast Cancer Research Foundation

“Life can sometimes throw harsh curveballs and put you on a path you never thought you’d walk. Amy’s illness led her on an unnerving journey, but she chose to share it with her audience, and in turn they walked and cried and rallied around her through her whole endeavor.”—Luke Bryan, Academy of Country Music “Entertainer of the Year”

Read this book!

I am a 3 year breast cancer survivor and it was cathartic to listen to Amy read her story, her experiences with breast cancer and many other life events. I've always thought she was beautiful on the outside, but it was a treat to feel as though I actually got to know her by listening to her book. She is quite feisty! Love that fighting spirit!! The part that resonated with me the most is toward the end of the book, when she explains her thoughts on the hurtful criticism toward her from some in the metastatic community. Now that I have listened to it, I must have a hard copy for my book collection. 😊

An Awesome Ladys Cancer Story

I just got done listening to Amy’s reading her book and I truly believe she is such an amazing lady for being so open and honest about what she has gone through, and believe that no matter what some people think she’s a positive role model for every one,regardless if you have cancer or not, I have always been a big fan of G M A and of Amy’s and always will, I have a family that has all died of cancer so I know what she living with, and I know you just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward and making the best of what you got,because life will always go on.Richard Deering

Really great story

I loved Amy's book. She really showed the human side of this disease and that even if you come out okay, there is still a lot of anxiety.

Thanks Amy!

This was such a warm & sweet story of something so awful! I too am a 3 yr survivor and feel better knowing someone else has the same questions & feelings daily! No one really knows how you feel unless they have gone through it and that's what makes it so hard we as women carry on like nothing is going on! Thank you for sharing and screw the male docs who will never understand that early detection does save lives!

Amazing Amy

What a story! Very inspiring ! I’ve watched Amy on GMA and never would have known all the challenges she has had in her life. Thanks to her for sharing !

I loved it!

I have experienced some recent health issues and Amy’s story helped me feel like my emotions are normal.
Excellent book, I’m amazed at how soon she went back to work and how much travel she did while still recovering. I would recommend this book. I listened to it in two days.

Cancer journey

Real and raw the author takes you along her journey with her, sharing her fears and lessons learned along the way.

LOVED

I thoroughly loved this book. It's honest and poignant and so wonderful. You feel like Amy's best friend by the end, and, at least for me, wish the conversation would never end. Definitely keep the tissues handy.

So inspiring!!

An honest and heartwarming memoir that will make you want to live a "Better" life. Amy is able to transport the reader to the doctors appointments, news room and into her home, making you feel all the emotions that come with cancer and it's treatment . Hearing Amy read it herself, you feel like a friend is telling the story and you want to hug her through your device. All the beauty you see on the outside is multiplied on the inside.

boring narrating -

Narrating too monotone. story was good, though I found the author to be a bit too full of herself. the epilogue was the best part of the whole book!