Lisa's Story: The Other Shoe

by Tom Batiuk

Book Overview

Syndicated in more than 400 newspapers, Tom Batiuk's strip Funky Winkerbean has become known for its treatment of close-to-home issues -- and Batiuk's recent series of strips that followed the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0873389522
• ISBN13: 9780873389525
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: Kent State University Press
• Length: 246 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 10.0" x 7.5"

Customer Reviews

Lisa's story is the BEST book ever!!

I have never read a book that could make me laugh and cry all within 2 pages of it. I read "Lisa's story" for the first time in the comic strips and fell in love with Funky Winkerbean. Now every Sunday I look forward to getting the Sunday paper just so I can read it first thing and see where Tom Batiuk is taking the characters next. It's great having the whole collection because now I can see what happens in between the Sunday ones and it actually makes me feel like I'm living the story. I really genuinely feel like I knew Lisa and when I read the line "She's gone" I cried. The imagery that Tom Batiuk used to portray her dying was incredible because it's like saying that we don't know where exactly we go when we die or whose face we're going to see on the other side, but it's comforting in a way and when she said "I love you" as her last words, talk about rip your heart out. I also love Summer and how she reacted to her mommy being sick and then her passing, it definetly reminds you of the innocence of a child. You also feel so bad for Les losing Lisa like that after being by her side and sometimes you forget that it's not just the woman going through it, but it affects the whole family. Bravo to Tom for having him stick by her through the whole ordeal. I highly recommend anyone male or female to buy this story, it's like making a new friend that you can see anytime and grieve with. Also, if you're going through it or know someone who is, it helps you to understand how they are feeling and know that you're not alone. BRAVO TOM BATIUK, you're story of Lisa is very inspiring!!!!!

Emotional

Lisa's Story: The Other Shoe I followed Lisa's story online, but I had to have the book, the whole story. I just got it today and I wept as I read it, so deeply touched that I felt as if I lived it with her. Tom Batiuk brought her and all those around her to life and wrote a powerful story. Buy this book, buy it for all the Lisa's out there.

Heart-warming and informative

I had already been reading "Funky Winkerbean" on a regular basis and had read the first series, when Lisa was "cured," so kept reading as the second story unfolded. One day I saw something on t.v. about how some people thought this comic strip was good, but some thought it didn't belong in a comic strip. I also saw an article about it in the newspaper. That prompted me to go on line at "Funky Winkerbean" and there I discovered the book(s) that had been written. I ordered the book and received it right away. The story hasn't quite ended yet, but I can keep up and look back to clarify what was is/was happening. I'm so glad I got it because I wasn't able to see the strip every day, but had the book and could follow along. As I said in my title, this book is very heart-warming but also has reference materials avaible for those suffering breast cancer. I've read it over several times, and each time I cry. Every time I read the strip, I also get tears in my eyes. This story makes you actually feel a part of Lisa's life, its ups and downs, etc. You feel as if you actually know her and are a part of her family and community. I also enjoy the other storylines in the strip. I would encourage everyone to buy this book. I loved it!!

This One Hit Home

I lost my mother to breast cancer on September 13, 2004. She was 52, and, like the main character of "Lisa's Story," her cancer had been in remission for many years until it unexpectedly metastasized. My mother, an artist, violinist, and sculptor, attended Kent State University with Tom Batiuk, the creator of "Lisa's Story" (and Tom's some-time collaborator, Chuck Ayers). Batiuk styles much of his fictional world off of my native northeast Ohio, and so the familiarity of his characters made me a fan at an early age. As I have grown, his characters have grown, and the scope of his storylines have grown along with them. "Lisa's Story" is perhaps the crowning achievement of this constant evolution, profound, compassionate, hopeful, and very, very real. I could not help but think of my mother as I followed the story of Lisa's battle with cancer as it unfolded in the Cleveland Plain Dealer over the past several years. As soon as this collection came out, I made a point of buying it and reading the whole story from start to finish. It was a hard read, not because Batiuk had erred in any sense as a storyteller. Rather, this book was hard to finish because Batiuk had succeeded so completely in capturing the rollercoaster ride that is life with cancer with such utter pathos and clarity. I was weeping by the end. Don't be surprised if you're weeping, too. But don't let the tears scare you. The moral of the story is something you should take to heart, whether your life has been touched with cancer or whether you have had the great good fortune to dodge that terrible bullet. Buy this book. Read it. You will never think the Sunday funnies are just trivial confections again.

A book with wide appeal

As a woman surgeon who treats women for breast cancer, I was intrigued by this book. I found it delightful! It treats a serious subject with just the right touch. More importantly, it is loaded with insights into breast cancer, the way patients and health care professionals interact, and the reaction of family and friends. The front part of the book reprints the story of Lisa, who discovers a lump in her breast, copes with diagnosis, treatment - including surgery, chemotherapy, and reconstruction, and gets on with her life with a good sense of humor. The back part of the book has one of the best selections of resource material for breast cancer patients and their families that I have ever seen. This is not just a book for women - it's a book for their husbands and their families and friends. Finally, it's a book that medical students and physicians should read - it holds up a mirror to the medical profession and laughs gently at our shortcomings. Carol Scott-Conner MD PhD, Professor and Head, Department of Surgery, University of Iowa College of Medicine.