While researching and writing Previvors these past few years, I’ve come across quite a few other books that truly complement my own. For instance, Jessica Queller’s Pretty is What Changes is a thoughtful, insightful account of one woman’s experience with hereditary breast cancer. I couldn’t put it down.

More recently, I came across Amy Boesky’s What We Have which also gives a first-person account of her family’s long history with cancer. Boesky, a literary professor at Boston College, tells her story with eloquence and grace. The book is poignant and powerful, humorous at times and heart-breaking at others. I encourage previvors everywhere (let alone anyone looking for a excellent read) to pick up a copy.

I think the more previvors out there who share their stories—like Amy Boesky, Jessica Queller, and, of course, the five brave women in my book—the better. Women with a high risk for breast or ovarian cancer need to know that they are not alone. While navigating through the various options to defy their fate, they should know that there are many who have traveled down the same path before; many who would say that doing so was the best decision of their lives.