Today is National Read a Book Day! In this blog, our Information Materials Researcher, Sue Hawkins, explains why and how we review books about cancer, where to read the reviews, and how to get involved.
Why do we review books about cancer?
Reading a good book can help people to understand and manage their health and well-being.
Reading about someone else’s experience can also help people realise that they are not alone and that their reactions and feelings are normal.
We review books to help us decide if they are likely to be useful for other people affected by cancer, or, perhaps more importantly, avoided. The reviews also help us advise our cancer information and support centres and public libraries about the most appropriate cancer books to stock. The books are all reviewed by volunteers, this could be people affected by cancer or health professionals.
What books do we review?
Since 2007, our volunteers have reviewed over 450 books. These cover a wide range of topics including:
The books also come in different formats, such as diaries, graphic novels, books for children, fiction, and poetry.
Where can I read the reviews?
Here are some links to books we have reviewed recently:
You can find all of our book reviews in the Macmillan Cancer Support web directory of information materials for people affected by cancer (which looks like this!).
You can search for a book by title or author or you can find all the reviews by searching for “Book reviews”. Click on the title of the book to see the full record, where you can find a link to download the reviews.
You can also download the Macmillan Core Book List – a list of suggested books about cancer for public libraries. We also occasionally feature reviews on our Online Community Book Club.
How does the book reviewing process work?
You can volunteer to review books for us through the Volunteering Village website (this is the home page).
You can search by opportunity type, then select “Review documents” and click “Search” to see a selection of the books currently available for review. You can also email Sue Hawkins for more information.
When you see a book on the Volunteering Village that you would like to review, you can apply for the opportunity or contact Sue. We will send you a copy of the book free of charge, along with a review form. Then you will have two months to complete your review! Once we have a number of reviews for one book, we will post them on our website for people to read. Find out more about the review process here.
Our volunteers enjoy reviewing books for us, here’s what some of them have said…
We are always looking for more book reviewers! So please do visit the Volunteering Village or get in touch with Sue Hawkins if you are interested.
Even if reviewing books isn’t quite up your street, you may still find the books themselves helpful. Take a look at what books about cancer are available, read some reviews, and spread the word to friends and family who might find them helpful.
To see what else Macmillan's cancer information team has been blogging about, please visit our blog home page! You can subscribe to receive our blogs by email or RSS too.
We're with you every step of the way
The Macmillan team is here to help. Our cancer support specialists can answer your questions, offer support, or simply listen if you need a chat. Call us free on 0808 808 00 00.
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