Secrets of the Cancer-Slaying Superman -- Reviewed by Arinze Mgbemena

 Benjamin Rubenstein was sixteen years old trying to make the varsity tennis team at his high school. He was in the middle of his teenage years and was enjoying his life. One day,  Benjamin started feeling a horrible pain in his left hip. He told his brother about the pain, but his brother told him to give it a few days to see if it would go away. Benjamin decided to fight through it to be able to play tennis, but the pain became unbearable, so he reported it to his parents.  A few days later, Benjamin and his parents went to the hospital to see what was wrong with him. They found out that Benjamin had Ewing's Sarcoma a horrible bone cancer in his left hip.

Throughout the story, Benjamin reflects about his experiences with radiation and chemotherapy and being around children and young adults that he called the "sick kids". He tells us about his emotions of going through cancer the first time. He also describes how he saw people with cancer acting like it was normal to have it. He also remembers how positive they were about it even though they were close to death. Not only did Benjamin go through cancer twice, he also lost his left hip because of the disease. 

 Furthermore, he reminisces about his second encounter with cancer when he had leukemia at the University of Minnesota. He developed this disease as a complication from his treatment from all the radiation he was exposed to. He also discuses his experience with his bone marrow transplant and how he felt alone and in pain all the time. He speaks about his strength mentally and how he tried to stay calm and determined through his second fight with the disease.I enjoyed this book very much because it gave me insight into the life of a young man with cancer. 

The book is interesting. It taught how to be positive about life at its hardest moments. It gave me a look at a teenager with cancer who became an adult with cancer. It was interesting to see the types of maturity through the different times of Benjamin's life when experiencing this disease. This book also did scare me a little because Ben was diagnosed as a teenager with Ewing's Sarcoma which is found in teenage boys. Which makes me more cautious about my health. It also surprised me how Benjamin went through it all. Knowing most teenage boys at that age would've been terrified and probably would've acted different from the way Benjamin did. Me personally would've been deeply scared if it was me or even if it was for a close family member I would fear strongly for them.