No Cure for Being Human

Heartbreaking ... a breathtaking narrative

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Kate Bowler has paid through the nose to become a writer of uncommon spiritual wisdom, coupled with an amazing sense of humour and a heart full of love. She fills me with hope.

Anne Lamott

Kate Bowler refuses to jump on the bandwagon of toxic positivity. Instead, she leads us to a truer truth: the work is unfinishable, and so be it. I find my interactions with the mind of Kate Bowler more useful and comforting than most all others combined.

Kelly Corrigan, NYT bestselling author

Kate Bowler is the rare author who can explore difficult subjects with both breathtaking honesty and light-heartedness. From the moment I started this brilliant memoir, I couldn't put it down (and I underlined many passages). Faith, mortality, vocation, parenthood, the World's Largest Ball of String ... Bowler brings profound insight and love to the human experience.

Gretchen Rubin

Wise, wry reflections on living in the face of uncertainty. A sensitive memoir of survival.

Kirkus Reviews

This is a remarkably poignant memoir about what it means to be human. With grace, wisdom, and humour, Kate Bowler encourages us to cut back on self-help Kool-Aid and teaches us how to make more of our lives.

Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Think Again

I began reading No Cure for Being Human after dinner one evening and didn't move until I finished the last gorgeous page. As I finally put this masterpiece down, I thought: Kate Bowler is the only one we can trust to tell us the truth. Bowler is a prophet and her new offering is another true gift to the world. This book will open minds and warm hearts.

Glennon Doyle, bestselling author of Untamed

With hilarity and courage, Bowler tells the story of being diagnosed with stage-four cancer at thirty-five, forcing her to re-examine the way she (and we) live our lives. This is a brilliant examination of what happens when everything you assumed is suddenly in question, and you have to substitute love for self-actualisation and hope for certainty.

Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk To Someone

A breathtaking, utterly beautiful memoir about what it means to be human. No Cure for Being Human reminds us of all the horrors and beauty of this precious life. Kate Bowler is an incredible writer with something important to tell us. I'll be pressing this book into the hands of everyone I know, and I'll be hugging my kids so hard tonight too.

Christie Watson, bestselling author of The Language of Kindness and The Courage to Care

In a culture that asks us to constantly strive and improve, Kate Bowler recognises that our own pain is neither an aberration nor an opportunity but a fact of life. There is nobody on earth who sees our humanity quite like Kate Bowler.

Nora McInerny, creator and host of the podcast Terrible, Thanks for Asking

A must-read for anyone whose life has been bifurcated into a before and after. Every page shimmers with wit and wisdom.

Suleika Jaouad, author of Between Two Kingdoms

Wise, funny, and gorgeous... a masterpiece

Jen Hatmaker, New York Times bestselling author

Bowler's prose is adept at capturing the dialectic of life's "splendid, ragged edges" showing through. And she's funny, too. This is a gem for cancer patients and their families and for survivors, but really, for anyone who understands the terror and beauty of being human.

Booklist

Bowler's affecting narrative offers fresh insight on life and chronic illness. Readers will be engrossed by this heartfelt memoir.

Library Journal

If you want your life changed and your heart expanded - and to laugh - read this amazing, amazing book.

Julia Samuel, bestselling author of Grief Works and This Too Shall Pass

A clear-eyed, beautifully written account of coming to terms with that fact that "so often the experiences that define us are the ones we didn't pick"

The Sunday Times

'Dry, witty and compassionate; a balm for the prickly soul'

The Independent