Dangerous Boobies

Breaking Up with My Time-Bomb Breasts

Contributors

By Caitlin Brodnick

Foreword by Rachel Bloom

On Sale
Sep 12, 2017
Page Count
256 pages
Publisher
Seal Press
ISBN-13
9781580056755

After watching too many family members die of cancer, at age 28, public speaker and comedian Caitlin Brodnick was tested for the BRCA1 gene mutation and tested positive, indicating an 87% chance she’d likely be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. She had a preventative double mastectomy, thereby becoming an everywoman’s Angelina Jolie.

Dangerous Boobies: Breaking Up with My Time-Bomb Breasts goes in depth into her experience from testing to surgery and on to recovery. With a warm, funny, and approachable voice, Caitlin tells readers the full story, even sharing what it was like to go from a size 32G bra — giant, for a woman who is barely over five feet tall! — to a 32C. Engaging and open, she admits to having hated her breasts long before her surgery, and enjoying the process of “designing” her new breasts, from the shape of the breasts to the size and color of the nipples.

While Caitlin’s primary narrative explores the BRCA gene and breast cancer, her story is also one about body acceptance and what it takes to be confident with and in charge of one’s body. Her speaking engagements and comedy routines have shown that the wider topic of breasts, breast size, and personal identity is resonating with younger readers.

  • "Caitlin Brodnick is fabulous. She's a survivor . . . She's a funny, smart writer and she'll teach you, make you laugh, and maybe make you cry. For a minute. And then you'll feel better. And then you'll laugh again. Look, I'm just saying: the woman takes you on a journey. Get into it. --Sara Benincasa, author of Real Artists Have Day Jobs and Agorafabulous!
  • "It takes a special kind of person to turn a double mastectomy into comedy, and Caitlin Brodnick is just that kind of person: a hilariously upbeat woman who happens to have been diagnosed with the BRCA gene, a diagnosis she was determined to beat. I watched as readers fell in love with her through her award-winning Glamour video series, Screw You Cancer (an utterly Caitlin title, by the way); now I'm envious of everyone who gets to meet her for the first time through her writing. Enjoy!" --Cindi Leive, editor-in-chief of Glamour
  • "Caitlin Brodnick, a fresh-faced blonde in heels and a bright red dress . . . part advocate, part comedian and part the girl you want to sit next to on the airplane." --Washington Post Style Section
  • "Caitlin and her voice are a breath of fresh air in the cynical, snarky world we can sometimes live in. I'm constantly astounded by her ability to turn life's more difficult experiences into hilarious and inspiring reflections that make you want to live more in the moment." --Abbi Jacobson, comedian, author, and co-creator of Comedy Central's Broad City
  • "Caitlin is smart and funny and THE person to bring a fresh needed voice to a heavy, scary and ubiquitous topic. She is the Breast Cancer Comedy Ambassador. This book is important."--Ilana Glazer, comedian and co-creator of Comedy Central's Broad City
  • "Caitlin Brodnick is a charming storyteller, an exceptional writer, and-most important-a survivor. I'm continually impressed by her chutzpah and willingness to share the candid, nitty-gritty details of her preventative double mastectomy with audiences in a way that is surprisingly hilarious, educational, and inspiring. Surgery stories have never been so much fun!" --Selena Coppock, comedian and author of The New Rules for Blondes
  • "A refreshingly hilarious, laugh-out-loud, bestie been-there-done-that road map for surviving the precarious journey cancer inevitably throws at you."
    --Emme, model, fashion icon, public speaker, and author of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Curvy & Confident
  • "The author is honest about her feelings and concerns as she discusses her family and the decision to have the surgery. There is helpful information about the process, as well as friendly suggestions for dealing with pre- and post­operative issues. Brodnick's writing is engaging and entertaining, making this a great book for anyone considering preventive surgery."
    Library Journal
  • "Highly accessible - like an extended conversation by text with your chattiest, funniest girlfriend, the one who gives you church giggles and who never forgets a birthday, complete with plenty of comments ALL IN CAPS and lots of bathroom humor."
    The Washington Post
  • "Instead of inundating readers with sterile medical facts and figures, or scaring readers with clinical talk and statistics, Brodnick uses her book to speak openly, honestly, and authentically about her experiences with cancer, her journey towards body acceptance, her struggles with addiction and mental health, her sex life, and everything else someone going through a potential breast cancer diagnosis would want to know."
    Bustle
  • "In chatty, girlfriend-to-girlfriend language, [Caitlin] details her double-mastectomy journey at age 28...and aims to reassure those facing the disease that they're not alone."
    San Francisco Chronicle
  • "Highly accessible-like an extended conversation by text with your chattiest, funniest girlfriend."
    Washington Post
  • "Brodnick's writing is engaging and entertaining, making this a great book for anyone considering preventive surgery."
    Library Journal
  • "Instead of inundating readers with sterile medical facts and figures, or scaring readers with clinical talk and statistics, Brodnick uses her book to speak openly, honestly, and authentically about her experiences with cancer, her journey towards body acceptance, her struggles with addiction and mental health, her sex life, and everything else someone going through a potential breast cancer diagnosis would want to know."
    Bustle
  • "In chatty, girlfriend-to-girlfriend language, [Caitlin] details her double-mastectomy journey at age 28...and aims to reassure those facing the disease that they're not alone."
    San Francisco Chronicle
  • "Highly accessible-like an extended conversation by text with your chattiest, funniest girlfriend."
    Washington Post
  • "Brodnick's writing is engaging and entertaining, making this a great book for anyone considering preventive surgery."
    Library Journal

Formats and Prices

Price

$16.99

Price

$22.49 CAD

Format

Format:

  1. Trade Paperback $16.99 $22.49 CAD
  2. ebook $11.99 $15.99 CAD

Caitlin Brodnick

About the Author

Caitlin Brodnick is a public speaker, comedian, and performer in New York City. Her stories have been featured in Glamour and on the MOTH podcast. As a breast cancer awareness advocate, she works closely with Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital, helping to connect with other women who are BRCA positive.

Rachel Bloom is a comedian, actress, writer, and singer in Los Angeles. She stars in the TV series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on the CW Network and earned a Golden Globe and a Critics Choice award. She was named a comic to watch by Cosmopolitan.

Learn more about this author