Patricia Prijatel

About

Patricia Prijatel is the E.T. Meredith Distinguished Professor Emerita at Drake University, the author of Surviving Triple-Negative Breast Cancer and The Magazine from Cover to Cover, both published by Oxford University Press, and a health writer for numerous national print and online publications. Her book, Burn Scars: A Memoir of the Land and Its Loss, was published in spring 2020. Her blog, Positives About Negative, has reached more than 1,400,000 readers and deals specifically with triple-negative breast cancer.

Books by Patricia Prijatel

Recent Posts

Searching for Thongs at Walmart

Language has always been fluid. Words come and go or morph into meaning something else altogether. Keeping up with culture means keeping up with words. It can be a trick.

Storytelling as Medicine

"The Covenant of Water," a multigenerational epic set in India's lush Kerala region, merges traditional and Western medicine and is a model of narrative medicine.

I've Met the Bear, and I Would Still Choose It

Personal Perspective: In the "Man vs. Bear" debate, neither choice feels safe.

Am I Actually Who I Think I Am?

Naomi Klein's world got turned on its axis when another Naomi—her doppleganger—appeared.

Who Decides What Art Is Good?

It’s a confusing world—art that is “too pretty” can be denied admittance because it is lacks meaning, although meaning shifts so it’s hard to keep up.

Facing Mortality Honestly

A Personal Perspective: Ten years after its publication, Being Mortal by Atul Gawande remains as relevant as ever. Perhaps more so.

As We Age, Are More Medical Tests Always the Right Choice?

A Personal Perspective: I have enough to worry about besides diseases I may or may not have and, if I did, may or may not be serious and, if they are, may or may not kill me.

How I Beat My Spelling Bee Addiction

A Personal Perspective: I chuckled at my need to reach the level genius. But they dangled a reward, and I chased it, eyes sparkling, eyelashes fluttering.

I Used to Be Young, but I Got Over It

All I ask of strangers in the store—don't judge me as being less competent because my hair is grey and my skin well-textured. I’m just out doing my best, as we all are.

Cell Phones 1, Civil Society 0

A Personal Perspective: Public phone calls smack of disrespect for the people around us. How do we settle our bigger problems if we can't show basic consideration?