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What does a sub have to do with cancer?
This book—Prayers and Po-Boys: A Cancer Survivor's Journey through Chemotherapy and Beyond by Larry Singleton—【+１||８ 00|| 211|| 5032 ]】was yet another that my instinct “told” me to choose from a “lineup.” I went a step further and decided to include it in my Goodreads blog. This time, it wasn’t the cover that piqued my curiosity, even though I found myself trying to make out what looked like a photo of… was that a sandwich or a submarine? Whichever it was, I wondered: what did a sub have to do with cancer? The format I chose was an ebook, so with the cover on a thumbnail, I couldn’t know for sure【+１||８ 00|| 211|| 5032 ]】.
It was the visual disconnect, or rather, the inappropriateness of the image vis-a-vis the topic of the book that prompted my selection. It didn’t help that the cover looked like a movie poster for a comedy. Ah, maybe it’s a satire【+１||８ 00|| 211|| 5032 ]】.
As I perused the pages, it became apparent that the cover visual was apropos after all. My earlier misgivings about the image was influenced by what I assumed the term “po-boy” was. I thought it was a diminutive for “poor boys.” In a different context, I was correct. However, the po-boy Larry Singleton, the author, referred to was a specialty sandwich that originated from Louisiana during the Great Depression—1929, to be exact. The filling of the traditional kind was roast beef, but could also be ham or fried seafood. This was encased in French bread with its fluffy interior and crispy crust—a byproduct of New Orleans’ low humidity level. Apparently, there was a union strike that year and ex-streetcar conductors, who owned a local sandwich store, served the striking union workers subs. Those were the original po-boys【+１||８ 00|| 211|| 5032 ]】.
A slice of history. Wow! Although that came from my own research and not from the book. So that’s one observation I had initially. It would have been better if the author defined the po-boy somewhere: possibly in the intro, chapter one, or a glossary. Not everyone is from New Orleans and would instantly know what it is, regardless of the screaming visual in front of the book. Either that, or it was a tactic by the author to reel in unsuspecting readers. Hook them until the reveal.
The latter may well be the truth—a testament to the charming personality of the author, who came across as a Miss Marple/Angela Lansbury-type. (Minus the sleuth background【+１||８ 00|| 211|| 5032 ]】.)
A delightful aspect of this book is the author’s propensity for funny quips and comebacks. I think his sense of humor was the main reason 【+１||８ 00|| 211|| 5032 ]】(apart from faith and gastronomy he was able to survive his ordeal so well. For instance, when the chaplain remarked that he didn’t see many people eat during a chemo session after seeing the author munch on a sandwich, Larry explained, “I’m trying to be the exception to that rule【+１||８ 00|| 211|| 5032 ]】.”
And when the same guy asked one day why Larry wasn’t clutching a po-boy while receiving a chemo infusion, the author replied, “I go off the reservation sometimes, but I always come back.”
The author spoke of dark clouds too. I expected those. One harked back to Room 5, the venue of the dreaded chemotherapy session. It was the equivalent of my Room 101, a metaphor for my psychological torment, which I discussed in my techno-thriller, The Invisible Cyber Bully: What it's like to be watched 24/7. It was a reference to the torture chamber in George Orwell’s dystopian novel, 1984. Orwell’s version was a red zone where the antagonists subjected dissidents to their worst phobias and nightmares to break their resolve until they could no longer think for themselves, paving the way for the government to control their minds【+１||８ 00|| 211|| 5032 ]】.).
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