A Whole New Life An Illness and a Healing

Reynolds Price has long been one of America's most acclaimed and accomplished men of letters. InA Whole New Lifehe presents his most intimate story yet -- a memoir as compelling as any work of the imagination.In 1984, a large cancer was discovered in Price's spinal cord. Here, he recounts his battle to withstand and recover from this devastating affliction. He charts the first puzzling symptoms, three surgeries, the radiation that paralyzes his lower body, the occasionally comic trials of rehab, the steady rise of pain and reliance on drugs, and his discovery of biofeedback and hypnosis. Beyond the particulars, Price illuminates larger concerns, such as the gratitude he feels toward family and friends and (some) doctors, the abundant return of his powers as a writer, and the "now appalling, now astonishing grace of God." More than the portrait of one person in crisis,A Whole New Lifeoffers honest insight, realistic encouragement, and authentic inspiration -- and stands as one of Price's crowning achievements.

Reynolds Price has written thirty-five books. He is James B. Duke Professor of English at Duke University and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He lives in the countryside of North Carolina.