Ann Patchett and Lucy Grealy

I remember when I first read Lucy Grealy's Autobiography of a Face. I was a high-school senior, visiting the college I would later attend. Instead of going to a lame party, I stayed in my host's room and read this work of non-fiction. In it, Grealy writes of her childhood experiences with cancer, chemotherapy, radiation and reconstructive surgery. It is an engrossing book and a worthwile read.

I hadn't realized that she died in 2002. Her best friend, Ann Patchett (one of my current favorite writers), has completed a work of non-fiction about their relationship. You can read her reflections on writing it here. The book is entitled Truth and Beauty: a Friendship, and I will now have to add it to my reading list.