Summer is a great time to catch up on reading. If you or a loved one has mesothelioma, cancer-related books and guides can help you better understand your treatment options and access mental and emotional support.
When you’re waiting at a doctor’s office, driving to treatment, or relaxing at home, a good book (or audiobook) can be a welcome companion, allowing you to move forward more confidently in the face of cancer.
Books on our 2025 mesothelioma summer reading list cover:
- Diet and nutrition: Eat to Beat Disease, What to Eat During Cancer Treatment, and our Free Mesothelioma Nutrition Guide provide recipes and advice on how to get the right nutrients to help in your cancer fight.
- Spiritual and faith-based support: The Power of Now, Peace in the Face of Cancer, and When Breath Becomes Air all explore how the power of faith can make cancers like mesothelioma easier to bear.
- Stories of survival: Our Free Survivors Guide, Finding the “Can” in Cancer, and What Helped Me Get Through allow you to hear from other cancer survivors and get tips.
At Mesothelioma Hope, we offer key guides and resources specifically for patients with this cancer. Call (866) 608-8933 to request free guides and reading materials related to mesothelioma treatments, survivorship, nutrition, and more.
Stories of Hope and Survival
A cancer diagnosis can feel overwhelming, but you’re not alone. Many individuals have faced mesothelioma and other serious illnesses and come out the other side with renewed strength, purpose, and hope.
By sharing their journeys, these survivors remind us that even in the face of a devastating diagnosis, healing and resilience are possible.
Here are just a few survivor stories that continue to inspire us — and may inspire you too.
Mesothelioma Survivors Guide
In our Free Mesothelioma Survivors Guide, you’ll hear from patients who beat the odds and far outlived their original mesothelioma prognosis. While the average mesothelioma life expectancy is just 12-21 months, some of the patients featured have lived for 15 years or more.
“I want to help people go through this and remain positive. I did it. You can do it.”
You’ll also learn about treatment plans that these mesothelioma survivors followed, how they relied on their families for strength, and what their lives look like today.
Get your copy now to find out how others stayed hopeful after a mesothelioma diagnosis and lived much longer than expected.
Finding the “Can” in Cancer
This guidebook for cancer patients, their families, and friends was written by four long-term cancer survivors. Finding the “Can” in Cancer combines personal stories and experiences with practical tips for navigating life with cancer.
It offers advice on:
- Common procedures and tests for cancer patients
- Coping with symptoms and side effects
- How to let others help after a cancer diagnosis
It also includes words of encouragement for patients and their loved ones to draw on when they need hope after a mesothelioma diagnosis.
While knowing you have an aggressive cancer like mesothelioma can be very stressful, Finding the “Can” in Cancer can help you feel more in control after a diagnosis and allow you to take meaningful steps toward healing.
If you have a library card, you can download many books and audiobooks for free using the Libby app.
Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds
Dr. Kelly A. Turner, a psychotherapist, researched over 1,000 cases of serious or terminal cancer that went into remission. While not every cancer patient achieves remission, those who may live longer with fewer or no symptoms of cancer.
In Radical Remission, Dr. Turner presents nine themes that she believes may help patients become survivors, even in terminal cases, and how those facing cancer can apply them to their own journey.
“A lot of mesothelioma patients get to that blessed point of NED, which is no evidence of disease.”
What Helped Me Get Through: Cancer Survivors Share Wisdom and Hope
Edited by breast cancer survivor Julie K. Silver, What Helped Me Get Through is for anyone touched by cancer. This collection includes stories from nearly 300 cancer survivors, including celebrities like Carly Simon and Scott Hamilton, who share what helped them carry on.
The book, which was published by the American Cancer Society (ACS), also provides tips for patients, family, and friends on coping with a cancer diagnosis. Cancer is never easy, but What Helped Me Get Through can help lighten some of the load.
Patients can also add our Free Mesothelioma Guide to their reading list to learn more about their treatment options and how to access financial compensation to cover expenses.
Diet and Nutrition
Maintaining a cancer-fighting diet and nutrition plan can play a big role in your overall health after a mesothelioma diagnosis. The books below are often recommended for cancer patients looking to improve their nutrition and ease symptoms or side effects of treatments.
Be sure to consult your medical team before taking any supplements or making substantial changes to your mesothelioma nutrition plan. In some cases, dietary changes can negatively impact your cancer treatments.
Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself
In Eat to Beat Disease, Dr. William Li presents evidence for over 200 health-boosting foods that can starve cancer and fight dozens of avoidable diseases.
The book offers a guide to different healing foods that can be added to meals to support immune health. Dr. Li also explains how to integrate your favorite foods into any diet or health plan to activate your body’s natural defenses.
What to Eat During Cancer Treatment
Published by the American Cancer Society (ACS), What to Eat During Cancer Treatment offers evidence-based guidance on what foods to eat when dealing with common side effects of treatments for mesothelioma and other cancers.
“Many people going through cancer ask if diet and nutrition can help them fight and recover. The answer is yes! No matter what side effects you experience, nutrition will be an essential part of dealing with your cancer and cancer treatment.”
– From the introduction of What to Eat During Cancer Treatment
The book contains more than 130 recipes, ways to handle vitamin deficiencies, and helpful tips for caregivers. It also contains tips on assembling a take-along food “survival kit” and a list of organizations that provide information on nutrition and cancer.
The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing, Big-Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Recovery
The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen features 150 science-based recipes, including vegetarian options, tailored for specific treatment plans, cancer types, and side effects.
The book helps cancer patients and loved ones:
- Build meal plans to fight cancer and manage symptoms
- Fight side effects of cancer treatments like nausea and weight loss
- Stimulate their appetite
A full nutritional analysis is provided for each recipe.
Free Mesothelioma Nutrition Guide
Our Free Mesothelioma Nutrition Guide is packed with tips on how to improve your diet and get the right nutrients following a cancer diagnosis. Nutritional changes can help you reduce treatment side effects, improve your energy, and battle mesothelioma.
The guide has been reviewed by cancer nurses and includes examples from other mesothelioma patients whose dietary changes helped them feel better and live longer. Download the guide for free now.
Spiritual Strength and Support
Many mesothelioma patients find that spirituality or religion can help them cope with the disease. If you find strength in your spiritual or religious beliefs, here are some books that might resonate with you.
Peace in the Face of Cancer
Written by patient advocate and cancer survivor Lynn Eib, Peace in the Face of Cancer shows how faith can help patients navigate a diagnosis, treatment, and beyond. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1990 at the age of just 36, with three young children.
“I’ve been living as a survivor since 1990 when I was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 36. My girls were 8, 10, and 12 at the time, and now I’m a grandmother to six.”
– Lynn Eib, author of Peace in the Face of Cancer
Eib weaves the story of her own journey as a longtime cancer survivor with those of others to show how faith could help you feel calmer and more hopeful. She also offers advice and encouragement to patients throughout the healing journey.
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
The Power of Now isn’t specific to cancer, but many mesothelioma patients and mental health professionals have found it to be a helpful tool in managing emotions that come with a diagnosis.
Spiritual teacher and self-help author Eckhart Tolle shares his philosophy on living a healthier, happier life. The book is a practical guide to becoming more conscious of the thoughts and challenges that often prevent us from living in the present moment.
When Breath Becomes Air
Stanford neurosurgeon Dr. Paul Kalanithi died from stage 4 metastatic lung cancer a year before his memoir When Breath Becomes Air was published.
In When Breath Becomes Air, the 36-year-old tells the story of how his life changed when he went from being a doctor who helped people to a patient himself.
“As a doctor, you have a sense of what it’s like to be sick, but until you’ve gone through it yourself, you don’t really know.”
– Dr. Paul Kalanithi, author of When Breath Becomes Air
An atheist for most of his adult life, Dr. Kalanithi rediscovers his Christian faith during his cancer journey and also becomes a father. First published in 2016, it was listed as one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Slate, Harper’s Bazaar, and more.
Connect With Mesothelioma Hope to Find Top Resources
While navigating a cancer like mesothelioma can bring a lot of uncertainty, the books and guides featured above can help you find better ways to manage the physical and emotional aspects of your diagnosis.
Mesothelioma Hope is also ready to assist you and your family. Our reading materials, specifically geared to helping mesothelioma patients, are just the start. We’ll walk with you through each step of your cancer journey, making it as easy as possible for you.
We have Patient Advocates and registered nurses on staff ready to support your family. To get started, we recommend our Free Mesothelioma Guide that covers all you need to know about this cancer.
You can also call (866) 608-8933 to speak with a member of our team and get personalized guidance.
