The Yellow World

Book excerpt: A sensational memoir with all the emotional power of The Fault in Our Stars, The Yellow World is the story of cancer and survival that has moved and inspired readers around the world. My heroes don’t wear red capes. They wear red bands. Albert Espinosa never wanted to write a book about cancer—so he didn’t. Instead, he shares his most touching, funny, tragic, and happy memories in the hopes that others, healthy and sick alike, can draw the same strength and vitality from them. At thirteen, Espinosa was diagnosed with cancer, and he spent the next ten years in and out of hospitals, undergoing one daunting procedure after another, starting with the amputation of his left leg. After going on to lose a lung and half of his liver, he was finally declared cancer-free. Only then did he realize that the one thing sadder than dying is not knowing how to live. In this rich and rewarding book, Espinosa takes us into what he calls “the yellow world,” a place where fear loses its meaning; where strangers become, for a moment, your greatest allies; and where the lessons you learn will nourish you for the rest of your life. U.K. praise for The Yellow World “With its uplifting message and simple philosophy, [The Yellow World] has the makings of a spiritual classic.”—The Sunday Times “[An] energetic rush of a book . . . that shines with comedy and grace.”—The Independent “Heartwarming . . . the book everyone’s talking about.”—Mail on Sunday