Book

Breasts: A Biography

Corien van Zweden &

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A complete and personal biography of one of the most intimate female body parts 

Corien van Zweden has written a personal, as well as universal story on the female breast, with her own experiences as a focal point. A moving and educative book for anyone who has, is growing, wants, or loses their breasts.
‘I have decided to write a book on my left breast. If I hadn’t lost my breast due to cancer, this would have never crossed my mind. Just before the operation in which my breast was to be amputated, I imagined a farewell dinner for my breast. During that dinner, I would give a speech with beautiful stories and memories of the years we had spent together. It was a silly idea, not more than a fleeting image. But after the event, I realised that my left breast – that had not been no more than a part of my body – had gained its own personality.’

When Corien van Zweden lost her left breast to cancer, she began researching the biology and meaning of this intimate body part. She discovered that no other body part has as versatile a life as the female breast. Van Zweden describes the biography of breasts: from the first moment a girl notices a change, to breast enhancements and reductions, until the day that - in one out of seven women - breast cancer is detected.
Breasts is about a body part owned by half of the world’s population, but unknown to most. Van Zweden talks about her own life with breasts and gives the stage to psychologists, plastic surgeons, sexologists, philosophers, and lactation experts. She lets women of all ages and backgrounds share their experiences, emotions, and insights.