Pulitzer Prize General Non Fiction Winner

The Undying

by Anne Boyer

Summary

A searing memoir and cultural critique born of Boyer's own diagnosis of triple-negative breast cancer, written against the sentimental machinery of the "pink ribbon" industry. She interleaves personal pain, classical literature, and analysis of the labor and financial costs of treatment to expose how illness is shaped by class and gender. The result is a fierce essay on what it means to survive in a society that demands productivity even from the dying.

Historical Context & Significance

Shared the 2020 prize. Boyer critiques the "pink ribbon" culture of breast cancer, focusing instead on the grueling reality of treatment and class.