Untreed Reads discussion

Celebrated artist Stewart Francke sat for an interview covering his motivations behind writing his memoir, surviving cancer, rock and roll and so much more:

Francke is a prolific musician, with eleven best selling recordings to his name. His current release, Heartless World features a guest appearance by Bruce Springsteen. Francke's music has won numerous awards: nine Detroit music awards, Hour Detroit's most popular musician 2002-2004, four straight ASCAP writer's awards, and the prestigious Point of Light Award for his work in cancer care. The Stewart Francke Leukemia Foundation (SFLF) was also presented the Partnership In Humanity Award by the Detroit Newspapers, and he was awarded a Creative Artist Grant by Artserve Michigan in 2003.

You can hear the entire interview at On the Dean's List and learn more about the book at Untreed Reads.

What Don't Kill Me Just Makes Me Strong by Stewart Francke:

The songs "Summer Soldier (Holler If Ya Hear Me) featuring Bruce Springsteen" and "Letter From 10 Green" are free when purchased with Stewart's autobiography What Don't Kill Me Just Makes Me Strong. Simply add both songs and the ebook to your shopping cart and enter coupon code MAKESMESTRONG during checkout.

What Don't Kill Me Just Makes Me Strong is a survival memoir that recounts Stewart Francke's remarkable journey through leukemia and a bone marrow transplant, complications and recovery. Understanding he is, as a survivor, part of the “lucky unlucky,” Francke finds the silver lining in his struggle and then some.

Each chapter begins with guides to survival--through any adversity, not just cancer. These informed aphorisms lend What Don't Kill Me a spiritual dimension, making it both literary memoir and a guide to living. As a young father and renowned musician, Francke describes the relationships with his family, friends, medical team and muse with poignant detail, humor and love. He ultimately comes to treat each breath as a gift and grows to understand that a life in service to others is a life lived with true purpose.

The trip from initial biopsy to full recovery is often horrific, but Francke writes as an unflinching advocate for his own condition, and comes to understand that both surrender and faith are choices. He continually chooses the latter, and finds only death is irrevocable. All else either makes us stronger or can be learned to live with. Although this is a somewhat singular journey through illness, faith and family, Francke makes it everyone’s story.