Books by Benjamin

Want to see what suspended reality and cancer treatment really look like? Benjamin Rubenstein's belief in his superhuman abilities shielded him from fearing bone cancer, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, disability, isolation, bone biopsies, bone marrow cancer, a stem-cell transplant, graft versus host disease, infections, weight loss, osteoporosis, and more.

Purchase at: Amazon

“Benjamin Rubenstein is a gifted storyteller and the story he tells in Twice is riveting. This is a stunning page-turner of a memoir, devoid of the mawkishness that often mars the genre. Twice is brutally honest, sometimes rib-achingly funny and all the more profound for the author’s brave exploration of himself.”
— Jonathan Kellerman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Alex Delaware crime series

“It is estimated that only 150 diagnoses of Ewing's sarcoma are made annually and only two-thirds of these patients survive more than five years. Rubenstein was diagnosed with Ewing's at 16, but was determined not to be a 'Sick Kid' for 'I would never be able to discard the Sick Kid label.' Writing with wit and humor, he chronicles his fight with his terrifying disease. Rubenstein's belief in the superhuman ability to fight his cancer gave him the courage to face chemotherapy and its devastating side effects, bone biopsies, a second cancer (leukemia), a stem-cell transplant, more chemotherapy, infections, hemorrhagic cystitis, weight loss, and osteoporosis. In spite of invasive diagnostic tests, treatment set-backs, and demanding physical therapy, he never fears he will lose his battle. The strong support of his family is documented with love and occasional frustration at what he sees as over-protectiveness. A University of Virginia economics degree is testament to his survival and entry into young adulthood. An inspiring and fascinating personal account of a long and often painful journey that would appeal to other patients and their families."
— Library Journal

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For ages 10-16, grades 5-11

"Secrets of the Cancer-Slaying Super Man is one of the more unique boyhood stories of survivorship and overcoming unexpected challenges during our maturing years. Rubenstein’s positivity serves as a reminder that no matter the setback, obstacles can always be overcome with the right mindset and a great support system around you. Children and teens with cancer or other illnesses will find Secrets funny, truthful and inspiring."
— Doug Ulman, former president/CEO of Livestrong

From inside flap: “Benjamin Rubenstein was a happy-go-lucky 16-year-old in the Washington, D.C., suburbs when his hip began to hurt. A serious tennis player, a star student, the only kid in his class with a car and the darling of some very cute girls, Benjamin had everything going for him. But he found out fast that his pain was coming from a rare form of cancer—Ewing's sarcoma—that attacks growing boys. He spent the next year at the National Institutes of Health where every tactic of modern medicine was applied to save his life. Winning was always on Benjamin's mind. He believed that he had a unique ability to withstand the toxic chemicals of cancer therapy and preserve his healthy cells while zapping the round-celled malignancy that had invaded his body. It worked. But the story didn't end there. As he was attending the University of Virginia, a blood test showed that he had a form of leukemia. His bone marrow was dying without his even knowing it. Benjamin headed off to the University of Minnesota for an umbilical cord transplant and months of isolation. In the day-to-day account of what it's like to be dying when you haven't really lived, Benjamin brings a boy's perspective to conquering a killer disease. As the only account of a boy with cancer, Secrets of the Cancer-Slaying Super Man is an eye-opening look at how attitude affects the outcome.”

“Chronic illnesses can take over a person's life and come to define them, and I think that's why Rubenstein is so explicit about his refusal to become what he calls a ‘Sick Kid.’ … This is an excellent, compact tale, one I would highly recommend to anyone looking for an honest book about cancer.”
— Bookphile

An idea to write a book popped into Benjamin’s head one Saturday night in July 2004, during summer break while attending the University of Virginia. The idea consumed Benjamin—then a student of economics who hadn’t dabbled in creative writing since the third grade—so at 1 a.m. he started writing about having had endured the treatment for and aftermath from two different adolescent cancers. And, he never stopped writing. Some of his writing that night would become part of his first book, Twice: How I Became a Cancer-Slaying Super Man Before I Turned 21 (Woodley Books, 2010).

His other works include his book for people age 10 and older, Secrets of the Cancer-Slaying Super Man (Woodley Books, 2014), his essay, "To My Next 30 Cancer-Free Years," which was published in I Am With You: Love Letters to Cancer Patients (Bay Tree Publishing, 2015), and countless other blog posts, essays, and short stories. His writing has appeared in places like The University of Virginia Magazine, The Huffington Post, Switchgrass Review, and apt. Benjamin earned his Master of Fine Arts in creative writing degree from University of Southern Maine's Stonecoast program.