The Joyful Living Colouring Book - by Teva Harrison (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From the author and illustrator of the critically acclaimed graphic memoir In-Between Days comes a splendid new colouring book of original new illustrations with a few choice words of hope that will inspire and delight.

When Teva Harrison was first diagnosed with cancer, she felt lost, cast adrift. In order to pull herself out of depression, to draw herself forward, she started to draw. In the beginning, the drawings were tiny wildflowers photographed on her travels. Something about that act of looking, drawing the edges until flowers emerged, focusing on something so short-lived, resilient, and beautiful changed the nature of her days. It let the joy back in. This colouring book is an expansion on that germ of hope. Having cancer has made the world feel especially precious to Harrison, and she finds magic and delight everywhere: symbol-enriched heraldry, animals and birds, everyday objects that give her pleasure, foliage and flowers, and a few choice words of inspiration and hope.

Review Quotes

From In-Between Days:

"In her heartbreakingly honest exploration of these spaces in-between, Harrison provides a useful guide for those who cannot know the thoughts and fears of someone living with chronic illness; and for those experiencing a similar situation, the book shows that even in the most personal of journeys, you are not alone. At its heart, In-Between Days is a firm statement that joy and hope can exist in the same space as anxiety and fear; that each day we are given should be lived, as Harrison says, 'With a sense of wonder and delight.'" -- National Post

"Harrison's drawing style is more freeform than finicky, and her linework has an appealing vulnerability. But even beyond that aesthetic quality, there's a remarkable directness to seeing vignettes from a life coloured by cancer that cuts to the quick." -- Maclean's Magazine

"Heartbreaking. Profound. Sly and brutal and funny and crushing. Teva Harrison's In-Between Days is one of the most stunning memoirs I've ever read. Teva's taught me it's not about the number of days left to us. It's about living them completely." -- Joseph Boyden

"Teva Harrison's memoir is a frank, moving, powerfully minimalist yet deceptively complex work of art. With seemingly simple, but ingeniously pared-down strokes, Harrison bestows upon her readers the gift of complete empathy. Without forcing a thing she makes her readers FEEL how she feels -- it's remarkable! -- and by the end of this powerful shared experience, by allowing her readers into her heart and mind, she occupies with us both our present and future. We're all in great shape, we realize thanks to Harrison, as living, feeling, loving human beings." -- Guy Maddin

"As someone recovering from a serious illness, I related so deeply to Teva's work. No one writes about illness like this, it was hard to stop crying (in a happy way) because I felt so understood." -- Kathleen Hanna, artist, musician (Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, The Julie Ruin), and feminist activist

"With insight and honesty, Teva Harrison invites us to join her on this deeply personal, beautifully expressed journey with cancer. Through this remarkable book, we encounter awkward ironies, the quietly harrowing reality of our mortal human condition, and moments of distilled life and beauty. Wryly unflinching in her examination of her condition, its treatment, and herself, Teva shares with us the gift that emerges from her in-between days." -- Vincent Lam, author of The Headmaster's Wager

"Beautiful, heartbreaking, honest, and true, In-Between Days explores not just what it means to live with terminal cancer, but what it means to live with integrity in the face of our mortality. I couldn't put it down." -- Alison Pick, author of Between Gods and Far to Go

"With great wisdom, Teva Harrison understands that her cancer doesn't make her special. But this book certainly does. Through her art and her words, we are reminded of the power of creativity, and that hope for the future is an essentially creative act." -- Andrew Westoll, author of The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary

"Teva Harrison's diagnosis with incurable cancer removes the expectation of an abundance of more -- more dreams fulfilled, more time -- but focuses her attention on the near and immediate. In this honest and raw memoir, Harrison examines and discovers, grieves, and celebrates, and takes us with her as she crafts a ragged and resonant beauty from her experience in these In-Between Days." -- Miranda Hill, author of Sleeping Funny

"How does a person live with meaning -- and joy -- in the face of a terminal cancer diagnosis? Teva Harrison answers this question with pitch-perfect honesty and clarity, even when delving into her own complex contradictions. From Harrison's rigorous honesty comes wisdom. In-Between Days is a beautiful offering. This book fills my heart. The world is lucky to have Teva Harrison. She truly knows how to live, and to love." -- Angie Abdou, author of Between

"Teva's art and reflections powerfully capture the struggles of being young and facing the certain, yet uncertain end of your life. May we all be this honest with ourselves as we deal with life's challenges. Inspiring, insightful, contemplative, thank you Teva." -- Geoff Eaton, Executive Director, Young Adult Cancer Canada

"There's no real preparation for how hard Teva Harrison's stunning graphic novel will hit you. It doesn't humanize the disease -- that would be banal -- and it doesn't aggrandize the journey -- that would be self-help bunk. Rather, it portrays the process as something achingly human, a daily tumult of stuff that roughly amounts to survival. Teva Harrison has stared into the abyss. And what has stared back but love?" -- Richard Poplak, author of Ja No Man

"Teva Harrison is a metastatic voice that I believe is breaking through. By using humour and creativity to draw people in to a challenging topic, Teva is expanding the breast cancer conversation and shedding light on the complexities and nuances of the disease. I believe In-Between Days will help improve public understanding as well as empower and support others dealing with metastatic breast cancer. Beautifully done." -- MJ DeCoteau, Founder and Executive Director of ReThink Breast Cancer

About the Author

Teva Harrison is a writer and graphic artist. She is the author of the critically acclaimed graphic memoir, In-Between Days, which is based on her graphic series about living with cancer published in The Walrus. It was named one of the most anticipated books of 2016 by the Globe and Mail, which also named the author one of 16 Torontonians to Watch. She has commented on CBC Radio and in the Globe and Mail about her experience. Numerous health organizations have invited her to speak publicly on behalf of the metastatic cancer community. She lives in Toronto.