Celestial | Bless the Blood: A Cancer Memoir
Log in or Sign up
Bless the Blood: A Cancer Memoir
Walela Nehanda
Save to Your Books
100% of affiliate revenue supports Celestial
A searing debut YA poetry and essay collection about a Black cancer patient who faces medical racism after being diagnosed with leukemia in their early twenties, for fans of Audre Lorde's The Cancer Journals and Laurie Halse Anderson's Shout.
When Walela is diagnosed at twenty-three with advanced stage blood cancer, they're suddenly thrust into the unsympathetic world of tubes and pills, doctors who don’t use their correct pronouns, and hordes of “well-meaning” but patronizing people offering unsolicited advice as they navigate rocky personal relationships and share their story online.
But this experience also deepens their relationship to their ancestors, providing added support from another realm. Walela's diagnosis becomes a catalyst for their self-realization. As they fill out forms in the insurance office in downtown Los Angeles or travel to therapy in wealthier neighborhoods, they begin to understand that cancer is where all forms of their oppression intersect: Disabled. Fat. Black. Queer. Nonbinary.
In Bless the Blood: A Cancer Memoir, the author details a galvanizing account of their survival despite the U.S. medical system, and of the struggle to face death unafraid.
Show more
Get the Bindery app
Posts about this title from Celestial
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jun 20
🏳️🌈🔮look into my eyes …. i know what you want to read.
🏳️🌈🔮look into my eyes …. i know what you want to read.
here are some mind reader queer book recs for pride!
📚 books mentioned: - Pet by Akwaeke Emezi - Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White - Fawn’s Blood by Hal Schrieve - The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson - Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - Station Six by S.J. Klapecki - An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon - The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez - Somadina by Akwaeke Emezi - Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin - On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah-Yah Scholfield - This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone - In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado - The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez - Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino - Blood Orange by Yaffa As - Bless the Blood: A Cancer Memoir by Walela Nehanda - Death’s Country by R.M. Romero - Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart: And Other Stories by GennaRose Nethercott - Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic: An LGBTQ+ Young Adult Fantasy Anthology of Unforgettable Adventures edited by g. haron davis - Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction edit by Joshua Whitehead
#pridemonth #pridemonthbookrecs #lgbtqbooks #nycinfluencer #bookstagram . queer books • queer book stack • Pride Month 2026 • books to read for pride • trans books • nonbinary books • sapphic books • achillean books • memoir book recs • literary fiction books recs • fantasy book recs • fantasy book recs • horror book recs • sci fi book recs • unique books • diverse books
21 books
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Mar 21
trans+ books for you (from the bookish community) | trans rights readathon 2026!
☆ official trans rights readathon website (with TONS of resources): https://transrightsreadathon.carrd.co/ ☆ official trans rights readathon auction: https://www.32auctions.com/transrightsreadathon
please feel free to recommend your favorite trans+ book in the comment section (or pitch your own if you're an author)!!
let's fill these comments with love so this video doesn't end up on the scary side of the algorithm.
in this video, I recommended Bless the Blood: A Cancer Memoir by Walela Nehanda!
☆ the wonderful creators who participated & their recommendations (in video order) ↓
☆ Rachel Skye https://www.instagram.com/rachelskyereads/ https://www.youtube.com/@rachelskyereads https://www.tiktok.com/@rachelskyereads The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas Queen of Faces by Petra Lord Volatile Memory by Seth Haddon
☆ Kenzi Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki https://www.youtube.com/@kenzidid https://www.tiktok.com/@kenzibooks https://www.instagram.com/kenzibooks/
☆ Aaliyah & Johnna (Lit & Loud Podcast) House of Rayne by Harley Laroux https://www.youtube.com/@LitLoudPod https://www.instagram.com/litandloudpod https://www.tiktok.com/@litandloudpod
☆ Alex I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver https://www.tiktok.com/@cemeterygay https://www.instagram.com/cemeterygay https://www.youtube.com/@cemeterygay
☆ Carmen The Palace of Eros by Caro De Robertis So Many Stars: An Oral History of Trans, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, and Two-Spirit People of Color by Caro De Robertis https://www.tiktok.com/@tomesandtextiles https://www.instagram.com/tomesandtextiles/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9uZ-cnZGz6oQl\_CKG15Xag https://www.threads.com/@tomesandtextiles https://bien-leidos.binderybooks.com/
☆ Amanda The Lilac People by Milo Todd https://www.instagram.com/its.amandas.bookshelf/ https://www.tiktok.com/@its.amandas.bookshelf
☆ Krystal Queen of Faces by Petra Lord https://www.tiktok.com/@krystallotuslang https://www.instagram.com/krystallotuslang/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrDKiY2FhrXSjQkkNIcNi6g
☆ Deedi Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki https://www.instagram.com/deedireads https://deedireads.substack.com
☆ Jacob A World Worth Saving by Kyle Lukoff https://www.tiktok.com/@theveryqueerlibrarian https://www.instagram.com/theveryqueerlibrarian https://www.youtube.com/@theveryqueerlibrarian
☆ featured links ☆ 💫 join me on bindery (celestial - exclusive content, discord, book club, and more): https://celestial.binderybooks.com/
↓ find me in more places ↓ 🎵 tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@starrysteph 📸 insta: https://www.instagram.com/starry.steph 💋 shopmy (links for my makeup, clothing, etc. recs): https://shopmy.us/shop/starrysteph 📚 storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/starrysteph 🦋 bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/starrysteph.bsky.social 📖 goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/147956803-steph-starrysteph 💌 email: starrystephbooks@gmail.com more (news articles, discount codes, etc.): https://beacons.ai/starrysteph
☆ resources ☆ 🇵🇸 learn more about the history of Palestine: https://decolonizepalestine.com/ 🇨🇩 learn more about what's happening in the DRC: https://friendsofthecongo.org/ 🇸🇩 Sudan Solidarity Collective: https://sudansolidarity.com/
Trans rights readathon | trans books | books by trans, nonbinary, genderqueer, agender, genderfluid authors | books with trans and nonbinary main characters | trans books recs | queer book recommendations | fantasy books | sci fi books | horror books | speculative books | diverse books | bindery books | celestial community and book club | starrysteph
1 book
2
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Mar 10
💭 what’s a book on your TBR for the 2026 Trans Rights Readathon?
💭 what’s a book on your TBR for the 2026 Trans Rights Readathon? @transrightsreadathon
here are some that I wish I saw recommended more frequently!
📚 books mentioned: - Fawn’s Blood by Hal Schrieve - Bless the Blood: A Cancer Memoir by Walela Nehanda - Warm-Blooded by J Greene - Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir by Akwaeke Emezi
👗💄: - dress is from Kachel, rented from Nuuly - eyeshadow is Ellis Atlantis Palette from Blend Bunny Cosmetics and The Lord of the Rings Middle Earth Palette from Glamlite - eyeshadow shimmer is Mirage from Ourbella Cosmetics - mascara is Cloud Mascara from Sweed Beauty - lip is combo is Staining Lip Liner (Chori Chori) from Kulfi Beauty and Gloss Up Sheer Finish Lip Gloss (Quiet Luxury) from The Lip Bar - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)
thank you to Seven Stories Press, Kokila / Penguin Teen, and Ingram Sparks for the gifted copies!
#transrightsreadathon #trr26 #bookrecs #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @7storiespress @penguinteen @ingramsparkbooks @riverheadbooks @kachelclothing @blendbunnycosmetics @glamlite @ourbella.us @sweedbeauty @kulfi.beauty @thelipbar
.
trans rights readathon • books by trans authors • books with trans main characters • nonbinary books • agender books • genderfluid books • gender expansive book rep • queer books • diverse books • Triangle Square • Liana Ink • Riverhead books
4 books
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Dec 1 2025
💭 do you have a favorite memoir?
💭 do you have a favorite memoir?
✨memoir recommendations by nonbinary & agender authors! 📚 books mentioned: - Bless the Blood: A Cancer Memoir by Walela Nehanda - Heavyweight: A Family Story of the Holocaust, Empire, and Memory by Solomon J. Brager - Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir by Akwaeke Emezi
👗💄: - hair gems are from Hally Hair - eyeshadow is the mermaid palette from Ourbella - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)
thank you to Kokila Books/Penguin Teen and William Morrow for the gifted copies!
#memoirrecs #memoirbookrecs #nonfictionbooks #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram #penguinteenpartner #williammorrow @kokilabooks @penguinteen @williammorrowbooks @riverheadbooks @ourbella.us @hallyhair
3 books
1
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Sep 21 2024
"booktok destroyed literature!"
i know that it sometimes feels like you’re struggling against the tide, but your feed is what you make it! here’s a little reset for you all the same.
20 books
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jul 18 2024
the BEST books for disability pride month
we love a disability pride month roundup!
10 books
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Mar 26 2024
trans rights readathon check in!
time for a Trans Rights Readathon Tuesday check in! tell me EVERYTHING!
1 book
Posts about this book from across Bindery
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jun 20
🏳️🌈🔮look into my eyes …. i know what you want to read.
🏳️🌈🔮look into my eyes …. i know what you want to read.
here are some mind reader queer book recs for pride!
21 books
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Mar 21
trans+ books for you (from the bookish community) | trans rights readathon 2026!
please feel free to recommend your favorite trans+ book in the comment section (or pitch your own if you're an author)!!
let's fill these comments with love so this video doesn't end up on the scary side of the algorithm.
in this video, I recommended Bless the Blood: A Cancer Memoir by Walela Nehanda!
☆ the wonderful creators who participated & their recommendations (in video order) ↓
☆ Kenzi Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki https://www.youtube.com/@kenzidid https://www.tiktok.com/@kenzibooks https://www.instagram.com/kenzibooks/
☆ Alex I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver https://www.tiktok.com/@cemeterygay https://www.instagram.com/cemeterygay https://www.youtube.com/@cemeterygay
☆ Amanda The Lilac People by Milo Todd https://www.instagram.com/its.amandas.bookshelf/ https://www.tiktok.com/@its.amandas.bookshelf
☆ Deedi Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki https://www.instagram.com/deedireads https://deedireads.substack.com
☆ featured links ☆ 💫 join me on bindery (celestial - exclusive content, discord, book club, and more): https://celestial.binderybooks.com/
1 book
2
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Mar 10
💭 what’s a book on your TBR for the 2026 Trans Rights Readathon?
💭 what’s a book on your TBR for the 2026 Trans Rights Readathon? @transrightsreadathon
here are some that I wish I saw recommended more frequently!
thank you to Seven Stories Press, Kokila / Penguin Teen, and Ingram Sparks for the gifted copies!
.
4 books
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Dec 1 2025
💭 do you have a favorite memoir?
💭 do you have a favorite memoir?
thank you to Kokila Books/Penguin Teen and William Morrow for the gifted copies!
3 books
1
Sapph-Lit\ \ Nina\ \ • Aug 4 2025
Join for free
Sapph-Lit in Conversation with Walela Nehanda, author of BLESS THE BLOOD
Walela Nehanda spoke with our founder Nina Haines all about their debut BLESS THE BLOOD, published February 2024 with Penguin Teen.
1 book
3
Sapph-Lit\ \ Nina\ \ • Jun 27 2025
Join for free
ANNOUNCING Sapph-Lit's July book pick 💗🩸 BLESS THE BLOOD by Walela Nehanda
Our July book pick is BLESS THE BLOOD by Walela Nehanda in honor of Disability Pride Month 💗 Get your copy so you can read along with all us Sapph-Litties next month 🫡 Tag @sapphlit to be featured 💅🏼
1 book
5
chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Jan 29 2025
Join for free
EVERY January and February Release With Disability Representation
23 books
2
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Sep 21 2024
"booktok destroyed literature!"
i know that it sometimes feels like you’re struggling against the tide, but your feed is what you make it! here’s a little reset for you all the same.
20 books
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jul 18 2024
the BEST books for disability pride month
we love a disability pride month roundup!
10 books
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Mar 26 2024
trans rights readathon check in!
time for a Trans Rights Readathon Tuesday check in! tell me EVERYTHING!
1 book