Lessons In Taxidermy is the story of growing up destitute and sick in the Pacific Northwest. After surviving a rare genetic disorder and childhood cancer, Lavender retells the events of her tumultuous life-battling her illnesses, learning to fight, young motherhood-in fearless, unapologetic prose and gut-wrenching, yet darkly comic detail. "Bee Lavender is a fantastic writer. Her work is deep and personal, and I don't think there are any places she's scared to go." -Michelle Tea, author of Rent Girl Lessons in Taxidermy is the story of growing up destitute and sick in the Pacific Northwest. After surviving a rare genetic disorder and childhood cancer, Lavender retells the events of her tumultuous life--battling her illnesses, learning to fight, young motherhood-in fearless, unapologetic prose and gut-wrenching, yet darkly comic detail. Bee Lavender is the 33-year-old co-editor of two books, Breeder: Real-Life Stories from the New Generation of Mothers (Seal, 2001) and Mamaphonic: Balancing Motherhood and Other Creative Acts (Soft Skull, 2004). She is also the publisher of Hip Mama magazine and creator Girl-Mom, an advocacy website for teen parents. Annotation. Lavender retells the events of her tumultuous life--from battling a rare genetic disorder and childhood cancer to young motherhood--in fearless, unapologetic prose and gut-wrenching, yet darkly comic detail.