So I just finished reading My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult and I seriously reccomend it to all of you, if you haven't read it. It deals with issues regarding the body. Specifically, the story follows a family whose eldest daughter suffers from cancer. The parents conceived another child (Anna) as a perfect match for donating to her sister (Kate). After 13 years and when Kate is needing a kidney donating Anna seeks medical emancipation from her parents. That is the basic plot without giving anything away.
The book deals with some pretty heavy issues dealing with the body and organ donation. It asks how much say does a minor have over there body? When can a parent's intentions for their children cross the line? It also examines the relationships in families.
So I really think you all should read the book because it is amazing!!!!
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I also have read the book and HIGHLY recommend it! The body is the main focus all throughout the book, and it deals with some pretty heavy /emotional issues. Even though it is sometimes a very loaded story, you can't put it down once you start!
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my favorite books of all time!
ReplyDeleteI'm not going to try to give away anything here, but if you are one of those people who wants to know absolutely NOTHING about a book before reading it, here's the disclaimer. Don't read anything more.
I think readers are quick to judge the mom harshly in this book. After my experience the other day, I have to say that I see her in a whole new light.
The other day, my son had a nuclear medicine scan. He had to get an IV, which is not a happy experience for any child. You sit there and hold their hand and stroke their face, try to distract them, try to comfort them, but it still hurts. After that, he was sedated because he had to be catheterized and every man I spoke to beforehand said this was a horrible experience and have him put to sleep for it. The sedation medication burned, but acted quickly. My son said, "My face hurts" and the doctor said, "it's okay" and my son said, "no, it really hur . . . " before he went out. They did the cath, but then all of a sudden, he started to thrash in the bed. He pulled out his oxygen thing, pulled out the IV and kept trying to remove the catheter, all while unconscious. I was holding his arm, with my arm across his chest to keep him down. A nurse was holding his other arm, trying to remove the dislodged IV while another nurse had the other arm trying to reinsert a new IV before he came around. The doctor was holding his legs to keep him from rolling anymore. The whole thing scared me to death. When he came to, he was okay, just a little groggy. They took him to have the scan. The scan took an hour and he had to be completely still the whole time. He could not even move his hands. I leaned across him at an awkward angle for an hour reading him book after book, holding it so he could see the pictures. When it was done, he had to have the IV and catheter removed. When the nurse removed the catheter, he cried and almost fainted. He broke out in a clammy sweat and his face was flushed.
Having gone through this relatively minor experience, I view the mother in this story in a whole new light. How much of a wall of hardness and practicality do you have to build to endure your child's pain and what decision can possibly compare in importance to saving your child's life?
Two other Picoult books that deal with a similar theme are Keeping Faith and Change of Heart. I strongly recommend these, too.
I saw the previews for the movie and it looks pretty amazing. As a parent, you want what's best for your child, but I don't quite understand how what's best for one child can come at the expense of another child.
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