Product Description

"A major decision about me is being made, and no one's bothered to ask the one person who most deserves it to speak her opinion."

The only reason Anna was born was to donate her cord blood cells to her older sister. And though Anna is not sick, she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since she was a child. Anna was born for this purpose, her parents tell her, which is why they love her even more. But now that she has reached an age of physical awareness, she can't help but long for control over her own body and respite from the constant flow of her own blood seeping into her sister's veins.

And so she makes a decision that for most would be too difficult to bear, at any time and at any age. She decides to sue her parents for the rights to her own body.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7771 in Books
• Published on: 2005-01-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

Review
'Picoult ably explores a complex subject with bravado and clarity, and comes up with a heart-wrenching, unexpected plot twist at the book's conclusion. ' -- Publishers Weekly 'This beautifully crafted novel will grab readers with its stunning topic ... the tightly woven tale seamlessly bounces from past to present ... Picoult's style borders on the poetic' -- People Magazine 'The difficult choices a family must make when a child is diagnosed with a serious disease are explored with pathos and understanding in this 11th novel by Picoult (Second Glance, etc.). The author, who has taken on such controversial subjects as euthanasia (Mercy), teen suicide (The Pact) and sterilization laws (Second Glance), turns her gaze on genetic planning, the prospect of creating babies for health purposes and the ethical and moral fallout that results ...Picoult ably explores a complex subject with bravado and clarity, and comes up with a heart-wrenching, unexpected plot twist at the book's conclusion.' -- Publishers Weekly '*Starred Review* Expect to be kept up all night by Picoult's latest novel, but it's much more than a page-turner; it's a fascinating character study framed by a complex, gripping story. Thirteen-year-old Anna Fitzgerald walks into the office of lawyer Campbell Alexander and announces she wants to sue her parents for the rights to her own body. Anna was conceived after her older sister, Kate, developed a rare form of leukemia at the age of two, and has donated bone marrow and blood to her sister. Now she has been asked to donate a kidney, and she intends to refuse. Campbell is a jaded young man who nevertheless decides to take her case pro bono. Anna's parents are shocked when they learn of her lawsuit, and her mother, a former civil defense attorney, decides to represent them. Anna refuses to budge on her position despite the fact that she clearly loves her sister and longs for her family's happiness. As the gripping court case builds, the story takes a shocking turn. Told in alternating perspectives by the engaging, fascinating cast of characters, Picoult's novel grabs the reader from the first page and never lets go. This is a beautiful, heartbreaking, controversial, and honest book.' -- Booklist 'It will make you smile and will definitely make you cry. There are secondary love stories and flawed heroes along the way in this page turning unusual book.' -- Biggleswade Chronicle 'This astonishing novel is beautifully and thoughtfully written and focuses on difficult moral choices' -- Good Housekeeping 'She is quite a find, in Anita Shreve territory, an author tackling gritty problems ... So watch out, she's well worth supporting' -- Sarah Broadhurst, The Bookseller 'This beautifully crafted novel will grab readers with its stunning topic ' -- People Magazine 'Expect to be kept up all night by Picoult's latest novel, but it's much more than a page-turner; it's a fascinating character study framed by a complex, gripping story... ' -- Booklist

Review
'This astonishing novel is beautifully and thoughtfully written and focuses on difficult moral choices' (Good Housekeeping )

'She is quite a find, in Anita Shreve territory, an author tackling gritty problems ... So watch out, she's well worth supporting' (Sarah Broadhurst, The Bookseller )

'This beautifully crafted novel will grab readers with its stunning topic ' (People Magazine )

'Expect to be kept up all night by Picoult's latest novel, but it's much more than a page-turner; it's a fascinating character study framed by a complex, gripping story. . . ' (Booklist )

Publishers Weekly
'Picoult ably explores a complex subject with bravado and clarity'

Customer Reviews

Another winner from Jodi
Finished the book last night and very glad I wasnt on the bus because I cried my eyes out! This is the third Jodi Piccoult novel I have read and although I enjoyed the ongoing suspense of Nineteen Minutes more, this had a far more impactful end to it, and the constant emotional tussle of who to side with was thought-provoking.

Moral dilemma on a large scale
Another gripping and well-written novel from Picoult. Having read some of her more recent works, I went back to read this, probably her most popular earlier work? It tells of a family who make the decision to have a third child to enable them to better-treat their second child who is very ill, and of the ensuing court battle when the youngest daughter decides, in her teenage years, that she no longer wants to be told she must donate this body tissue or that organ to save her sister Kate. But is that all there is to it? Once again the arguments for and against are well presented by Picoult, her research into the subjects concerned is thorough, and the outcome has quite an interesting and unexpected twist for the reader.

Too much courtroom drama for my liking!
It was the premise that intrigued me to pick up this book and the easy-reading prose that kept me reading. This book is rife with ethical debate and when it got to the root of the argument, I have to admit, I couldn't decide what I would do if I were in that situation. Is it right or wrong to `design' a baby ? Should you do everything and anything to save the one you love? Where is that line?

It is most defiantly a thought-provoking topic, but with the morale debate swept aside, however, the story is more or less your typical courtroom drama - complete with clichés, clichés and yet more clichés!

- Spoilers Ahead! -

The most blatant one is the I-hate-you-no-I-love-you romance between Campbell (the cliché embittered yet heart-of-gold attorney) and Julia (once punk, now ad liduem, who once had her heart broken by Campbell but now has to put all that aside as they work together on the case for Anna).

This was a subplot that could have easily been removed and not detracted from the story at all. It just seemed to prolong the novel to an uncomfortable length that just made me impatient to finish. And the, `Jesus Christ, will you just shut up already?' moment, complete with a passionate kiss from Campbell that sweeps Julia off her feet and into his bed, made me cringe.

And then if the character wasn't a cliché, they didn't have a character at all...

The mother had absolutely no personality. All the reader knew was that she was just obsessed by her desire to cure Kate. The father became a workaholic (another cliché) because he simply couldn't deal with it emotionally.

And Kate - she has no voice! The whole point of this story was that Anna should have the choice to decide what she wants for her body, but what about Kate? Everyone ignores what Kate wants. She says she's had enough and has asked Anna not to donate her kidney, but we are never given Kate's point of view until the very end.

It was the ending that was the greatest disappointment. I could get passed some of the cliché, the flat characters, and all the cringe-worthy metaphors, but the ending was just a deus ex machina if ever I saw one - in comes the hand of God and makes the decision for them! And Campbell, who is calm and quite rational for someone who has just killed someone and been in such a traumatic accident, states, `there is a girl upstairs who needs that Kidney.'

It appears to me that Picoult didn't know what the right decision was and the accident was not only a ploy to avoid making a decision, but yet more drama. A plot twist - they never saw that coming! It just doesn't make very good reading. When you commit yourself to making a decision and then wimp out at the very last moment, the reader ends up feeling cheated. I can only assume that Anna decides to give up her kidney when her last comment is, `ten years from now I want to be Kate's sister.'

- End of Spoilers -

I have given this book 2 stars. Who would I recommend it to? Although the book deals with some controversial topics it deals with them in a comfortable and familiar way, so I would recommend it to anyone who was looking for an easy read. It is the sort of book for those rainy Sundays or the bath.