Synopsis:Amazon.co.uk
"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.

A heartbreaking story; moral, ethical and medical dilemmas facing a family with a terminally ill child.
Sara and Brian Fitzgerald, son Jesse and daughter Kate seemed the perfect happy family; until at age two Kate is diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukaemia.
Sara and Brian decided to conceive a child genetically programmed to be a future donor for Kate. Of course her parents were full of good intentions when they conceived Anna, believing she would add to their family's happiness while literally keeping her sister alive.

Anna has always known since she was old enough to understand that she was brought into this world for the benefit of her sister's well being.
A huge responsibility that weighs heavily on her shoulders, one that she can no longer endure and leads her to sue her own parents.
Traditionally one expects parents to make decisions for a child that are in the child's best interest. However this does not appear to be the case for Anna, as she now questions the choices her parents have made.
The big question is it ethically right for Anna Fitzgerald's body to have been used without her consent, to donate repeatedly for thirteen years to her sister.


Was it legal, immoral, cruel, foolish, crazy, yes all those things, but it felt right to the parents. Let's remember as parents you always put your children first and want to do what's best for them. However you love all your children so how an earth do you decide, when something that helps one child, may just harm another.
If this novel does not tug at your heart strings, then I do not know what will.

I am now thinking about where this book should travel.

Sending this on its travels as a Bookray. Usual guidelines please, ie:journal entries and reading and passing on within a month, if you can. If not at least let us know what is happening, thanks.

Maireen/Italy
Melamura/Italy
torwoodbooks/Italy
iwanttobeinital/Italy
Gabrielreads/Netherlands Aug 08 asked to be skipped.
birmingham-rose/UK Aug 08 skip not active at present.
chich/France

RELEASE NOTES:

Meeting up with Maireen and Pell for coffee.

Had our own mini Bookcrossing meet-up with LindyLou and Pell. We returned books, exchanged books and chatted . . not just books whilst the cappucinos rolled into a lunchtime panino!

Already started reading this Picoult book, my third by this author and have great expectations. Many thanks for sharing it, LindyLou.

Definately emotional in all aspects - sometimes a bit too medically explicit but Picoult sure seems to know her stuff. Nobody was twisting my arm to read it but I felt I wanted to soak up every emotion it offered.
Will be on its way to Melamura tomorrow.

Posted this book to Melamura a few weeks ago but there's no note of its arrival. Hope it hasn't gone astray. . .

Maireen you were not at home when I rang, so posting here! Do not worry Melamura is half way through this and really enjoying it. She does not have internet access at home yet so guess that is why no JE!

Arrived safely today.

Reading now

Given to a friend to read whilst I finish another bookray book that is before it. (She is a fast reader and I know I'll get it back very soon).
Hope LindyLouMac doesn't mind 8-)) - and it looks like we have recruited a new bookcrosser.

this was the first Jodi Picoult book I have read and I thought it was excellent, cant wait to read some of her others.

A wonderful read, compelling .... with a big jolt of reality at the end which makes one stop and think. I love the way this author uses language, her discriptive skills are excellent. If this book does nothing else for you it should definitely make you think about being an organ donor!!! The ethics behind this story are very complicated .... read it and see what I mean!

Absolutely loved this book!!
Fantastic to read from all of the family's viewpoints in turn.
Kept thinking just what I would have been thinking if I was in the shoes of those whose narrative I was reading.
Amazing stuff - and very thought provoking.
The best Jodi Picoult I have read so far.
gabrielereads has asked to be skipped so I'm waiting for an address for birmingham-rose to send this great book onwards.

Book received today, thanks so much for passing it on! And thanks starting this ring LindyLouMac!

A very nice read:) I really like the fact that Picoult tried to envision all aspects of the problem and that the viewpoints of all involved was expressed. Actually I was a bit bothered when I started reading and found out that each chapter was told by a different character but in the end it worked really well and added a lot to the book. The one thing that disappointed me though was the end of the book. I was curious to find out what Picoult would come up with as a conclusion but this was just... I don't know how to word it really, it just somehow felt like an easy way out, or something out of a film... Still, this is a very good book and I now understand why it's been such a success:)

Thanks so much for sharing LindyLouMac!

Book sent to Cassiopaeia to be released at one of the OBCZs she manages in Cardiff:-)



Entry #37 for the 2008 Keep Them Moving Challenge

Thank you so much chich, a book with history, wonderful for releasing here in Cardiff. Hopefully it will find a new reader soon.

WILD RELEASE NOTES:



On the bookcrossing shelf up stairs.
Thanks for finding this book
Please write a journal entry letting me know that this book was caught and has found a safe home with you. (It's anonymous, and you don't have to join Bookcrossing to do it.) Then read this book or give it to a friend. Afterwards hopefully, you or your friend will release it again for someone else to find - just like you did.

If you are new to Bookcrossing and would like to join, please give Coffee-1-OBCZ or any other journaller as your referral member. Enjoy your book and when you have finished reading come back here and let us know when and where you will pass the book on to another reader. Write a review if you like, then release it and come back anytime to see what happened to it next.

Happy reading.