My Sister's Keeper summary:

My Sister's Keeper is a wondrous adventure that takes on an emotional roller coaster. It's a page-turning book that I couldn't put down for one minute because my mind was captivated by the way Jodi Picoult crafted the intriguing plot and used intricate detail. The story's formation is very similar to The Poisonwood Bible's. Each chapter is a part of the story that is told by the characters of the book. Basically, the Fitzgerald family is in a major crisis. All their lives, they have had to make life or death choices in order to save Kate, Sara and Brian Fitzgerald's daughter. At a very young age, Kate was diagnosed with APL, which is a terminal cancer. In desperate attempts to save Kate’s life, Sara and Brian "created" a baby that would be a perfect donor for Kate. Whenever Kate needed a blood transfusion, platelets, or bone marrow, Anna was the one who donated these things.
Although Kate was slowly dying, it was almost as if Anna was never really living. All her life, she accepted the fact that she was only created to save her sister. It didn't matter if Anna wanted to play hockey, which was her hearts desire, or interact with friends like any normal child should. She was trapped within the hands or her parents that only used her whenever Kate needed to undergo medical procedures. But enough was enough. At one point, Anna couldn't take all the hospital trips, needle incisions, and blood withdrawals. She didn’t have any control of here body and thus filed a lawsuit for medical emancipation. Anna hired a straightforward lawyer named Campbell who was always accompanied by a service dog. They spent a lot of time together to create arguments that would free Anna of her own state of being “trapped.” But this process was very difficult. All throughout the book, Anna couldn’t make up her mind because as much as she loved her family and wanted to do the right thing by giving Kate any part of her body, she was tired of going through such procedures. Anna’s heart was constantly torn and in order to save her from being persuaded into donating a kidney, Campbell requested if she could be under the supervision of a temporary guardian. But what Campbell didn’t know was that the chosen supervisor was his ex-girlfriend Julia whom her always loved but drew himself out of the relationship because of his condition.
In the past, Julia and Campbell were madly in love. They shared intimate moments together and exemplified the true meaning of love, the kind of love that you only see in fairy tales. Sadly, after Campbell's 18th birthday, he got into a tragic car accident and began a life of unexpected epileptic seizures. Because he loved Julia and didn't want her to life with such a burden, he broke up with her so that she could have a life of happiness a freedom. However, all these years, Julia believed that there was always something wrong with her; that she just wasn't good enough for Campbell. It was fate that brought them together on this particular case.
As each chapter passes, you learn about how each character views the situation. You realize that this entire case is very difficult because although the Fitzgerald family is doing everything in their power to save Kate, they have to come to an end. This case was mainly brought up because doctors claimed that Kate now needed a kidney transplant and they would proceed with surgery if the kidney were donated from Anna. A long battle with torn decisions and opinions continues to happen until the Judge finally makes his decision. Judge Desalvo has finally decided to let Anna have control over her body in addition to Campbell assisting to all medical procedures. You may have thought that this entire upbringing was a result of Anna's weariness of going through a lot for Kate. But in the end, there is a twist. Deep down, Anna was always willing to do what she needed for her sister because she loved Kate. In return, Kate persuaded Anna to file a lawsuit because she couldn't stand seeing her in such misery and was convinced that it didn't make sense to go through anymore when she was already dying.
After all the frustration, stress, and emotional burden the Fitzgerald's went through, the book ended with a tragic accident. From the first page, you could tell as a reader that someone was going to die. The obvious choice would be Kate because of her condition. However, this wasn't the case. The day right after the trial had ended; Anna was brutally hit by a car. When she got to the hospital, doctors announced that she was brain dead and was only breathing through a respirator. Knowing that Kate still needed a kidney, Sara and Brian agreed that they would proceed with the transplant. Miraculously, this transplant is a permanent cure. Kate has not had a relapse since and forever carries her sister in her heart.
There are many connections that one can make to My Sister's Keeper because it deals with issues of family. Every family has conflict and unfairness, but this is mostly a result of parents trying to protect you. It is understood that they ultimately want the best for you and also want you to have a better life than they did. Sara and Brian did these things to Anna because they loved Kate so much that they couldn't bear to live life without her. I am sure that if Anna were in Kate's shoes, they would do the same thing. There is also an issue of when parents don't listen to their children. All my life, I have been an obedient daughter to my parents. But sometimes, I find their rules and restrictions extremely unfair because they just don't understand the life that I currently live in. I know that they just want to protect me and do what's best but sometimes I eat myself alive with all my frustration. In fact, I sometimes wish my parents didn't love me so much so that I could be free to make my own choices and learn from the mistakes that I made. Another theme of this book is sacrifice. When you love somebody unconditionally, you are willing to do anything to keep him or her happy or in this case alive. Even though Sara and Brian didn't literally sacrifice Anna to save Kate's life, she did have to die in order to save Kate. If Anna didn't get into that car crash and continued to live a normal life, Kate would have probably died within a couple of months. It all seems unfair but then again, who said that life was ever fair?
I can't explain how this book has really changed my view on life. Before, I was really frustrated with my parents for their over protectiveness but I realized that's all they know how to do. They only want me to know how much they love me because when they were kids, their parents never expressed unconditional love. I am grateful for my parents and shouldn't have been so self-centered. Instead, I should live a life of love and acceptance. I have to accept the fact that my parents are doing everything in their power to express their love. In return, I just have to respectively obey because that's the only way I know how to love them back

quitessential quote: My Sister's Keeper

"Water never stops moving. RAin falls, and runs down a mountain into a river. The river finds its way to the ocean. It evaporates, like a soul, into the clouds. And then, like everything elses, it starts all over again" (402).

jamba juice:

Out of all the fruit smoothies that you could possible think of, Jamba Juice takes first place. You could be a planet smoothie admirer, Orange Julius buyer, or homemade smoothie kind of person, but nothing can beat the refreshing taste of this heavenly concoction. It may be a sin for something to taste that good and be good for you. One of the main problems in America is weight. There are not enough people being perfectly healthy. Most people are either on the obese side or anorexic side. So how can we maintain this healthy lifestyle? By eating healthy foods. Jamba juice is the answer to this entire problem. It's fast, healthy, good tasting, reasonable, and wonderful. It comes in dozens of different flavors from A-Z. You can name any fruit in the world and there will be a Jamba that has it. The creators are always coming up with new flavors and ideas to promote a healthy lifestyle. So they will always keep you guessing. But what's most interesting is that they have secret flavors that's not on their ordering board. This is what keeps their business intriguing to customers. Some of theses secret flavors are blue fruity pebble, white gummy bear, and pink starburst. Whatever you favorite may be, Jamba is the king of all smoothies. No other franchise can compete at the level of goodness that Jamba has. It's a wow factor and will always be consistently wonderful.

discussion

After discussing Exodus as a class, I really feel that I understand all the big ideas of the book and how they connect to other motifs and and symbolism's. WE all agreed that moving to the Congo resulted in totally messing up their lives. They are no longer a family. Each child is on their own and separated from each other, except for Adah. It was interesting to see how Leah is kind of living the life of Orleanna. Anatole went to jail, and Nathan went away to war. Orleanna had four girls, and Leah had four boys plus a new born at the end. In the beginning of the book, it was clear that Leah wanted to be just like her dad. But in the end, even though she doesn't purposely try to be like Orleanna, its a big coincidence. It was difficult to get the flow of our conversation at a consistent pace, but I feel that it was productive. Kayne made an interesting point. He shared how he was surprised about what happens to Nathan at the end of the book. Kayne thought that Nathan would go on living his life. Personally, I thought that his punishment for breaking up his family would be living a life of painful regrets. Instead, his misery ends fairly quickly. I honestly don't think that he learned his lesson and got what he really deserved. However, perhaps is was a good thing that Nathan passed away because now, they can live their lives without such a big burden on their shoulders.

lexicographer:

avarice: insatiable greed for riches.
billowy: surging.
damask: a reversible fabric or linen.
idly: not working or active.
imminent: likely to occur at any moment.
irreverence: the act of not being respected.
languidly: lacking in vigor or vitality.
meticulously: taking or showing extreme care about minute details.
plaiting: anything that is braided.
presentiment: a feeling that something bad or evil might happen.
progeny: a descendant or offspring.
quizzically: odd or queer.
semblance: outward aspect or appearance.
shroud: a cloth or sheet that is used to wrap a corpse.
surmised: to guess.
thatched: to cover with.
unabashedly: not embarrassed or disconcerted.
unfettered: to set free or keep from restrictions or bonds.

exodus movie:

This is a video that a student made which summarizes the next book, Exodus. Since I read Bel and Serpent, I was really curious to know what happened next without reading the entire book. It leaves some questions that remain to be answered. But when I go back to read the rest of the story, everything will hopefully be cleared up. :]

blaming:

Blaming one side of a party does nothing but reflect bad character. If we do have problems that need to be resolved, then we have to initiate the problem but then meet them half way. Svi Shaprio believes that schools must help students understand moral choices and social issues. He is absolutely correct. On average, students spend at least five hours of schooling everyday, sometimes even longer. But this is just the education part. After school there's sports, extra curricular activities, or time to kill because parents usually get off at five. If you think about it, you spend majority of your time at school than home. Most reasons for going home are to sleep and eat; basic shelter needs. Because of our lifestyle, teachers are kind of like our second parents. They teach us things that will be useful in future years, they arrange time to talk to us when we have questions or don't understand something, and they pit our best interest at heart. Why give any reason not to trust them? They put in the time and effort to help us grow in all aspects of life and without them we wouldn't be able to reach higher levels of knowledge and understanding. We will listen to what they say and in most situations come to a conclusion that their teachings are correct. Since they have gained our respect, they should be responsible for introducing moral choices and social issues. Honestly, if you hear these things from a parent, you might listen but not actually commit yourself to doing it. On the other hand, when you hear these things from someone that you respect differently from your parents and want to be on their good side, then you will do whatever it takes. From experience, I know that I probably have more respect for teachers than my parents. When my parents tell me to do something and I don't do it, I'm not worried about it because they won't stop loving me unconditionally. There's sort of a connection/understanding that doesn't make me freak out when I don't do tings their way to some extent. However, when a teacher tells me to do something, I will do it with haste and full effort because I want to have a consistent appearance of being a good student. Having that motivation of getting a reward such as an "A" really sparks ones attention. In situations, listening to your parents only makes you feel good because you did what was "acceptable" in their eyes. Teachers are not the only ones to have full responsibility though. The students must meet them halfway and take what they're teaching us into consideration. It's all about the choices we make. When a teacher is going out of their way to guide us down the right path, we have to step out of our comfort zone and do it. There is no excuse for being disrespectful because they are only trying to help us and make our lives better. But no matter what kind of things people say, you will always have that little voice in your head that will be influential. Our conscience never goes away. With wisdom, we must know hot to agree with our conscience to make the right choices. Making better choices makes a better world to live in. :]