2nd Blog Post: My Sister's Keeper

            I am still reading My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult and I'm on page 116 of the 423 page book. I try to read about 20 pages a night but I'm going to take a break from it this week. Are class is reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury so I'm going to focus on that book so I can really understand it for in class discussions and activities. But so far in my personal reading book Anna Fitzgerald, the sister of Kate who has leukemia, is in the process of talking to an attorney and judge about wanting medical emancipation from her parents. Anna's mom was an attorney so she is familiar with what is going on and is not happy about her daughter's decision. Through out that dilemma the different characters' chapters flashback to the past. Some stories are about Kate being diagnosed with cancer, others are about the effects her cancer had on the family and some more are about how Sara, the mother and Brian, the father decided to make an embryo who now is Anna so that Kate could have a perfect match for organ donations and other medical needs.
            The author Jodi does a great job of using high vocabulary and it isn't just medical words but also elevated diction. I am reading the book on the kindle app on my phone and on there is a feature where you can click on the unfamiliar word and it will bring up a side note. The note gives the definition of the highlighted word. I like it because it is a fast and easy way to look up the meaning of the word. Also, sometimes if I like the word and think I could use it in my future writing there is another feature where you can highlight it with a color so you can always go back and see your highlights. One sentence that I highlighted using a new word is, "In bed that night, Brian is an obelisk, another shape breaking the darkness,"(Picoult 36). I encourage for you to use these features if you are reading something on a Kindle or the Kindle app. Here is a link about more features on the Kindle and how to use them: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/kindle-shortcuts-and-tips.html

           

1st Blog Post of New Semester

"Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it"(Picoult). This quote is from the that I am reading the book. Its called My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. There has been a movie made based on the book starring Abigail Breslin who is the main character named Anna Fitzgerald and Cameron Diaz who plays Sara Fitzgerald. Anna is the younger sister of Kate who has a type of leukemia. Sara is Kate's mom who has been through a lot for the past 16 years of Kate's life. But she fights with her daughter courageously and with love along with the rest of her family: brother Jesse, husband Bryan and daughter Anna. The movie is very sad and is sort of like The Fault in Our Stars by John Green which is my favorite book. So I recommend it to people who loved the tear jerking, cancer stricken romance.

I am 60 pages into the 417 page book so it is kind of a long novel. The book is divided up into shections that are named by the days of the week so it is pretty easy to know the time frame of the plot of the story. The chapters are each named by a character and they are from their point of view. I have never read a book that has had this many point of views but I like it because I can really understand the problems through theta characters eyes. But on the other hand it is also hard to switch my brain from each point of view. The book goes through the story of how Kate fights her cancer while Anna files a lawsuit to have medical emancipation. Both these things cause many problems that the family have to overcome. So far in my opinion the book's genre is realistic fiction and drama. I am really enjoying it so far. Here is a link to the author Jodi Picoult's blog on the page about My Sister's Keeper: http://www.jodipicoult.com/my-sisters-keeper.html.