My Sister's Keeper

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Summary: Thirteen year-old Anna, who has spent her entire life donating parts of her body to her older sister who has leukemia, files a law suit against her parents asking for medical emancipation when her sister needs a kidney transplant.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Comments: I really wanted to like this book, as there was so much to like. The story moves extremely quickly, as you are immediately drawn in. You discover early on that Kate Fitzgerald was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia at two years old and that Anna was "genetically engineered" to be able to donate to her sister. She is the perfect match to donate plateletes, bone marrow, and eventally, a kidney. In fact, that was the reason she was brought into the world. She was never asked for her consent, but it was assumed by her parents (her mother in particular), that she would be willing to do whatever it took to keep her older sister alive.

There are so many topics for discussion; controversy over Anna's existence to begin with, moral and ethical responsibility to our children, playing favorites with one and how it affects the others... It would make a great book club book EXCEPT for one thing: the language is really terrible and unnecessary (isn't it always the case with language?). If somehow the offensive language could be removed, I would give it a 4, because it was very thought-provoking, tearing at your heart without being depressing. I can't really recommend it, but it any of you have read it (or aren't bothered by 15+ F-bombs), I would love to hear what you have to say, especially about the ending.