Jodi Picoult

I'll just start off by saying I've only had the pleasure of reading 2.75 of her books. I've read Nineteen Minutes, My Sister's Keeper, and I am currently 3/4 of the way through Handle With Care. Each novel is captivating and addicting, make sure you have a lot of time before you sit down and read one of her books.

Nineteen Minutes is by far my favourite of her books. It is one every teenager coming into high school should read. It's about what happens when bullying is taken to the point where a student feels that the only way it will stop is to bring a gun into the school and shoot the people that bullied him and those that just stood by. It is really an eye opener for all the kids that don't pay attention during bullying assemblies; it shows the worst-case scenario and hopefully it will scare more kids into being nicer. It's a sad time when realize that the saying we had as kids "sticks & stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me" is something we make up to make ourselves feel better after being teased and holds no truth.

My Sister's Keeper truly had me conflicted and talking about it for days after I finished. I am a strong believer in stem cell research and organ donation, but in this novel Picoult dares to ask if it is morally and ethically right to bring a child into the world for the sole purpose of saving another. In this novel a young girl sues her parents for medical emancipation and the rights to her own body. I can't say much about My Sister's Keeper without giving away key plot points or simply just copying and pasting what's written on the back of the book. I will tell you though that the ending is incredibly sad, don't make the same mistake I did in thinking that it's all hype and don't read the ending in public, I did that too. Check out the trailer for the film version coming out June 26, 2009: http://www.apple.com/trailers/newline/mysisterskeeper/




Handle With Care is really good (so far). It's about a young girl with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, which is also known as Brittle Bone Disease, and the effects it has on her and her family. Things start to go down hill after a bad trip to Disney World and the mother files a wrongful birth lawsuit and inadvertently sues her best friend in the process. It's hard to form a complete opinion about a book when you haven't finished but I'll let you know later ;)

One thing I really like about Jodi Picoult's novels is that they are told from first person perspective of different people. It's really interesting because you get to experience what each character is feeling through their own words.

Picoult has fifteen bestselling books under her belt, one of which is about to be released in film form, and based on the ones I've read I'd say she deserves it.