My Sister's Keeper

I finally finished another book - this was a long one! I borrowed My Sister's Keeper from a friend and really enjoyed reading it. This novel-turned-movie is about a family who has a daughter, Kate, that developes a form of cancer. It is suggested that a sibling may be the perfect match to donate cells, blood, and such. Kate's older brother, Jesse, is not a good match, so the parents, Brian and Sara, genetically have another daughter, Anna, to be a donor to Kate. Eventually, the procedures for the donations get out of hand and Anna decides to sue her parents for rights to her own body. This all happens at the same time doctors are suggesting Anna donate a kidney to Kate.

I had watched the movie before I read the book, and it really brings up lots of ethical questions. I referred to the story in a couple different papers I wrote this past semester. I touched on how far families should go to determine what their child will be like and how and when the parents should tell a child they were genetically created. Science has really developed and can do a lot of good, but we must be careful not to begin playing God.

The chapters in the book are each from a different character's perspective. Each character even has their own font, so it's easy to tell who is talking. It was a lengthy book, but still a good one. I like the ending in the book better than the ending in the movie. It does make me want to watch the movie again though!