February 22nd, 2009
I went on a book-buying trip to my local bookstore with a list of books I’ve been longing to read and purchase for my school library. One of these was The Adoration of Jenna Fox and the first one that I have read. This is a futuristic novel but with the feel that it might only be one small step into a future that may already be possible. Jenna wakes up from a coma to find that much of her memory is gone. At her doting parents insistence, she watches a myriad of childhood videos that they hope will begin to jog her memory. But many things are not adding up for Jenna. Her grandmother is distant and almost hostile. Her parents are overbearing and restrictive of her activities. Her diet is not real food but measured doses of a supplement. When her memory does begin to return, impossible memories surface like her baptism as an infant. And what about the extreme secrecy that has surrounded them after their move to an obscure community? Only when a deep cut to her hand reveals little blood, but thick layers of blue gel covering what looks like synthetic muscles and ligaments, does Jenna begins to question just how much of her is really Jenna and how much has been manufactured (illegally, it appears!) by her scientist father. This novel is rife with the already burgeoning debates over medical ethics and where it might potentially lead. This book would be an excellent book club selection (for adults as well) as it grapples with many issues, including one a parent might potentially face: just how far would you go to save your child? I would recommend this for your Young Adult shelf in elementary school and definitely for high school. It’s a page-turner for sure, with loads of food for thought.
Here’s a neat You Tube video with an excerpt from the book.
High School, Science Fiction, YA | Comment (0)
