Book Review: Before I Die

Before I Die by Jenny Downham
(Click on the cover to see which libraries own it.)

SUMMARY: Everyone has to die. We all know it. With only a few months of life left, sixteen-year-old Tessa knows it better than most. She's made a list, though, of things she wants to do before she dies. But getting what you want isn't easy. And getting what you want doesn't always give you what you need. And sometimes the most unexpected things become important. Uplifting, life-affirming, joyous--this extraordinary novel celebrates what it is to be alive by confronting what it's really like to die. (adapted from the inside flap)

OPINION: I was initially skeptical of this book because it came out at the same time as Chris Crutcher's book Deadline. Both books are about teens living out the last year of their lives with cancer. I thought, really, how many books like this do we need? But, as it turns out, we need both, because they are vastly different takes on the same subject. Deeply angry about her untreatable cancer, Tessa has quit school and dropped out of society, purposely alienating herself from friends and family. Only her list motivates her to get up and out of the house, and then it's usually for some illicit or illegal purpose. Tessa is not going to go meekly, and she wants the world to know. Sometimes. This book perfectly captures the ever-changing emotions that assault us when we are grieving. And, although you already know what happens at the end, it is well worth reading and crying your way through this story.