Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Tessa is a 16 year old girl who is dying. She has cancer. Cancer....it is amazing how one word can say so much. This book speaks volumes. The emotional slap that you receive on every page is sometimes too much to bear and you have to set the book down and walk away for a while. There is the anger from Tessa, the desperation from her father, the denial from her brother, the love from Adam, and the almost mean spirited helplessness from her friend Zoey. You connect with each of these emotions and at times you feel drained. It is not only the obvious emotions that get to you, it is also the undercurrent of emotion read between the lines. Make sure that you have plenty of Kleenex on hand before beginning, but this book is definitely worth the time. It will make you re-evaluate life and maybe, just maybe, not take it for granted quite as much.