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Saturday, March 29, 2014

Before I Die by Jenny Downham



Have you ever thought about your own demise? What you wish you can accomplish before the end? What if you only have 6 months to live, are you ready? Have you gotten to experience all you have wanted out of life?

The imperial bucket list is brought to life in so many different conversations that it seems as though a passing phase, but in reality it's our lives. A bucket list is our experiences, our accomplishments, hopes and dreams rolled out into a list of wants and needs. Everyone's list is different; some may have fall in love while others may have find true happiness or climb Mount Everest. Our list are uniquely the same as they are what we want for fulfillment in life. They don't have to be written down, but can be carried in our hearts where it can be re-read every moment of everyday.

In Before I Die by Jenny Downham you follow the story of Tessa who only has a few months to live out her bucket list. At 16 she faces many turbulent experiences that many grown adults may never even fathom facing anytime in their lives. Her list is full of innocents and experimentation, her adolescent and young adulthood rolled into just a few months. How could anyone choose just one or even ten things to accomplish in such a sort of time when you have barely gotten to live in general?

Downham does a great job of rolling together Tessa's  innocents and maturity into one as she faces the end of her short life. Looking into the world of someone ill, their family, the relationships gained and lost all while trying to understand and coup within herself that she's not meant to last forever.

This book will bring you to your knee's in a sense, it gives you a new outlook on the idea of life and your wants out of it. What is truly important at the end of the day to you and how you can start to reach for them are all things you can start to see at a new perspective. When we haven't lived with the idea of death we never really can live as if tomorrow is our last day, but gaining a small perspective can change you in even the smallest ways. Maybe it's telling your family you love them every night instead of every now and then or confronting you fears head on.

The grammar difference can mislead or distract the reader, but over all it was a good read. I walked away with an understanding of finding ones self, if not for the long haul, but just for the moment of time. This was a great bargain book and worth the confusion of English vs. American if you read between the lines of the story.

Does Tessa come across as a snobby brat, yes. But once you learn her story and see the larger picture you can understand her rebellion. It's not just as a teen, but as a human being losing what is her future.


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