Climbing the top of My list

Only recently have I discovered an author by the name of Jodi Picoult. When I was in Plaza Damas, bored to the core..I ended up by chance or should I say, by fate, in TIMES Bookstore. I noticed a sign, “3 for the price of 2″ hanging conspicuously over a large stack of novels so naturally, I walked towards it.

Sifting through all the familiar authors such as James Patterson and John Grisham, I came across a myriad of books written by Jodi Picoult. The moment I picked up My Sister’s Keeper, it was an almost instantaneous connection. The synopsis itself is gripping so I decided to purchase a few books written by her.

In this book, Ms. Picoult has covered a controversial subject involving the use of genetic engineering. Skillfully, she narrates a story about 13 year-old Anna Fitzgerald, whose seeming purpose in life was to act as a donor for her elder sister Kate who has been diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia. After all, her parents namely Sarah and Brian, only conceived Anna for the sake of their elder daughter’s life through the controversial method of genetic engineering. Feelings of frustration and bitterness, Anna decides to pursue legal counsel in the hope of being medically emancipated from her parents. Of course, this action will come at the possible expense of her sister who depends on Anna for almost everything including blood transfusions and organ transplants. Anna’s parents especially her mother are heartbroken over their daughter’s decision and in a last-ditch effort to save Kate’s life, Sara dusts off her law degree and acts as defense counsel. Throughout the trial, Kate develops renal failure and is in dire need of Anna’s kidney. Will Anna drop the case in the name of unconditional love or will she pursue her much needed freedom?

Exciting enough for ya? It was for me and I swear, I was dumbfounded by the outcome ! You cannot possibly predict the end..it’s absolutely enthralling!

What I love about Jodi Picoult’s style is that she does not trump up the details of the setting nor does she use superfluous adjectives to decorate her novel, both of which can be tedious to read and can put off the reader for its apparent pompousness. Instead, Ms. Picoult focuses on the DEPTH of the issue which is in this case, the moral and ethical questions about genetic engineering.

What is more is that this novel is not without stirring emotions. Family confrontations often mimic reality and in doing so, the reader can relate and often times, FEEL the same emotions. God knows I cried because I could relate to being the sick child, whose mother felt helpless to do anything about the possible death of her daughter. I really could begin to understand what a parent feels when he/she has a sick child and given the opportunity, the parent will go through seemingly endless lengths to save that child’s life. I know my mom feels that way about me and I know if she could, she would be the one who would take my illness so that I could live a healthy life.

Stunning piece! Jodi Picoult is most definitely climbing the top of my favorites’ list.

Next review will be on Keeping Faith, yet another noteworthy book.

Wealth, what is it really?

I have been reading a book by Richard Templar entitled, “The Rules of Wealth”, doesn’t sound like Keisha’s conventional choice of books, does it? Well since YL’s dad gave it to him and he isn’t reading it, I thought I would for the hell of it—to be blunt. It is a fairly interesting book and it challenges the reader to make certain decisions financially. Specifically in Rule 2, the book asks, “What is in your definition, Wealth?” That is a toughie honestly, seeing as the term wealth is abstract. To Templar, it means “having enough so that I don’t need to worry about having enough.” His definition is somewhat in relation to mine, but mine is a little different. So far my definition of financial wealth is having enough money to take the pre-emptive actions to take care of my financial needs; health, home, family, etc. In addition to this, I’d like to do something more with money, that is to make a difference in this world. That is how I define financial wealth thus far, and if it’s one thing I agree with Templar is that I cannot conclusively come to a more concrete definition, i.e how much money is financial wealth, that is subject to change depending on my circumstances. What is your definition?

Before my grandfather died, I was eagerly wanting to learn from him on how to invest wisely. I remember enquiring from him about the different kinds of stocks, about mutual funds, etc. He picked up on my interest and told me that he would allocate some capital for me to start off with if I was keenly interested…sigh,. now that he has passed, I have lost my chance to learn how he had made most of his money.

Which is why in a way, I picked up this book, nothing like being autodidactic!

Having all said and done, in my opinion, financial wealth is different from fundamental wealth–as YL put it. Fundamental wealth is about giving your effort, not necessarily your money, to make a difference in the lives of others—volunteer work in soup kitchens is an example.

John 15:13

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

 

Hopefully this book will teach me a thing or two so I may make wise decisions later on in the future but more so, I hope I will not lose sight of what is most important: fundamental wealth.