Give Until It Hurts

 Panacea Project by Catherine Devore Johnson

Calla has lived her whole life shunned by most people because of a skin condition that leaves white patches on her skin.  But one day doctor's discover that the cure for cancer might be in her blood.  Now everyone wants a piece of her, literally.  

Is this book believable?  Not really.  Did I enjoy reading it?  Yes, I did.  I don't know much about medicine but I think a lot of the science here wouldn't hold up and I'm pretty sure a hospital would not let a lot of this happen.  But I wasn't looking for science when I read the book so I was alright with that.  I do think that Calla seemed a little too naïve for someone who had to look out for herself her entire life, but I still liked her.  She was trying to do the right thing, trying to help people, and people took advantage of that.  So I felt for her.  And maybe the medical science here is unbelievable but the people's reaction to her is not.  You can imagine what people would do if they found out that there was a cure for their, or a loved one's, cancer.  What would you be willing to do if you thought you could save your dying child?  What is Calla's responsibly to other people when she could help so many?  Does she have one at all?  It does make you think about things.  Calla makes all the decisions seem like easy ones, and I wish she was a little more conflicted because I don't think it would be as easy as it seemed here.  And I wish Johnson had left out the romance angle completely.  It was unnecessary and felt very forced.  But the story moved at a quick pace and was compelling enough that it kept me up reading long after I should have been in bed.  

I got a free copy of this book from Librarything.com, Early Reviewers.

Friday 56

 Rules:

* Grab a book, any book.

* Go to page 56.  Or 56% on your ereader. 

* Find a snippet, short and sweet.

* Post it and add the url to your post at Freda's Voice

My book this week is The Panacea Project by Catherine Devore Johnson.  Calla's life changes forever when doctors discover that her blood might be the cure for cancer.  She wants to help, she wants to stop the suffering she sees all around her.  But when people start to treat her like a commodity instead of a person how much can she be expected to give of herself?

My Friday 56:

"But we need more tissue samples.  Liver and kidney this time.  We'll have to do them under general anesthesia, and I'd like to get at least thirty-six continuous hours of blood samples."

Calla winced.  She still had stitches from the last round of biopsies.

Calla has agreed to participate in a medical study, but she did not realize what the doctor would demand from her.

I'm really liking this one.  It is an interesting look at the best and worst of human nature as everyone wants something from Calla.  And there is also the moral and personal dilemmas Calla faces.  She can save some people, but not everyone, who does she save, and can she be expected to compromise her health and her life to save others.  Calla is a likeable character, and you feel for her as her life starts to spin out of control.  I can't wait to see how this one ends.