Module 8: The Adoration of Jenna Fox

Before formally reviewing my selection for this week, I would like to say that I also took this as an opportunity to read Twilight.  I was torn between giving yet more attention to what I believe is an understandably popular but comparatively weak work of fiction and reviewing one of the other, wonderful books I had the privilege to read this week.  I chose the latter.


Citation
Pearson, M.  (2008).  The Adoration of Jenna Fox.  New York: Henry Holt and Company.

Summary

In this futuristic novel, Jenna Fox has survived a terrible car wreck in which two of her friends died.  At the age of 17, she has moved to small-town California from her lifetime home in Boston, a fact her parents explain away by telling her she needs a quieter place to recover after being in a coma for over a year.  Jenna's father heads up a biotech firm; with her grandmother's help, Jenna discovers that her miraculous survival has everything to do with her father's business, much to her horror.  Only 10% of her brain actually survived the wreck; the rest of her has been reconstructed -- minus two inches of height.  Jenna struggles with the implications of this survival, the presence (or absence) of a soul, parental expectations, new friends, and fear of being discovered by the government's agency concerning bioethics.

Impressions
Author Mary Pearson has written a fascinating, thoughtful, and challenging book.  Her depiction of Jenna, her parents, and her grandmother rings true despite its futuristic setting.  Set in the middle of the 21st century, her liberties with time and science are not unfathomable, rendering the book all the more believable.  Nanobots are currently a hot issue in biotechnology; characters discuss past controversies regarding the over-prescription of antibiotics, drug-resistant pathogens, and the money and influence of pharmaceutical companies which prompted, around the turn of the millennium, the establishment of the Federal Sciences Ethics Board (FSEB).

I sincerely enjoyed this book and its exploration of the subjects involved.  Jenna's complex boyfriend, Ethan, helps weave a strain of Thoreau throughout the novel -- exploring what it means to "suck the marrow out of life."  Jenna's earthy grandmother, Lily, provides a foil to her loving, but perfection-oriented parents, Matthew and Claire; one of the conclusions of the book is that "Faith and science...are two sides of the same coin, separated by an expanse so small, but wide enough that one side can't see the other.  They don't even know they're connected.  Father and Lily were two sides of the same coin, I've decided, and maybe I am the space in between" (p. 263).  Pearson has attempted to plumb foreseeable questions raised by biomedical developments, but in doing so, she skillfully communicates the humanity (no matter what percent) and complexity of her characters.

Review
Gallagher, G.  (2008).  The adoration of Jenna Fox [book review].  Library Media Connection, 27(3), 79.  Retrieved from Children's Literature Comprehensive Database
Jenna Fox wakes up from a coma and finds she has lost a year of her life. Her memories of her life before the accident are barely a whisper and she has to learn how to be Jenna Fox all over again. Her mother gives her video recordings to watch, one for each year of her life, and it is clear that Jenna has been her parents’ whole world. As she gets stronger, she senses that something is very wrong. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as, through this first-person narrative, Jenna unravels her own mysteries. The California setting is brilliantly created as a future that has enough connection to present-day issues and events that it makes readers believe it all just might be possible. The questions raised surrounding bioethics, what makes us human, and the potential direction of science and medicine lend themselves perfectly to classroom discussions in both science and civics. Jenna’s voice will appeal to all readers, even those who don’t typically read science fiction. The book’s Web site has a trailer to share with reluctant readers which, along with the beautiful cover, should have them hooked. Highly Recommended. 2008, Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, 272pp., $16.95 hc. Ages 12 to 18.

Suggestion for use
As someone who would like to see literature used across the curriculum, this would be a fabulous book to read for a biology class.  Were I a secondary librarian, I would promote this book among biology teachers as an excellent discussion starter regarding bioethics.  Even more ideally, English teachers and biology teachers could collaborate upon a unit regarding this book.  In groups, students could research nanobots, drug-resistant streptococcal bacteria, stem cells, transplantation, drug companies, etc. and provide short presentations to their biology classes regarding these issues while reading this book in English classes.  Teachers could lead discussions prompting students to think about the possible implications or future effects of these current issues in relationship to the plot of The Adoration of Jenna Fox.