LS 5623 Module Two: BEFORE I DIE by Jenny Downham

Downham, Jenny. 2007. BEFORE I DIE. New York: David Fickling Books. ISBN 0385751834

“Dad says, do you want blackberries?”
“No.”
“What shall I tell him?”
“Tell him I want a baby elephant.”
He laughs. “I’m gonna miss you,” he says.

BEFORE I DIE centers around Tessa, a sixteen year old girl who diagnosed with terminal cancer. Instead of giving up on life, Tessa embraces it with the help of her friend Zoey, her family and Adam, the boy next door. Knowing her days are numbered Tessa composes a “to do” list full of various things she feels she will miss out on. Armed with a fierce attitude Tessa checks activities off her list one by one: stealing her dad’s car, shoplifting, experimenting with drugs, having sex and falling in love.

Each character is deep, flawed and very realistic- a connection that any reader can make to BEFORE I DIE. Whether outraged at cancer on Tessa’s behalf, irritated with the friendship between Tessa and her reckless, pregnant friend Zoey or comforted by the growing love between Tessa and Adam, readers will run through a gamut of emotions before reaching the last page.

Downham’s writing style often becomes erratic, mirroring the feelings of the main character as she experiences the ups and downs of her terminal illness. There is very little subtlety to the harsh reality of cancer and how it affects Tessa and the people in her life but young readers will find it refreshing to read this down-to-earth account of living with a terminal disease.

While the tone of BEFORE I DIE is dark and somber, there are moments where Tessa experiences bursts of happiness that accurately portray what it would be like to live with cancer. A strong plot provides the reader with pages of well written text, however, “With its uncompromising reflections on the harsh realities of terminal illness and straightforward descriptions of sex and drugs, this title is most appropriate for a mature teen audience”(Wysocki, 2011).
Although not for everyone, this story is guaranteed to make you laugh, cry and think. Readers will be left with much to discuss and reflect upon.

Awards:
A Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of the Year
A Booklist Editors’ Choice
A Book Sense Children’s Pick
A Kirkus Reviews Editors’ Choice
A Publishers Weekly Flying Start Author
An ALA-YALSA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults

References:
Wysocki, Barbara. 2008. "Before I Die." School Library Journal 54, no. 1: 68. Education Research Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed September 30, 2011).