Jenna Fox, 17, one day wakes up and does not remember anything about her life. She doesn't remember how to speak, how to walk or even her name. She is told by her mother that she was in an accident and that she was in a coma for over a year. Her grandmother Lily, a former doctor, also acts very strangely around her.Slowly but surely, bits of information begin to come back day by day. It is mostly how to do the basic things, but nothing from her previous life she can remember. She watches home-movies, but nothing of it seems like her or reminds her of anything. She says that it doesn't feel real. Finally one day, something clicks, she begins to remember that she likes hot chocolate. She runs downstairs in an effort to make some, forgetting that she is on a special diet and can only have liquid nutrients. After that, she begins to notice strange things. When she is told to go to her room, she goes, even if she may not want to, she is kept indoors and does not attend school, and her mother panics over a small scrape on her knee. She meets her "curious" neighbor Mr. Bender who alludes to the fact that there maybe more to Jenna Fox that what she even knows. The house that they recently moved into is remodeled but still really contains nothing that can help her remember who she is. She finds a locked room and knows instinctively where the key is hidden. Her father works in her hometown of Boston and does not get to come out and visit much. He is the head of a corporation that created Bio Gel, which helps people who have lost body parts or need ones by using the gel to create news and replace them. Jenna decides she wants to go to school and meet people and have friends. Rather than send her to public academy, they send her to a private learning center for special kids. Other than herself, there are only 4 other students. One of them is a shy quiet kid named Gabriel. Allys, the only other girl, has all of her limbs replaced by prosetic ones. Dane is a troubled young kid, who seems to be empty and "soul-less" according to Jenna. Lastly there is Ethan. He is a quiet young man who volunteers at the local church and has a secret of his own. Nearly everyone who goes to the school is an outcast in one way or another, which is why Jenna feels almost like it's home there. While in school she quickly learns that she seems to know everything about history and Walden. But that's not the only thing she discovers. Her memories are returning, not just ones from when she was a child, but also when she was a baby. She remembers that she had friends, Kara and Locke. But it doesn't stop there and she tells know one of this. While volunteering she also finds out that she doesn't tire or feel the effects of hardwork as much as Ethan does. When finally exploring the secret locked room, she finds three boxes. One with her name and two others with the names of her friends, Kara and Locke. When trying to remove the boxes, she cuts her hand open and makes a startling discovry. She finds that below the skin and a small layer of muscles there is blue gel and synthetic bones. After questioning her parents about this, they begin to slowly reveal the story of what happened. Her accident left her horribly burned and near death. They were able to recover small skin cells and scans of her brians. Soon after they uploaded her brain into a computer. It was only 10%. That was all that was left of Jenna Fox. There are laws in place so that a person can only have so much of the their body replaced with the Bio Gel. She knows this because Allys works with the organization to help prevent the overuse of the Bio Gel. It is extremely illegal to go over the limit. And Jenna realizes that her being in existence is simply illegal and could cause a lot of problems for several people. So for over a year, they rebuilt her, by using the gel to replace most of her organs, creating a primative gastrointestinal system, using her own skin samples to grow a whole skin, as well as what was left of her brain. They imput her old memories and functions into what was left of her old mind (often the section called the Butterfly of the brain) and the new Bio Gel. She also finds that implanted certain commands in order to keep her safe, such as Go To Your Room and then entire 10-12 grade curiculums. Yet, she has learned to fight those commands. Because most of her is made of the Bio Gel they do not know how long it will last. It could be up to 2 year or 200. They moved to a warmer climate because it helps to preserve it longer. She also learns that in the other boxes are the uploads from Kara and Locke's minds as well as her back up. In acts of rebellion she destroyes the back ups. She also remembers that it was not her that caused the accident and killed her friends, but Kara. Although she and her Grandmother have been at odds, they seem to bond over the fact that Jenna is different in many ways, but still the same in others. This new revelation takes a toll on her friendships at school. She tries to distance herself from Ethan, but he refuses and she tells him. Allys figures out about Jenna and becomes extremely angry. She doesn't come to school for several days and when Jenna visits, she finds that Allys is having system failure and dying, but not before she told her parents about Jenna. That night, while her father is in town, they recieve a visit from Allys' parents. They are extremely upset. Later we see that Jenna and Ethan are still working at the church and Jenna's grandmother comes in and helps to make her feel human once again. The book jumps forward 260 years and we see Jenna is still alive and well and in the body of a 17 year old. She now lives with Allys, who is only 22% of herself. She states that after they came out, people were more accepting of them. Jenna herself became a standard by only needing 10% of the function brain to be rebuilt. She tells that she married Ethan and they had 70 great years together. We now find out that she has had a child with Ethan's DNA and her saved ovary. But she knows that she could probably stay like this for a while longer, but one day will travel to Boston in the winter and finally succumb to the inevitable.
I absolutely loved the story. You can see the internal struggle that Jenna faces everyday. Because everything is new to her, she doesn't remember boundaries or how to sugarcoat anything. It's also great to see her progression from a young girl who is trying to learn things about herself, to an angry teen who is utterly confused to finally accepting who she is and realizing that what is inside does not necessary make you human. It's also an extremely thought provoking look at how far is too far with technical and medical advances. It makes one question how far would someone go to keep another near? Or is it even ethically right to do someone? Jenna had no choice in the matter and couldn't express her point in the hospital. She also questions the fact that they may have rebuilt her body, but what about her soul, her emotional state and her quirks? Where all of those implanted too? Over time you can see how she is able to adjust and cope with her new look on life. While she lashes out against her parents for doing this to her and covering it up, in a way, it is simply the new Jenna coming to understand how much her parents love her and a new chance for her. While she begins to exhibit some of the same personality traits as the old Jenna, according to her grandmother, it is hard to see how she deals with emotions and new concepts, as though she has to learn them all over again. The struggle with her grandmother is also hard. At first, she wants nothing to do with her, but in the end, is willing to help her when she startes to become a new Jenna. It's a struggle with her and how to handle the balance of her new life and her old. But she does know that no matter what, it is not what is inside of you that makes you a human. You can have lungs and a heart, but if you don't have compassion or feel any emotions, then that doesn't make you anymore human than a bird. She may not have all the internal structures, but she does realize that in the end, you are whoever you choose to be.
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