YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

Joe O’Brien is a forty-four-year-old police officer from the Irish Catholic neighborhood of Charlestown, Massachusetts. A devoted husband, proud father of four children in their twenties, and respected officer, Joe begins experiencing bouts of disorganized thinking, uncharacteristic temper outbursts, and strange, involuntary movements. He initially attributes these episodes to the stress of his job, but as these symptoms worsen, he agrees to see a neurologist and is handed a diagnosis that will change his and his family’s lives forever: Huntington’s Disease.

Huntington’s is a lethal neurodegenerative disease with no treatment and no cure. Each of Joe’s four children has a 50 percent chance of inheriting their father’s disease, and a simple blood test can reveal their genetic fate. While watching her potential future in her father’s escalating symptoms, twenty-one-year-old daughter Katie struggles with the questions this test imposes on her young adult life. Does she want to know? What if she’s gene positive? Can she live with the constant anxiety of not knowing?

As Joe’s symptoms worsen and he’s eventually stripped of his badge and more, Joe struggles to maintain hope and a sense of purpose, while Katie and her siblings must find the courage to either live a life “at risk” or learn their fate.

Chapter 9: (view spoiler)[The 50/50 odds for Joe's kids is pretty crazy. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 16: (view spoiler)[I wonder what Katie's going to decide. To know or not to know? This is pretty instense. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 25: (view spoiler)[So now the police force knows. Hopefully they'll keep Joe on. (hide spoiler)]

Finished: Couldn't put this down all day! (view spoiler)[Glad that Katie is accepting her results no matter what they are. (hide spoiler)]

I'm starting now sorry just find the thread I was going to ask you about it. Happy that you loved the book.

I really want to read this, maybe I will join you after I finish my book :-)

@berit it is ok. join any time you want. just started myself. post any time you want and I wilk be back to discuss with you :D

OK, about to start this :-)

Starting part two(view spoiler)[This really makes you ask a lot of questions, I'm about the same age as Joe, I can't imagine knowing I was going to die and 10 to 20 years, and my kids, a 50-50 chance they also have this
And then you think would you want to know? Would you want to know if you had the disease? If there was nothing you could do about it?
Now he needs to find his sister, and learn to forgive himself for not knowing what was wrong with his mom, I wonder if his dad knew??? disease??? Crazy to think (hide spoiler)]

It's surprises me that 90% of the people that genetically could have this disease choose not to find out.

Wow! I finish this last night so very good, I felt like I was part of the family!(view spoiler)[ that end, my fingers were crossed, and still I don't know! I still don't know if I'd want to know, but wow living with this craziness! Amazing how rare this disease is and so debilitating and so genetically linked (hide spoiler)]

I absolutely loved Katie's quote at the end! Words to live by for sure!

Finished Chapter 6
(view spoiler)[
Finally started sorry for being late anyway here I am. I like it so far it is a little bit slow but I know it is supposed to be like this the first 6 chapters only talking about Joe's life and his history, his Job and his family. To understand later how's everyone is going to deal with what comes later. I love Joe characters and it saddened me so much when he was so looking forward to have grandchildren. (hide spoiler)]

finished chapter 12
(view spoiler)[
this is really sad. Joe must feeling that he is the worst feels in the world knowing not only he is dying but he also maybe will pass the illness to his sons and daughters.
Also I can understand that sometimes people don't want to know they will be dying in 15 or 20 years but it is not a life if you didn't know it will be like a prison. (hide spoiler)]

Finshed chapter 14
(view spoiler)[
That's horrible that JJ had the HD. how can you accept when you are only 25 and just start a family that you will be dying after 10 or 15 years and you are passing death to your baby that isn't even born yet. That's Tragedy. (hide spoiler)]

Finished chapter 19
(view spoiler)[
So cruel this HD. Meghan being positive this so cruel. Not only she is going to die young but she will stop dancing someday too. Nothing seems to be good for the O'Briens. But the thing I don't understand why the author chose only Katie to tell the middle chapters?! (hide spoiler)]