If I Stay

You are living in a world you never thought you’d be given the privilege to live in; living in the world where you are allowed to do things your own way; allowed to be who you want to be. And then everything around you is lost. Broken. Gone forever. What options do you have then? It’s either live, or die.

In the book If I Stay by Gayle Forman, the main character is Mia, a spirited, pretty young high school girl who loves to play the cello, loves to laugh along with her brother, loves sharing secrets with her best friend, and loves hanging out with her boyfriend. She is a life-lover. In this story she faces obstacles with no right answers; all the paths seem to ultimately be the wrong choice to make. And it’s up to her to choose which road to take.

[Passage; page 87-88: "Gramps turned to Gran and asked: 'Do you think she decides?' 'Decides what?' Gramps looked uncomfortable. He shuffled his feet. 'You know? Decides,' he whispered. 'What are you talking about?' Gran sounded exasperated and tender at the same time. 'I don't know what I'm talking about. You're the one who believes in all the angels.' 'What has that got to do with Mia?' She asked. 'If they're gone now, but still here, like you believe, what if they want her to join them?' 'It doesn't work like that.' Gran snapped." "And while I'm contemplating this, I think about what the nurse said. She's running the show. And now I understand everything Gramps said...It's about if I stay; if I live. It's up to me."]

Everyone eventually dies; it’s part of the package that comes with living in the first place. But how fair is it if you only live to be a young adult, never mind a seven-year-old boy? That’s the thing. It isn’t fair. When Mia and her family are out for a morning drive like any ordinary family, there is a terrible