Yaneth Reyes Reyes itibaren Marguerittes, Fransa itibaren Marguerittes, Fransa

A coming-of-age story of the intellect, this was one of the best books I have ever read. Nathan is the son a genius, and is raised with the expectation that he will also have a great mind, if only he applies himself. He is a good kid and very, very smart, but not brilliant. This is a character study of the father, a quantum theory physicist, a son who lives in the shadow of expectation, a mother who believes that by cooking spectacular meals and having family games of rummy will make them all normal, and the third-wheel best friend of the Dad's who is a former astronaut. They all manage to hold it together until there is a terrible accident, and Nathan has a brain injury that changes the family's trajectory in profound ways. The writing is lyrical, the plot tightly paced, and the characters full, flawed, and believable. I loved every moment.

I wrote this book because it needed to be written. I AM NOT A WRITER! I'M JUST PRETENDING TO BE ONE! The book is unique because it contains: 1. The humorous perspective of a young active male brain tumor patient 2. The logical perspective of a patient with a physical therapy background 3. Multiple perspectives from the loved ones of a patient dealing with monumental health issues 4. A book based on a personal blog 5. A book soundtrack available exclusively on iTunes 6. The perspective of a 1st Generation Filipino American patient vs the views of his over protective, traditional Filipino parents Check out my website www.ericgalvezdpt.com for details.

This review comes from a second reading (finished on 8.3.13). I was blown away by the sci-fi in this the first time, and I can see why (Heinlein anticipates the Internet, modern news coverage, etc., with pretty stunning accuracy). If you do read it, read it for that. What does not hold up well are his attitudes about sex and gender. Friday, the main character, is female, and that's where this book really breaks down in a number of places. It was just too obvious the writer was male, and very much a white, heterosexual male. Heinlein seems to think that once we get rid of the problems of STDs and unwanted pregnancy, sex will simply be a pleasure humans will engage in freely without hesitation. He envisions polygamous communal marriages, etc. What he actually ends up doing is telling me much more about his own sexual hang-ups than he probably intended to. There is a rape in this book I could have skipped, and I wish he had.