Happy book birthday to my birthday twin, Nicola Yoon's debut EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING! It is such an honor to share a birthday with this beautiful work of art, because this book is fantastic. I absolutely adored it, I just had to make a story diary to celebrate! Everything, Everything is not one to miss, so be sure to pick up a copy today!
Everything, Everything by Nicola YoonYoung Adult Contemporary
September 1, 2015 from Delacorte
This innovative, heartfelt debut novel tells the story of a girl who’s literally allergic to the outside world. When a new family moves in next door, she begins a complicated romance that challenges everything she’s ever known. The narrative unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, texts, charts, lists, illustrations, and more.
My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.
But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.
Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.
First Sentence
A first sentence--hell, paragraph--about books is a sure sign of a winner.
Setting + Places
Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disorder AKA SCID
"SCID, Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, is a primary immune deficiency. The defining characteristic is usually a severe defect in both the T- & B-lymphocyte systems. This usually results in the onset of one or more serious infections within the first few months of life. These infections are usually serious, and may even be life threatening, they may include pneumonia, meningitis or bloodstream infections. Children affected by SCID can also become ill from live viruses present in some vaccines. These vaccines (such as Chickenpox, Measles, Rotavirus, oral polio and BCG, etc.) contain viruses and bacteria that are weakened and don’t harm children with a healthy immune system. In patients with SCID however, these viruses and bacteria may cause severe, life-threatening infections." -- Source via SCID.net
SCID is often called “bubble boy disease”. SCID became widely known during the 1970’s and 80’s, when the world learned of David Vetter, a boy with X-linked SCID, who lived for 12 years in a plastic, germ-free bubble. -- Source via SCID.net
There are several forms of SCID:
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"Typical SCID – describes cases with fewer than 300 autologous T cells /_L
Leaky SCID – describes cases due to incomplete mutation(s) in a typical SCID gene, T cells ranging from 300–1,500/_L and may have a later age of onset of clinical symptoms
Variant SCID – describes cases with no known gene defect and a persistence of 300–1,500 T cells/L that have impaired function." -- Source via SCID.net
Books / Films mentioned
Favorite Quotes
"Sometimes you do things for the right reasons and sometimes for the wrong ones and sometimes it's impossible to tell the difference." -- Nicola Yoon, Everything, Everything (ARC pg. 174)
"I was happy before I met him. But I'm alive now, and those are not the same thing."
-- Nicola Yoon, Everything, Everything (pg. 181)
"The smile he gives me is worth living for."
-- Nicola Yoon, Everything, Everything (ARC pg. 305)
**quotes are taken from an ARC and is subject to change in final copy**
Meet Nicola Yoon
Nicola Yoon grew up in Jamaica (the island) and Brooklyn (part of Long Island). She currently resides in Los Angeles, CA with her husband and daughter, both of whom she loves beyond all reason. Everything, Everything is her first novel.
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