The Adoration of Jenna Fox

Written by Mary E. Pearson

Narrated by Jenna Lamia

Who is Jenna Fox? Seventeen-year-old Jenna has been told that is her name. She has just awoken from a coma, they tell her, and she is still recovering from a terrible accident in which she was involved a year ago. But what happened before that? Jenna doesn't remember her life. Or does she? And are the memories really hers?

Mary E. Pearson's The Adoration of Jenna Fox is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Apr 29, 2008
• ISBN: 9781427204448

Mary E. Pearson

Mary E. Pearson is the international and New York Times bestselling author of the Dance of Thieves duology, the Remnant Chronicles trilogy, the Jenna Fox Chronicles, and more books for young readers. The Courting of Bristol Keats is Mary’s debut novel for adults. She writes from her home in California.

Reviews for The Adoration of Jenna Fox

[libraryclerk · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Can't imagine waking up from a coma after a year and not knowing my past. Could not put it down.

[lyssa73 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh this book. Ms. Pearson is the kind of author that I have to be careful with- her books suck me in almost immediately and I cannot, will not resurface until I've finished. And even then, I need space to think and reflect and process everything I'm feeling. In her books, I can easily lose mysef for an entire day, or entire night, or both.

She really lets you in her characters' heads and hearts. Oh my gosh, the horror of realizing what you really ARE. Though I saw it coming, I was still shocked and filled with despair for Jenna. I loved the way that, because of extra neurons or maybe from learning how to communicate from scratch, she learned to see and read minute facial expressions. I felt that her struggles with her identity- was she really this person everyone was telling her she was? old jenna vs. new jenna and who did she want to be?- were really well done. And her mixed feelings with the computers in the closet were understandable. Jenna's questions about what was missing from her new body, her new life I thought were spot on. How does someone transplant a soul? What percentage of humanity keeps it intact? I can't imagine what it would be like to feel soulless. I certainly feel so much more appreciative of my humanity, fleeting youth, flaws and all.

I felt that the supporting characters were a little less complex; the parents have kind of become all consumed by their one purpose to save their daughter. I didn't really understant Allys' point of view. I mean I can see how she got to her conclusion, but I can't understand how she looks at it so black and white; pushing the boundaries are how medical advances are made, which she benefited from with her prosthetics. I was completely surprised by Ethan's response when she told him the truth. He just seemed to accept her completely, no struggles, no conflicts. Everything but 10% of her brain is a robot. None of it's real. But he's totally fine with that. And takes up her cause. Mmmm I wasn't so sure about that.

Mr. Bender surprised me. I feel like I need to go back and reread that with new attention. Same with Dane. I wasn't sure what to make of him throughout the whole story. I kept expecting to find out that he was illegal too. Or at least what happened to rob him of his humanity. I unexpectedly found the answer i nthe attached Q&A with the author in the back of the book. She mentioned all the research she had to do for this book, including research on sociopaths.

I was glad for Jenna's choices but a little disappointed that we didn't unravel more of her friends.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who needs their world shaken up a little bit.

[amandacb_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The premise behind Pearson’s book is not unique—many (slightly) dystopia novels deal with the issue of bioethics and the question of “how far is too far?” At the center of Pearson’s novel is Jenna Fox, a teenager who awakes from a coma after an accident with no recollection of what happened before the accident, nor of any memories before the accident. She begins to piece together her life by watching videos and by also experiencing unsettling flashbacks of her life pre-accident. Jenna’s parents are over-protective and over-secretive; Jenna’s grandmother, Lily, treats Jenna like a pariah. The novel drags as the story like progresses in a slow, onion-layer fashion; the reader and Jenna learn information piecemeal, and then a majority of the information is crammed into five or so pages. Further, the epilogue is hurried. I feel Pearson suffers from trying to make the language of her novel too poetic at times; it is hard to understand in parts, and this is coming from someone who loves to analyze poetry. This poetic jargon contrasts sharply with Pearson’s propensity to lapse into highly technical language. Overall, The Adoration of Jenna Fox is definitely not high on my list of favorite dystopia novels.“’I’ve been in a coma for over a year. I guess that makes me highly unusual; odd, and strange. Yes, Lily. I am curious’” (11).“There is something about her [mother’s] eyes. Eyes don’t breathe. I know that much. But hers look breathless” (14).“’You have to draw the line somewhere, don’t you? Medical costs are a terrible drain on society, not to mention all the ethics involved. And by restricting how much can be replaced or enhanced, the FSEB knows you are more human than lab creation. We don’t want a lot of half-human lab pets crawling all around the world, do we? I think that’s the main point of all” (96).

[aerrin99 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was absolutely lovely. It starts as a bit of a mystery, although not much of one - the answers to Jenna's questions are fairly clear, and I think that I knew most of them fairly early one. But that doesn't matter, because that's not the point. The point here is a lovely and human exploration of identity, of what it takes to be you (how much is enough? 10%? Does it matter /which/ 10%? ), and of how people change. There's also a delightful thread about medicine and technology and what it can do, and what it should do. This thread surprised me some - the book manages to explore both sides and come out with an angle that I wasn't quite expecting. It made me think a lot about many far-future epics I've read - things like Pandora's Star and Old Man's War - where technology that enables you to live forever or reboot your body is commonplace. Here, we see something of what society might be in the very first throes of these possibilities. It's something I haven't seen explored very often, and it's well done. Of particular importance is Jenna herself - her voice is lovely, and her character is drawn with a lot of heart. You feel for her and with her, and the questions she asks (especially about definition) resonate deeply. I suspect even more deeply with its intended YA audience. Without a strong Jenna at the center of this book, the rest of it would be pointless - fortunately, here we have a character who can carry all those heavy questions on her shoulders with ease - in part because she's the one asking them. Highly recommended.

[akmargie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Love the writing, love the complex story, and love the characters. It misses 5 stars by wrapping things up to quickly and handling some emotional scenes with not enough impact. For a story about such weightly, ethical issues about genetics and science it ending too quickly and neatly.

[df1a_sarahp · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Jenna is an illegal fix. She was in a crash that could have ended her life. When she finds out her secert she tells her 2 friends. One ends up telling others...

[squishy133 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I’d had this on my TBR pile for a while and then realised our school had it at the library so I borrowed it and decided to give it a try.This book is severely hard to write about without giving anything away, and that’s one of the best parts of reading it. There are a few major mysteries to solve, such as why Jenna can’t remember anything and why her Grandmother doesn’t like her, so I felt that there was always something suspenseful.Sadly, I guessed half of it. But that’s just me I suppose. I tend to guess endings quite well, yet I still found the twists in this book interesting.The book is written a little differently – It doesn’t have ‘chapters’ as per say, but rather headings that describe the chapters in one or two words. There are also mini-chapter that are interspersed throughout the book, lasting for less than half the page.The characters were likeable enough and Pearson was able to convey Jenna’s feelings amazingly. Her writing style was something very different to what I am used to, which made reading ‘The Adoration of Jenna Fox’ something special.The plot, however, did take a while to get moving. The beginning was quite slow, though the middle of the book was interesting and captivating enough to keep me interested.Sadly, I felt the ending of the book (in the Epilogue) was a let down. The book, after taking so long to wind up came very suddenly to a complete halt. Everything appeared to be resolved a little too quickly for my liking which really dropped the book down in my eyes.Other than that, it was a fairly good book for anyone interested in (slightly) dystopic fiction, light science fiction and a real soul-searching read.The book deals with a few hard hitting ethical issues that Pearson handles with the utmost care, treating them with sensitivity but not once sugar coating them.I also felt that the characters reacted realistically for people in their situations, making the book much more enticing to read. Because the book is set in the near-future, changes to the way the world was run and the way people lived made for a more realistic read as well.Similarly, the simple writing style made the book unique.As much as it was a well written book, I’m not sure I liked it all that much. It made me think about a few issues; but it wasn’t my cup of tea.

[jordancorinne · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Good idea, poor execution.

[librariankristin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Seventeen-year-old Jenna's life becomes strange after she awakes from a year-long coma. She doesn't remember very much about her life before the coma and her parents are behaving very oddly. As Jenna slowly uncovers the truth, the nature of life and deat is drawn into question in this dystopian novel.

[hmz1505 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I know that this book isn't new but I had to blog about it anyway! I read it in November and absolutely loved it!! It gives you so much to think about and discuss! I've passed it around to a number of teachers and students that I work with and they've really enjoyed it as well. Actually, I ordered it for our book room and the students have been reading it in literature circles too! It's such a great mix of genres. It's sci-fi but seems realistic. There are relationship issues but it's not too girly. And then you add the medical mystery/thriller aspect....it just gets better and better!! I honestly couldn't put it down.We meet seventeen-year-old Jenna as she is waking up from a year long coma. She doesn't remember who she is or what her life was like. All she knows is that she just feels "off"....you know, not quite right. This odd feeling grows as Jenna learns more about her life and her family. Why would she wake up right after her family moves across the country? Is that a coincidence? And...why does her grandmother, who seems so adoring in videos, avoid her and treat her as if she isn't herself? Plus there's the fact that Jenna can't remember anything about her life yet she can recite whole passages of literature she doesn't ever remember reading... it's just too weird. Jenna's story draws you in as she discovers more about herself and those around her. It's a book I would recommend to almost any reader!

[lkerr_29 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jenna Fox-modern day Frankenstein? Jenna awakens from a coma to find her memory gone, her two best friends dead, and her body strangely different. Slowly, she comes to realize that she should have died after the car wreck but her parents managed to "save" her. Actually, they were only able to save 10 percent of her brain, the butterfly or core. The rest of her is pieced together from lab grown samples and an incredible blue gel that her father's biomedical company produces. Is she still Jenna? Does her soul still exist? Jenna struggles with her humanity while trying to relearn life, love, and relationships.

[girlmisanthrope · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Quite an amazing read for teens or adults. The author introduces us to Jenna Fox, beloved daughter, who has just awoken from a long coma. Bioethics are deftly illustrated and questioned, mirrored in Thorough's apparently prophetic "Walden". The twists keep on coming even after the major twist is revealed clear up to the last page. Highly recommended.

[rbeffa_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I found the story quite good and thought provoking. It is a journey of self discovery for a young woman who awakens from a coma following what should have been a life-ending accident. Medicine and biotech in this dystopian future seemingly have accomplished the impossible. We learn who Jenna was, and is, as Jenna learns it. The story is told somewhat like reading a journal. I found this quite natural. The setup for the meat of the story seemed a bit drawn out but did not interfere with my enjoyment. It let me get to know some of the characters better. I don't think at any point I thought "I love this book!", but I did like it. I think I expected more from this novel.

[lrobe190 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"Jenna Fox wakes from a year-long coma following a devastating accident, her memory a blank. One day she cant walk; the next she can. One day her right eyelid droops; the next it doesnt. Her parents call her recovery a miracle but at what cost has it come? What are they hiding from her? And why does her grandmother, Lily, hate her so? When the memories do come, theyre more than anyone bargained for, and as Jenna struggles to work out who she is, and what exactly makes us who we are, one thing becomes very clear: Jenna Fox is no ordinary teenage girl."--Provided by publisher.A fascinating topic but never really engaged my interest or emotions.

[missnickynack · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Seventeen-year-old Jenna Fox has just awoken from a year-long coma-so she's been told-and she is still recovering from the terrible accident that caused it. But what happened before that? She's been given home movies chronicling her entire life, which spark memories to surface. But are the memories really hers? And why won't anyone in her family talk about the accident? Jenna is becoming more curious. But is she also afraid of what she might find out if she never gets up the courage to ask her questions?What happened to Jenna Fox? And who is she, really?

[elizardkwik · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Starts out innocently enough, but the story changes into something far more complex than the amnesia angle it presents with. As Jenna begins to relive her life through a series of videos in an attempt to regain all the memories she has lost, she meets some important characters in her life's story and learns a whole lot more than she bargained for. Well-written and thought-provoking.

[catfantastic_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Seventeen-year-old Jenna Fox wakes up after a horrible accident, with no memories. She watches family movies, trying to remember her life, but instead finds herself questioning her family and herself. Is she really Jenna Fox? And if not, then who or what is she?Jenna is a very sympathetic heroine, with a distinctive voice. Short, clipped chapters keep the plot moving at a swift pace, and the writing itself is engrossing, elegant and satisfying. This is also a well-written science fiction novel, set in the near-future which raises questions of medical ethics. How far would you go to save someone you love?Rating: 4/5 - this is a superb example of the 'young adult' genre. Recommended: to readers who enjoy young adult science fiction/fantasy.

[mrssewell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I couldn't put this book down. As I got closer to the end I thought, "This must be made into a movie!!" And it seems that it will be as 20th Century Fox have bought the rights to do just that. I found myself thinking about important ethical issues as I read this novel. I'm sure you will too.

[sabrinacate · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book is a psycological thriller, and a science fiction book. It is a good story, a little bit sad and confusing but it is worth it. To read this book you need to have a big vocabulary, because the words in the text are quiet hard. It is also confusing because the story is complex. Have fun reading!

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don't know if I can review this quite properly while I'm processing the fact that a friend is in a coma and has been for several weeks, and I just found out about it after reading this.Jenna doesn't remember before the coma, she's trying to process now and then, her parents are trying to regain their daughter, her grandmother is strangely unfriendly and she's doing her best to learn what it means to be herself again. But there are complications and it brings out questions about what it means to be human in a world with a lot of technology and rules about replacement parts, and how much does it take to stay human.Interesting, but my reaction is kinda warped by stuff.

[df1a_sarahg · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was pretty good but kind of weird. It had an interesting and creative plot but didn't have a whole lot of excitement. I would recommend it for people who like futuristic, sci fi books.

[zareksmom · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Adoration of Jenna Fox was an interesting read. I can't say that I really enjoyed it, although it certainly held my attention. For most of the book, I didn't feel that I could really relate to Jenna, which probably had something to do with what/who she was.I will say that it was definitely worth the time spent reading it, and somewhat enjoyable.

[katiekrug · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a rather labored YA science fiction-y read about an angsty teenager (is there any other kind in YA lit?) who discovers a truth about herself that causes even more angst. The book explores questions of identity, humanity, religion, love vs. control, and a bunch of other things that caused the book to feel a bit like a jumble of Very Deep Thoughts. Maybe because I wasn’t an angsty teenager, I have very little patience for the self-pity, drama, and self-importance that seem to go along with it. Also, I didn't find it particularly well-written with a lot of awkward dialogue and phrasing.I listened to this on audio and found the narrator to be kind of annoying, especially when affecting different voices to differentiate among characters. A teenage girl sounds like a lisping child – it was very distracting. Also, to be fair, the final CD conked out with about 10-15 minutes left to go, so I might have missed some bit that would have redeemed the entire novel for me, but I don’t think so (the big denouement had already occurred). The intended audience would probably see past any number of flaws in this book and enjoy it, as the premise and core of the story is rather interesting. But being a rational, fairly well-adjusted woman in my early 30s, I just couldn’t stop rolling my eyes.

[jentifer · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What can I say? Addictive plot - hard to put down - ultimately unsatisfying. The conceit of the story is an examination of the essence humanity, a girl who is more synthetic than human. With only 10% of her brain left after a horrible accident, Jenna is reconstructed by her doting parents and kept largely in the dark about her nature for much of the novel.I liked: the struggle within the family, realizing slowly that Jenna was the entire focus of the family long before the accident. I liked the adult characters much more than the teens.I didn't like: the heavy handed repetition of the them and the obviousness of some of the "clues" along the way. I'm not sure if it was intentional or not (as a metaphor) but Jenna's relationships w/ Allys and Ethan felt so flat and unsubstantiated, which made the ending ring really false and tacked on.I felt there was so much to be done with this storyline and because of that I'm probably judging this more harshly than I would a fluffy sort of teen novel. I think that in many ways this didn't read like a teen novel so I looked for more mature or layered themes and didn't find them. Reading this book did make me revisit/read more about the "Uncanny Valley," which is always good.

[salsabrarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Narrated by Jenna Lamia. *SPOILERS* How far would or should parents go to save their child from dying? In this book which takes place many years in the future, Jenna has awoken from a year-long coma. She was in a car accident with her friends and the resulting severe burns to her body meant she should have died. But her scientist father has had her secretly rebuilt with his invention of biogel. Jenna's birth had been a miracle to her parents and they use deception to hide from Jenna how much they did to keep her from dying. It's grandmother Lilly and Jenna's imperfect friends at the charter school that help reawaken Jenna's memories of her past and a realization that life is not something anyone should control.

[bookwormygirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jenna Fox has just awoken from a year long coma. She doesn't remember much of her life before the accident. All she knows about herself and her former life is what she is told and what she learns from the videos of herself that she is given to watch.The not-too-distant future Ms. Pearson creates within these pages is both believable and intriguing. I enjoyed watching how Jenna uncovers in slow increments more and more of her life... but you know something is off right from the start. To be quite honest, this was what I enjoyed the most of this story. The suspense... WHO IS JENNA FOX? I loved that we get little tidbits of pre-accident Jenna and how post-accident Jenna assimilates this information and then uses it to put the missing pieces together. I had all these different conspiracy theories going the whole time... is she a robot, is she a clone, is she an alien... Can I just tell you how much I loved not knowing. And the best part of it all, I never figured it out before Jenna did. That alone makes it worth the read. At a glimpse this might seem like a story about a girl coming to terms with who she is and finding herself... but it is so much deeper than that. There are some strong messages scattered throughout the book dealing with religion, science, ethics, and humanity. But the one thing that really gripped me about this book was the thought... to what extent would a parent go to in order to save their child?Although slow-paced, I found The Adoration of Jenna Fox to be utterly absorbing and highly thought-provoking. It contemplates one of life’s great questions—“What makes us human?” Is it our body, our memories, our knowledge, or something else entirely? This is geared more towards older teens, but definitely a worthy read for adults as well. If you're like me who doesn't really enjoy science fiction, this book will prove you wrong. READ IT!

[jessicamurphree · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is about a girl who is named Jenna. She has had a car accident, and she has been in a coma for about a year and half. Before, she had the accident she lived in Boston. When she woke up from heer coma she was living in California. Her dad is her doctor. Also, for some reason she thinks her grandmother, Lily does not like her. In this book, when Jenna wakes up from her coma she does not remember anyone including her parents. She does not remember words and how to perform everyday task.I think this book would be a good book to use in a science class. This book shows how the different medical technologys work. Jenna has biochips in her. Also, I believe this book would be a good book for a technology class. I believe this book could really show students how the medical world really works. I would give this book a rating of 4. I think in the near future a lot of the medical world will be like this. It was very interesting to see how we can use technology today and how it effects our lives. It is amazing to see how a girl that is in a coma for a year and half survives. Jenna is known by her parents as their miracle child. Her mother had miscarriages before she was born. That is why Jenna was in coma so long, because her parents did not want her to die. Jenna wanted to go to school, but her mother did not want her to go. Finally, her mother enrolled her in a charter school. That is where she met Ethan. Her grandmother really did not seem to like Ethan. Ethan and Jenna go to visit Allys. Allys's mother thinks she does not need any visitors, but her dad thinks other wise. At the beginning when Jenna wakes up from her coma, her mother tells her not to go outside, but she does anyway. Jenna wonders off to Mr. Bender's house. When Jenna is older she marries Ethan. After, she marries Ethan the house she lived in burnt and now they live in Mr. Bender's house.

[dk_phoenix_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So much has been said about this book already that I don't have a whole lot to add, beyond saying: For anyone who enjoys biomed ethics books, this is the one to read. There are a lot of crappy biomed ethics books on the shelves right now that neglect to address the tough issues that arise around this topic, but Pearson confronted them head on. She didn't spend a whole lot of time covering some of them, but the way she handled particular issues (for me, I always look for discussion of the soul, as I find that question fascinating) was extremely well done.I also really enjoyed the way the book was laid out, with Jenna's thoughts placed between the chapters.Ultimately, it's not only an entertaining story, but it raises questions that make you think. It's intelligent YA that's worthwhile for adults and youth alike.

[jellyn_7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

At first I thought it was just going to be a reasonably well-written YA novel with a very predictable science fiction ending. But actually, it turned out to be not quite what I expected. It was interesting. Reminded me a bit of Liar by Justine Larbalestier.If you're interested in bioethics and a girl's story as she finds out who she was and who she is, this is a good choice.

[ajewell_10 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I think this story is a very advanced book for a teen to read. I am a grown-up and found the story to be very intriguing. I would recommend this to a teen who reads a little bit of everything.