Regine's Book: A Teen Girl's Last Words

by Regine Stokke

Overview

Regine’s blog about living with Leukemia gained a huge following, and eventually became this book. She writes openly about emotional and physical aspects of her 15-month struggle to recover, and explains how her disease impacts her life. In the course of her illness, Regine has photography exhibits, goes to concerts, enjoys her friends & family, and advocates for registering as a blood and bone marrow donor. She was a typical teenager with an amazing will to live; and the lessons she learned have relevance for all of us. She died at home on December 3, 2009 with her family and cat by her side.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541581982
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/01/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
File size:	27 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	13 - 14 Years

About the Author

Regine Stokke began to blog about her day-to-day life shortly after she was diagnosed with leukemia in 2008. Regine's stated purpose with her posts was to give people a sense of "what it's like to live with" such a serious illness, and her blog became an almost instant classic. It was first adapted into book form in 2010, and became a bestseller in Norway. Regine was also a very gifted photographer, and had her photos exhibited at both the 2009 and 2010 Nordic Light photography festivals in Kristiansund.

Editorial Reviews

In 2008, 17-year-old Stokke was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive, and fatal form of leukemia. Stokke’s blog, a detailed account of her life before and after the diagnosis, drew many readers in her native Norway and became a bestseller in book form, published shortly after her death in late 2009. Stokke’s emotional 15-month journey offers candid descriptions of endless cycles of chemotherapy, her physical pain, and frustrations (“It’s incredibly tough to experience defeat after defeat,” she writes. “When will all this stop?”), as well as accounts of happier moments, including attending concerts and spending time with friends and family. Stokke’s photography and poetry appear throughout, and her blog entries are contextualized by footnotes explaining key details about leukemia, its treatment, and Norwegian life. Supportive notes from Stokke’s family members and blog readers are also included, but it’s Stokke’s openness and honesty that are the chief draw; readers will feel as though they have truly come to know her. While there can be a repetitiveness to both the entries and the supplemental commentary, it’s a rare, valuable window into life with a terminal illness. Ages 14–up. (Oct.)¦

Publishers Weekly

"'Face your fear. Accept your war.' Seventeen-year-old Regine began a blog to document and share her experience after being diagnosed with leukemia in 2008. Selections from her posts are occasionally supplemented with comments left by the supportive and adoring followers of her 15-month journey. Her writing is honest and raw, insightful and inspiring. While her moods swing with the course of her treatment and relapses, her outlook remains steadfastly positive throughout all but the most difficult days. The entries include medical details, physical changes, the reactions of family and friends, and Regine's own search for understanding and acceptance of a world-changing diagnosis. Her obsession with rock music and attending concerts saturates the text as it does her short life, and her original poems and artistic photographs add extra dimension to what is sure to be an inspiring read for a new audience for this moving title that was originally published in Regine's Norway."—Booklist

From the Publisher

Gr 8 Up—At age 17, Stokke was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. Once the initial shock of diagnosis wore off, she was drawn to blogging as a way to document how she was living with the disease. With a moving and honest voice, she takes readers along on her journey from diagnosis to despair to acceptance. Original photos, artwork, and poetry capture her fluctuating state of mind through the course of the memoir. Her straight talk about her dire situation inspired many fellow Norwegians to become blood and bone-marrow donors and raised awareness of the need to support and engage those living with terminal illnesses. Although the inclusion of hundreds of blog entries does result in a lengthy text, readers will find themselves rooting for Regine until the end.—Colleen S. Banick, Westport Public Schools, CT

School Library Journal

"My ultimate dream for this blog is that it will be published as a book after my death," wrote Norwegian teenager Stokke, who blogged about her experience living with leukemia. Regine's blog, which became popular in Norway, was first published as a book by a Norwegian press in 2009 and is here translated into English. In direct, emotionally open prose, Regine describes the details of cancer treatment, her optimism and frustrations, her excitement about rock music, and her relationships with friends and family. Regine's photographs, from self-portraits to nature shots to pictures of rock stars, are printed in full color, sometimes overlaid with song lyrics or original poetry. Her blog posts begin in fall 2008 and end with "The Last Autumn" of 2009, with concluding remarks from friends and loved ones in the final "After Regine" section. Regine's voice is matter-of-fact and honest, with a tone that is occasionally raw ("I wish someone other than me had gotten this cancer instead"). Selections from the blog's many comments, which appear after some of the posts, sometimes become repetitious, but the posts themselves are brief and varied enough to stay engaging. Short, accessible footnotes provide context for readers unfamiliar with cancer treatment or Norwegian culture. A heartfelt and visually appealing window into Regine's last year. (Nonfiction. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews