To Live Again By Lurlene Mcdaniel

1. The novel that I chose to read for my book report is To Live Again by Lurlene McDaniel. As I began reading this novel I suspected that it would be about living twice or maybe attempting to save a life. The title of this book clearly portrays the entire story line of the novel. In the story by Lurlene McDaniel, a young teenage girl named Dawn struggles through many obstacles including medical difficulties which result in her fighting to keep her life in a healthy and stable situation. Dawn is cut back by certain tragic medical circumstances which result in danger of keeping her life and is motivated to push through them to live again.
2. The main setting of this novel primarily takes place in a hospital where Dawn spends most of her teenage
After Dawn had encountered a stroke and was rushed to the hospital, she realized that much recovering and physical therapy was needed to improve her health situation and help her get better after a gruesome stroke. As Dawn was lying in her hospital bed, “Suddenly she realized just how helpless she was. She could reach nothing- not her bedside stand, not the water pitcher, not even the TV remote” (McDaniel 32). All of a sudden, Dawn was in desperate need of help and support from others in her life. Depending solely on herself for her own recovery was no longer an option in her life. Dawn abruptly realized how helpless she felt and how much she needed the support of her family and friends to help her
At school Dawn was talking to her friend and former crush, Jake, discussing their plans for that afternoon after school. When Dawn was standing to get up, she could not move neither her leg nor left arm and she passed out to the floor. Later Dawn woke up to ambulance sirens and ambulance carts rushing her into the emergency room of the hospital.
C. Dawn’s journey of recovery was quite a struggle and she spent countless days and hours with her physical therapists to get better after her stroke had occurred. Dawn was both physically and mentally in pain and confusion of what had occurred to her. She struggled to get better and was slowly progressing in communicating and relearning to strengthen her muscles and her body.
D. Towards the end of the novel, another tragic event occurred to one of Dawn’s acquaintances Tasha. Tasha’s older brother Brad, had gotten into a severe motorcycle accident one rainy day, and he has been doing terrible with recovering. Tasha’s older brother Brad had been a gymnast and an athlete in high school. The motorcycle accident left Brad with severe brain damage, many broken bones, and torn muscles. As Dawn hears of this tragic occurrence she deeply connects with the family knowing what it is like to lose health and having to start all over again. Dawn has been in Brad’s health footsteps and she understands the family’s