In honor of Young Adult Cancer Awareness, I am honored to have the opportunity to share this book with you. Written by Regine, a Norwegian teen battling cancer and clinging to normalcy, this the touching, beautiful story of her final fight. This is a book perfect for teens who know someone struggling with the disease or who may be facing it themselves. It touched my heart.
* PRESS RELEASE *
Regine’s Book: A Teen Girl’s Last Words
DIARY OF A DYING GIRL:
17- year-old blogs about living with
leukemia and accepting death
Regine Stokke began
her blog after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia in 2008. Her
goal was to paint a realistic picture of what it’s like battling a
life-threatening illness—and to share her experience with the world. During the
15 months Regine was sick and to her death she transformed from an average
teenage girl, upset that she doesn’t have a private hospital room, to a
grateful and humble young woman with a deep appreciation for the beauty all
around her.
Regine’s
Book is Regine’s story, as it was written on her blog, and is
supplemented with a selection of photos as well as comments from blog readers
and entries from those who loved her most. The book deals with all the facets
of living with cancer, from the good days to the bad and everything in between.
“I’ve been thinking
a lot about people who permanently lose their hair,” wrote Regine, who had lost
her own hair due to chemotherapy. “Can people actually get used to it? I
haven’t. Society today is obsessed with looks. [But] I wore a wig to the
hospital today and finally avoided all the stares. That felt good…”
At an age when
Regine’s biggest concern should have been what dress she was going to wear to
prom, she was worrying about whether or not the wig she’s wearing looks natural
and about all the things she may soon be leaving behind. “The fear of no longer
existing never goes away,” Regine laments only a few months before her death.
“I’m afraid to leave the world and I don’t want to do it. I think about my
family, and about my friends. I have to fight for them. I can’t leave them
behind with that sorrow. I have to try everything I can, despite how bleak
everything looks.”
It was this
incredible hope and love for others that carried Regine through the 15 months
of her illness. During this time she also had her photographs displayed in a
museum exhibit, attended concerts, enjoyed her friends and family and advocated
for others to register as blood and bone marrow donors. Regine’s Book shows her as a typical teenager in a terrifying
situation, with an amazing will to live, and the lessons she learned have
relevance for all of us. Through her eyes, readers will discover a more vivid
world—and a new appreciation for life, art, and the power of the human spirit.
Regine
Stokke was a lover of life—a poet, photographer, blogger, and leukemia patient,
who blogged about her devastating struggle with the illness and shared her
story with a world of strangers. Originally published in her homeland of
Norway, Regine’s Book was awarded the
Norwegian Literature Abroad (NORLA) foundation for a translation grant.
If you'd like to visit Regine's blog, it's written in her native Norwegian, and can be found HERE:
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 gifted photographer, and
had her photos exhibited at both the 2009 and the 2010 Nordic Light photography
festivals in Kristiansund.
Henriette Larsen (translator) grew up
in Switzerland and the U.S., speaking Norwegian at home. She has fond memories
of beautiful summers (but no winters) in Norway. She earned a Bachelor's degree
in French Literature from Pomona College and completed graduate coursework in
French and Comparative Literature at SFSU. Henriette lives in San Francisco.
Social Media links:
- Facebook profile: HERE
- Facebook page: HERE
- Pinterest: HERE
- Twitter: HERE
- Instagram: HERE
- Goodreads: HERE
Regine's Book at Zest Books: HERE
Regine’s Book on Goodreads: HERE
Regine’s Book LibraryThing: HERE
Books can be purchased from these online booksellers,
as well as from any bookstore:
- IndieBound [and your favorite independent bookseller by extension!]
- Amazon
- Barnes and Noble
- The Book Depository (free shipping internationally to any country):
- Zest Books Regine's Book page also has a “buy now” button:
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