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Cold Hands, Warm Heart
The lives of two teenage girls become literally connected after 14-year-old Amanda unexpectedly dies during a gymnastics meet and Dani receives Amanda's heart.Fourteen-year-old Amanda is a competitive gymnast, sleek-muscled and in perfect health. Fifteen-year-old Dani was born with her heart on the wrong side of her body; she's been in and out of hospital all her life. The two girls don't know each other – and never will. Yet their lives are about to collide. Amanda suffers a haematoma – a blood clot – during a gymnastics competition, and dies. The donation of her heart means renewed life for Dani and several other donor recipients. A fascinating and unputdownable story on an important and topical issue.
254 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 31, 2009
20 people are currently reading
628 people want to read
About the author
Jill Wolfson
13 books88 followersHello! I'm the author of novels for middle grade readers (8-12) and young adults.
Coming soon! FURIOUS. April 2013 from Henry Holt. The Furies of Greek mythology are rising!
My debut novel, "What I Call Life" and its follow-up, "Home and Other Big, Fat Lies" revolve around the lives of kids living in foster care. I'm also the author of "Cold Hands, Warm Heart" (Henry Holt, 2009). It's about sudden death, sudden life.
Coming soon! FURIOUS. April 2013 from Henry Holt. The Furies of Greek mythology are rising!
My debut novel, "What I Call Life" and its follow-up, "Home and Other Big, Fat Lies" revolve around the lives of kids living in foster care. I'm also the author of "Cold Hands, Warm Heart" (Henry Holt, 2009). It's about sudden death, sudden life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
January 27, 2012
Cold Hands, Warm Heart is such a hard book to rate. I had moments where I thought, 'oh, this is mediocre, come on, pick up' and then on the other hand I had those 'whoa, this is intense and emotional' - it's not a book that you read to be entertained by so much as to learn from. I've decided to stick with a rating somewhere in between and give it a 3.75.
I liked Dani, she was a cool kid. She was genuine, I could sympathise with and for her, and the thing I loved was that she was never 'oh, poor me, woe woe woe'. She had attitude.
Milo (another hospital patient) was a little dark at times, however he was certainly an interesting character to get to know. Being that he was in hospital for the second time after abusing his new liver, he was a bit more morose than Dani, however he certainly brought some entertainment into the storyline.
A minor character, Wendy, was that cute little kid that you also kind of want to strangle. She was good for laughs, though.
Cold Hands, Warm Heart was told from multiple perspectives which, while not clearly indicated, were pretty easy to pick up on if you were paying attention. It was nothing extreme, just slight changes in tone. The three central 'voices' were Dani, Milo (also her hospital crush) and Tyler - brother of Amanda a.k.a. the Donor. The book's blurb on the back cover was a little misleading, I was expecting the story to revolve around Dani and Amanda, and while it did, it was in a different way to what I expected - you know, in that Amanda has died.
This wasn't a depressing 'death/life/the big picture' kinds of books as some of this genre can end up being, rather it was a bit of a look into the life of an organ recipient and the families of the donor. Ironically, I'm reading this in the same week that my boyfriend's dad is waiting on a friend to come and visit as he is being tested to see if he's a match for a kidney transplant (for my boyfriend's dad) as he (the father) is extremely unwell. So I suppose in that respect it was more interesting for me than it may be for others.
I liked Dani, she was a cool kid. She was genuine, I could sympathise with and for her, and the thing I loved was that she was never 'oh, poor me, woe woe woe'. She had attitude.
Milo (another hospital patient) was a little dark at times, however he was certainly an interesting character to get to know. Being that he was in hospital for the second time after abusing his new liver, he was a bit more morose than Dani, however he certainly brought some entertainment into the storyline.
A minor character, Wendy, was that cute little kid that you also kind of want to strangle. She was good for laughs, though.
Cold Hands, Warm Heart was told from multiple perspectives which, while not clearly indicated, were pretty easy to pick up on if you were paying attention. It was nothing extreme, just slight changes in tone. The three central 'voices' were Dani, Milo (also her hospital crush) and Tyler - brother of Amanda a.k.a. the Donor. The book's blurb on the back cover was a little misleading, I was expecting the story to revolve around Dani and Amanda, and while it did, it was in a different way to what I expected - you know, in that Amanda has died.
This wasn't a depressing 'death/life/the big picture' kinds of books as some of this genre can end up being, rather it was a bit of a look into the life of an organ recipient and the families of the donor. Ironically, I'm reading this in the same week that my boyfriend's dad is waiting on a friend to come and visit as he is being tested to see if he's a match for a kidney transplant (for my boyfriend's dad) as he (the father) is extremely unwell. So I suppose in that respect it was more interesting for me than it may be for others.
May 31, 2021
First time in a while I finished a book in a day though
December 24, 2015
I've had Cold Hands, Warm Heart sitting on my shelf waiting to be read. I decided to take the plunge and dive in. I really didn't know what to expect from this, just that someone died and donated their heart to someone else. But Cold Hands, Warm Heart was so much more than that. There was a lot of attention to detail, the before, during, and after of people who receive transplants. How it not only affects them, but also their family and friends.
I really enjoyed this book, and while it didn't blow me away it did make me think about a lot of things.
I really enjoyed this book, and while it didn't blow me away it did make me think about a lot of things.
July 10, 2017
In a smaller format novel written for a teenage audience we have a fast paced gem of a story that captures the full donor/recipient emotions in a way young audiences can easily relate. The dynamics of family and patient – both the donor and recipient sides – come alive in the words of this gifted author as she ventures into a very different world than her earlier works with this telling based on much real-life research and patient interviews. In capturing the true sense of the teenage heart – or hearts in this case where both liver and heart transplant lives are at stake – Jill Wolfson has already gotten feedback from teenage readers who have shared how this book caused them to make positive decisions to become organ donors as they face such questions in applying for a driver’s license, as one example.
The book takes us very quickly through Amanda’s heart breaking teen sports accident all too familiar in the news, a family decision about organ donation brought about by the influence of a younger sibling, and the far reaching life saving impacts that decision has on the lives of other teens facing their own mortality much too early in life. A relationship between Milo, a teen with guilt and a failed liver waiting for his second transplant, and Dani, 15 years old and waiting for her own heart transplant, comes alive in our witness to their sometimes humorous emotional insecurities as the relationship takes hold and grows, all while facing their own mortality within the confines of the hospital transplant unit.
The entertaining read is not without its educational merits as medical procedures are clearly described within the storyline without interrupting the flow of the story; rather they become an integral part, as they should when so well written. The realities of the donation process and the waiting recipient also bring out some of the challenging ethics involved in this complex real-life scenario our world faces today. This book is an excellent resource for young adults, both for its captivating reading and its educational merit, but families (and medical staff) dealing with the younger generation facing transplant issues will certainly enjoy and benefit from its reading. I would love to see this book added to every school library and every children’s hospital reading cart across the country, but that’s another project looking for support and interest. If you feel inclined to help make that happen by buying a book for your hospital or school, contact the author, Jill Wolfson, via e-mail at jill@jillwolfson.com and she will be happy to mail you an autographed book plate to paste into the copy.
Additional resource: Meet and read the author discussing her life and book at http://www.gtweekly.com/2009051342310...
see this and more than a hundred other organ donation/transplant related books - many with my personal reviews - at http://www.trioweb.org/resources/book...
The book takes us very quickly through Amanda’s heart breaking teen sports accident all too familiar in the news, a family decision about organ donation brought about by the influence of a younger sibling, and the far reaching life saving impacts that decision has on the lives of other teens facing their own mortality much too early in life. A relationship between Milo, a teen with guilt and a failed liver waiting for his second transplant, and Dani, 15 years old and waiting for her own heart transplant, comes alive in our witness to their sometimes humorous emotional insecurities as the relationship takes hold and grows, all while facing their own mortality within the confines of the hospital transplant unit.
The entertaining read is not without its educational merits as medical procedures are clearly described within the storyline without interrupting the flow of the story; rather they become an integral part, as they should when so well written. The realities of the donation process and the waiting recipient also bring out some of the challenging ethics involved in this complex real-life scenario our world faces today. This book is an excellent resource for young adults, both for its captivating reading and its educational merit, but families (and medical staff) dealing with the younger generation facing transplant issues will certainly enjoy and benefit from its reading. I would love to see this book added to every school library and every children’s hospital reading cart across the country, but that’s another project looking for support and interest. If you feel inclined to help make that happen by buying a book for your hospital or school, contact the author, Jill Wolfson, via e-mail at jill@jillwolfson.com and she will be happy to mail you an autographed book plate to paste into the copy.
Additional resource: Meet and read the author discussing her life and book at http://www.gtweekly.com/2009051342310...
see this and more than a hundred other organ donation/transplant related books - many with my personal reviews - at http://www.trioweb.org/resources/book...
April 27, 2014
Dani has been limited her entire life, thanks to a heart that grew on the wrong side of her chest and could never pump properly. She's rolled with most of the limitations, but can't help but wonder whether she'll die with a bucket list of 'nevers'.
Amanda is an accomplished and focused fourteen year old gymnast. They've never met, but their lives are about to intersect after Amanda misses part of a routine and suffers a serious brain injury.
When Amanda's parents and her older brother have to face the choice of removing life support and deciding whether to donate her organs, it's very painful. Each one deals with their pain in a different way. Tyler, her brother discovers a secret folder on his sister's computer that opens up an entirely new way of understanding her.
While Dani is waiting for a new heart because hers has weakened too much, she meets other kids who are waiting for transplants. There's nine year old Wendy, a ball of sassy fire who needs a kidney and Milo who looks hot even if he's sort of yellow because his first donor liver is dying because he got angry and stopped taking care of himself. The last thing Dani expected while wondering if she's going to die or get a new heart is a boyfriend, but that's what happens when she and Milo start talking.
There are multiple story lines in this wonderful book. The girl whose mistake cost her life, but allowed several other kids to have a new lease on theirs, the grieving brother who starts to see the world in a totally different way as he reads letters from the kids who received his sister's organs and the bit players like the nurses, organ transporter and the parents.
This is a beautiful book about a reality that many juveniles will face either personally or when a family member or friend needs a transplant. Jill Wolfson has done a superb job of weaving the realities of transplants into a quirky teen love story.
Amanda is an accomplished and focused fourteen year old gymnast. They've never met, but their lives are about to intersect after Amanda misses part of a routine and suffers a serious brain injury.
When Amanda's parents and her older brother have to face the choice of removing life support and deciding whether to donate her organs, it's very painful. Each one deals with their pain in a different way. Tyler, her brother discovers a secret folder on his sister's computer that opens up an entirely new way of understanding her.
While Dani is waiting for a new heart because hers has weakened too much, she meets other kids who are waiting for transplants. There's nine year old Wendy, a ball of sassy fire who needs a kidney and Milo who looks hot even if he's sort of yellow because his first donor liver is dying because he got angry and stopped taking care of himself. The last thing Dani expected while wondering if she's going to die or get a new heart is a boyfriend, but that's what happens when she and Milo start talking.
There are multiple story lines in this wonderful book. The girl whose mistake cost her life, but allowed several other kids to have a new lease on theirs, the grieving brother who starts to see the world in a totally different way as he reads letters from the kids who received his sister's organs and the bit players like the nurses, organ transporter and the parents.
This is a beautiful book about a reality that many juveniles will face either personally or when a family member or friend needs a transplant. Jill Wolfson has done a superb job of weaving the realities of transplants into a quirky teen love story.
April 26, 2013
Absolutely loved this! A book that makes you think about life in different angles and what it means to be you. I laughed and cried at the same time! A definite read for those who liked My Sister's Keeper.
Dani was born with her heart on the wrong side of her body. In her fifteen years of life, she's had more doctors' appointments, X rays and tests and eaten more green hospital jelly than she cares about. Fourteen year old Amanda is a competitive gymnast, her body a small package of sleek muscles, in perfect health.
The two girls didn't know each other until a shocking incident leaves them closer than you think. The only thing Dani is thinking about now, is How do you greet your donor's family?
CHARACTERS:
4/5
I loved Dani a lot. She was very bubbly and seemed to have a mature attitude towards her illness. However, I believe more detail was needed to be added about Dani and her life (background, why she calls her Mum Beth, where here dad is). I think Amanda's character was built up well and made sure you felt sympathy for her without hating Dani for her death.
PLOT AND ORIGINALITY
4/5
The transplant aspect of the plot is very original and thought provoking however I felt one of the main plots regarding Dani and Milo's romance echoed very much the romance within My Sister's Keeper.
WRITING:
5/5
I was expecting a twist of fate at the end however, the end is easy to predict with no twist. However, it was a page turner and I couldn't put it down!
EFFECT ON ME
5/5
Wow! It really is thought provoking, making me reflect on my life, what happens when you die and what makes me, me?
OVERALL RATING: 4.5
RECOMMENDED RELATED READS: My Sister's Keeper
Dani was born with her heart on the wrong side of her body. In her fifteen years of life, she's had more doctors' appointments, X rays and tests and eaten more green hospital jelly than she cares about. Fourteen year old Amanda is a competitive gymnast, her body a small package of sleek muscles, in perfect health.
The two girls didn't know each other until a shocking incident leaves them closer than you think. The only thing Dani is thinking about now, is How do you greet your donor's family?
CHARACTERS:
4/5
I loved Dani a lot. She was very bubbly and seemed to have a mature attitude towards her illness. However, I believe more detail was needed to be added about Dani and her life (background, why she calls her Mum Beth, where here dad is). I think Amanda's character was built up well and made sure you felt sympathy for her without hating Dani for her death.
PLOT AND ORIGINALITY
4/5
The transplant aspect of the plot is very original and thought provoking however I felt one of the main plots regarding Dani and Milo's romance echoed very much the romance within My Sister's Keeper.
WRITING:
5/5
I was expecting a twist of fate at the end however, the end is easy to predict with no twist. However, it was a page turner and I couldn't put it down!
EFFECT ON ME
5/5
Wow! It really is thought provoking, making me reflect on my life, what happens when you die and what makes me, me?
OVERALL RATING: 4.5
RECOMMENDED RELATED READS: My Sister's Keeper
April 12, 2009
Cold Hands, Warm Heart was a tolerable read but straining itself from the “I am about to trash it” side. While the idea is innovative, it lacks the finer details.
There was so much going on. It had about 5 different points of views, 3 side stories, and a romance, a funeral, a revelation, and a whole bunch of other stuff thrown in. There was no definite cohesion and nothing but a thin thread connecting all the stories together. At points the author gets overly descriptive for some of the characters’ appearance but then becomes stark and face-the-fact. The ending was lackluster and the opening was bland.
But there are some strong points to this book. The emotional appeal can captivate many and the chameleon-like voices—switching from child like to the mature adult, was compelling to the keen eye.
Overall: Not sure exactly what to say.
There was so much going on. It had about 5 different points of views, 3 side stories, and a romance, a funeral, a revelation, and a whole bunch of other stuff thrown in. There was no definite cohesion and nothing but a thin thread connecting all the stories together. At points the author gets overly descriptive for some of the characters’ appearance but then becomes stark and face-the-fact. The ending was lackluster and the opening was bland.
But there are some strong points to this book. The emotional appeal can captivate many and the chameleon-like voices—switching from child like to the mature adult, was compelling to the keen eye.
Overall: Not sure exactly what to say.
April 9, 2009
Ages 11+ (except for those pesky three pages where the hospital-bound teens play a game of "fucked or foolish")
14 year old gymnast Amanda is dead after a freak accident on the uneven bars. 15 year old Dani is barely clinging to life, victim of a heart that has been malformed since birth. 16 year old Tyler, Amanda's brother, isn't sure how to cope with the suddenness of his sister's death. Milo is on the wait list for a second liver transplant, after he screwed up the first one he got by drinking and not taking his meds.
Teens cope with mortality and celebrate life in this book on organ donation and its effects on donor families and recipients alike.
If you like Lurlene McDaniel or Before I Die by Jenny Downham. An interesting book to pair with Unwind by Shusterman.
14 year old gymnast Amanda is dead after a freak accident on the uneven bars. 15 year old Dani is barely clinging to life, victim of a heart that has been malformed since birth. 16 year old Tyler, Amanda's brother, isn't sure how to cope with the suddenness of his sister's death. Milo is on the wait list for a second liver transplant, after he screwed up the first one he got by drinking and not taking his meds.
Teens cope with mortality and celebrate life in this book on organ donation and its effects on donor families and recipients alike.
If you like Lurlene McDaniel or Before I Die by Jenny Downham. An interesting book to pair with Unwind by Shusterman.
June 19, 2015
When a medal winning gymnast dies tragically in a fall, her devastated parents are asked if they have considered organ donation. And so begins the story of Dani – a 15 year old girl needing a heart transplant.
She meets Milo, a teen boy in the next hospital room, waiting for a new liver. They discuss life, death and what it all means in their own ways. When Dani receives a new heart (the gymnast’s), she is increasingly intrigued at who it belonged to.
Suitable for boys and girls as the story is told in the viewpoint of Dani and Tyler – the donor’s older brother who is dealing with his sister’s death.
She meets Milo, a teen boy in the next hospital room, waiting for a new liver. They discuss life, death and what it all means in their own ways. When Dani receives a new heart (the gymnast’s), she is increasingly intrigued at who it belonged to.
Suitable for boys and girls as the story is told in the viewpoint of Dani and Tyler – the donor’s older brother who is dealing with his sister’s death.
April 13, 2015
Holy smokes. My favorite book of the summer!
July 27, 2018
Amanda was a fourteen year old gymnast, but when her life ends so many others can restart...
As Amanda's family make the choice despite its toughness, to donate her like thriving organs to giv greatful donor's. As her mum and dad are kind of reunited over their grief despite their divorce, Tyler wants to hear from the donor's...
Dani was born with a large heart and on the wrong side of her chest.
Milo the boy in the room next to hers in hospital has a failing liver despite having had a transplant previously.
Miriam can see again out of her eye, Wendy is a happy little girl again with a new kidney and another girl minorly mentioned gets a new pancreas to cure her diabetes.
As Dani and Milo kind of fall for each other, Tyler replies to the donor's, eventually meeting Dani and his mum getting some final closure on his sister's death.
It was moving and emotional as expected of a novel all about transplants and how essential and life saving they are. It was a new topic to read about I'm teen fiction as I have never come across one about the subject before. Each character had an important role and it extremely well plotted and written as I wouldn't change a thing!
As Amanda's family make the choice despite its toughness, to donate her like thriving organs to giv greatful donor's. As her mum and dad are kind of reunited over their grief despite their divorce, Tyler wants to hear from the donor's...
Dani was born with a large heart and on the wrong side of her chest.
Milo the boy in the room next to hers in hospital has a failing liver despite having had a transplant previously.
Miriam can see again out of her eye, Wendy is a happy little girl again with a new kidney and another girl minorly mentioned gets a new pancreas to cure her diabetes.
As Dani and Milo kind of fall for each other, Tyler replies to the donor's, eventually meeting Dani and his mum getting some final closure on his sister's death.
It was moving and emotional as expected of a novel all about transplants and how essential and life saving they are. It was a new topic to read about I'm teen fiction as I have never come across one about the subject before. Each character had an important role and it extremely well plotted and written as I wouldn't change a thing!
February 27, 2021
Wow.
The copy i found in the library didn't tell me anything about the plot so I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked it up.
I know nothing about organ donation. I'll admit it. But from reading this I learned that it is really important, that one person can help many people from organ donation, and it's a hard question to ask the family of people who died.
I dont know how I would react if any of my family was dead and people were approaching me about organ donation, no matter how important it is.
Hopefully I never have to find out
The copy i found in the library didn't tell me anything about the plot so I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked it up.
I know nothing about organ donation. I'll admit it. But from reading this I learned that it is really important, that one person can help many people from organ donation, and it's a hard question to ask the family of people who died.
I dont know how I would react if any of my family was dead and people were approaching me about organ donation, no matter how important it is.
Hopefully I never have to find out
August 6, 2020
I love this book. Have read it multiple times and have taught it to children's lit students. The use of multiple point of view narration was so well done and works to show how there's no one protagonist here, no one hero. Everyone's lives affect everyone else's, even if we remain strangers. Just a beautiful novel. Listen to Jill Wolfson's interview on This American Life for the story behind the story, and try not to cry.
December 1, 2017
Interesting
June 13, 2019
I will read this again any day! I read it Lit Circles
July 27, 2021
pretty good it was clearly written by someone who knew what they were doing so that’s good. kinda cliché imo?
Read
June 18, 2022really good made me have a diffrent prescription on life, good charecters and great ending
October 19, 2022
Ending wasn't the best. IM SO MAD.
March 25, 2025
This was the first book I remember reading in middle school. Electric book then, electric book now!!
June 6, 2020
Will break your heart and mend it.
September 20, 2025
i so badly wanted to cry, but it never came. but i thought it was beautiful
July 23, 2013
03 April 2009 COLD HANDS, WARM HEART by Jill Wolfson, Henry Holt, April 2009, 256p., ISBN: 978-0-8050-8282-1
"And I'm only alive here today and talking to you here today because a young man said to his mom, if anything ever happens to me, I want to be an organ donor."
-- Phil Lesh, whose liver, ravaged by Hepatitis C, was replaced with a transplant in 1998. (Anyone who has attended a Phil and Friends concert has heard his "Donor Rap.")
"People struggle, people fight
For the simple pleasures in their life
But trouble comes from everywhere
It's a little more than you can bear
I know that it will hurt
I know that it will break your heart"
-- Natalie Merchant
COLD HANDS, WARM HEART features two teenage girls living just miles apart, who will never meet, but who will share a heart.
The donor:
"And then.
"Afterward, after it was all over, one of Amanda's teammates swore that this was when she heard a gasp.
"'Like someone seeing a ghost,' she said.
"But the head judge, who was well trained to pick up on anything out of the ordinary -- a toe not pointed, a back with a few degrees too much arch -- testified she had noticed only the very slightest overrotation. 'It was a beautiful routine. Until she...the girl...Amanda...until she just lost it...
"Her body hurled forward, then dropped. No one could agree on what hit where first, only that there was a clink of bone hitting metal, then a sickening thud when Amanda landed face down on the floor. The head judge jumped from her chair, hand pressed over mouth. People in the stands stopped chewing their nachos."
The recipient:
"And then without any ceremony, as if it were the most common thing in the world, she placed my own heart in the palms of my own hands.
"There.
"I was holding it.
"It wasn't slimy, more the texture of a rubber ball.
"I waited for something. For what?
"I expected to feel something, a sensation related to electricity. A shock, a twitch, a vibration. But there was just this weight in my hands, with no more connection to me than baby teeth after they had fallen out."
Amanda, the uber-competitive, fourteen-year-old gymnast. That is as much as most of her schoolmates likely know about her before -- or after -- her accident and untimely death. Even her big brother Tyler -- who was so close to her when they were both little kids -- really does not know who she has been as a teenager.
"Every time I see you lookin' my way
Baby, baby, can't you hear my heartbeat?"
-- Herman's Hermits \
Fifteen-year-old Dani the sick girl is moved to the top of the list for recipients when there is nothing else that can be done with the swollen, inefficient heart that has been repeatedly worked on since her birth. There comes a point when the worst-case scenario is that she has two weeks to live. Does a fifteen-year-old girl with possibly two weeks to live think about the meaning of life and the possibilities of an afterlife? Not if her hormones have anything to say about it! The guy in the next room awaiting a liver may have yellow skin to go with his green hair, but there is something about him...
Milo, that green-haired teen awaiting a liver, already has had one liver transplant. Is it reasonable or a waste of a precious, life-saving gift to want to behave (or misbehave) like a normal teenager?
"Remember to let her into your heart"
-- Lennon/McCartney
I really like how COLD HANDS, WARM HEART gets beyond the medical drama. It probes the feelings of Amanda's estranged parents who -- in the midst of the most horrible thing that has ever happened to them -- must come together to decide whether to permit the donation of their brain-dead daughter's organs. It probes the feelings of Amanda's big brother who -- living the life of the typical American teen -- had really lost touch with the person living just footsteps away, the sister who had once idolized him. He is the one who ends up handling correspondence from the grateful organ recipients at the same time that he is finding out who Amanda really was. And the book examines the question that Dani, other characters, (and certainly some readers) have: With all of the emotional stuff that we attribute to "the heart," is there a piece of Amanda that lives on in Dani that she should be able to feel?
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_... http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...
"And I'm only alive here today and talking to you here today because a young man said to his mom, if anything ever happens to me, I want to be an organ donor."
-- Phil Lesh, whose liver, ravaged by Hepatitis C, was replaced with a transplant in 1998. (Anyone who has attended a Phil and Friends concert has heard his "Donor Rap.")
"People struggle, people fight
For the simple pleasures in their life
But trouble comes from everywhere
It's a little more than you can bear
I know that it will hurt
I know that it will break your heart"
-- Natalie Merchant
COLD HANDS, WARM HEART features two teenage girls living just miles apart, who will never meet, but who will share a heart.
The donor:
"And then.
"Afterward, after it was all over, one of Amanda's teammates swore that this was when she heard a gasp.
"'Like someone seeing a ghost,' she said.
"But the head judge, who was well trained to pick up on anything out of the ordinary -- a toe not pointed, a back with a few degrees too much arch -- testified she had noticed only the very slightest overrotation. 'It was a beautiful routine. Until she...the girl...Amanda...until she just lost it...
"Her body hurled forward, then dropped. No one could agree on what hit where first, only that there was a clink of bone hitting metal, then a sickening thud when Amanda landed face down on the floor. The head judge jumped from her chair, hand pressed over mouth. People in the stands stopped chewing their nachos."
The recipient:
"And then without any ceremony, as if it were the most common thing in the world, she placed my own heart in the palms of my own hands.
"There.
"I was holding it.
"It wasn't slimy, more the texture of a rubber ball.
"I waited for something. For what?
"I expected to feel something, a sensation related to electricity. A shock, a twitch, a vibration. But there was just this weight in my hands, with no more connection to me than baby teeth after they had fallen out."
Amanda, the uber-competitive, fourteen-year-old gymnast. That is as much as most of her schoolmates likely know about her before -- or after -- her accident and untimely death. Even her big brother Tyler -- who was so close to her when they were both little kids -- really does not know who she has been as a teenager.
"Every time I see you lookin' my way
Baby, baby, can't you hear my heartbeat?"
-- Herman's Hermits \
Fifteen-year-old Dani the sick girl is moved to the top of the list for recipients when there is nothing else that can be done with the swollen, inefficient heart that has been repeatedly worked on since her birth. There comes a point when the worst-case scenario is that she has two weeks to live. Does a fifteen-year-old girl with possibly two weeks to live think about the meaning of life and the possibilities of an afterlife? Not if her hormones have anything to say about it! The guy in the next room awaiting a liver may have yellow skin to go with his green hair, but there is something about him...
Milo, that green-haired teen awaiting a liver, already has had one liver transplant. Is it reasonable or a waste of a precious, life-saving gift to want to behave (or misbehave) like a normal teenager?
"Remember to let her into your heart"
-- Lennon/McCartney
I really like how COLD HANDS, WARM HEART gets beyond the medical drama. It probes the feelings of Amanda's estranged parents who -- in the midst of the most horrible thing that has ever happened to them -- must come together to decide whether to permit the donation of their brain-dead daughter's organs. It probes the feelings of Amanda's big brother who -- living the life of the typical American teen -- had really lost touch with the person living just footsteps away, the sister who had once idolized him. He is the one who ends up handling correspondence from the grateful organ recipients at the same time that he is finding out who Amanda really was. And the book examines the question that Dani, other characters, (and certainly some readers) have: With all of the emotional stuff that we attribute to "the heart," is there a piece of Amanda that lives on in Dani that she should be able to feel?
Richie Partington, MLIS
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April 8, 2015
While the beginning was so promising, I was a little disappointed while it continued. I was far more interested in the connection between the donor family and the donor recipients than I was about 'acceptance' of a new heart. Probably because I have never personally experienced any of these tragic, yet wondrous effects of a donated organ from either side (and nor do I ever want to), I didn't feel any close connection with the characters.
However, good books all have the ability to, despite never personally experiencing a certain event, could still frame it so that the reader can capture a very good, personalized idea surrounding the events in the novel. Instead, most of all the characters felt mundane and fell flat. Characters who seemed to appear with great areas of curiosity, like the young boy who needs another kidney transplant after drinking the previous one into a stupor, gains brighter ideas with the protagonist and suddenly changes towards them and towards her. Otherwise, most of the reoccurring characters didn't have any special quirks that made them interesting, but a single aspect of their life that they revolved around. In all honesty, I found that very annoying. People are all different and interesting because of their reaction and thoughts surrounding a particular issue, but all of that flattened out as the novel continued onward. Most of the interactions between characters and their environment weren't very interesting or substantial, often feeling like unnecessary fluff added so there would be more pages to print.
Despite always being told that every person mourns differently, none of that is shown in the novel when everyone seemed to throw themselves at some form of work to distract or work through the deaths surrounding them. It was a little disheartening to see all this interesting, possibilities build up and surround characters, but never really be explored. Also, with donor transplant, there are always rejections, and there was the bare minimum surrounding it. There was little to any mention about other remains of the body, disposal or otherwise. While I appreciated how the letters to the donor family showed all of the lives it had revolutionized for the future, it was never explored.
Overall, my experience with this book was a rolling collection of disappointments for such an interesting idea. Much of the exposition was built expertly and I fell in love with the idea between people who have a second or third chance of life and people whose life were cut short. However, the failure to keep up with the standards placed at the beginning of the novel was unfortunate, and I overall did not have a good time reading this novel filled with unnecessary fluff.
However, good books all have the ability to, despite never personally experiencing a certain event, could still frame it so that the reader can capture a very good, personalized idea surrounding the events in the novel. Instead, most of all the characters felt mundane and fell flat. Characters who seemed to appear with great areas of curiosity, like the young boy who needs another kidney transplant after drinking the previous one into a stupor, gains brighter ideas with the protagonist and suddenly changes towards them and towards her. Otherwise, most of the reoccurring characters didn't have any special quirks that made them interesting, but a single aspect of their life that they revolved around. In all honesty, I found that very annoying. People are all different and interesting because of their reaction and thoughts surrounding a particular issue, but all of that flattened out as the novel continued onward. Most of the interactions between characters and their environment weren't very interesting or substantial, often feeling like unnecessary fluff added so there would be more pages to print.
Despite always being told that every person mourns differently, none of that is shown in the novel when everyone seemed to throw themselves at some form of work to distract or work through the deaths surrounding them. It was a little disheartening to see all this interesting, possibilities build up and surround characters, but never really be explored. Also, with donor transplant, there are always rejections, and there was the bare minimum surrounding it. There was little to any mention about other remains of the body, disposal or otherwise. While I appreciated how the letters to the donor family showed all of the lives it had revolutionized for the future, it was never explored.
Overall, my experience with this book was a rolling collection of disappointments for such an interesting idea. Much of the exposition was built expertly and I fell in love with the idea between people who have a second or third chance of life and people whose life were cut short. However, the failure to keep up with the standards placed at the beginning of the novel was unfortunate, and I overall did not have a good time reading this novel filled with unnecessary fluff.
November 8, 2011
Not my favourite book in the world by quite a bit. It was way too into the meaning of life and then in the next paragraph BOYS LOVE SEX and then HEART DEATH LIFE WHY? WHEN? it's a lot to take in one quick jump. I have no experience with the organ donation world but I have to say it sounds beyond shite. I've been very ill, (scarlet fever, glandular fever and tonsilitus = no breathing= not healthy) and this did help me understand more how hospitol is like another world, whilst you are there all your world is on one bed. It's difficult to imagine how much that takes effect after such a long time, I was only there for a month. However I do feel that Wolfson didn't really portray how bad it must be for Dani, I just didn't feel that attached to her character that much, which was a shame.
Although this book wasn't that long I still didn't really feel it had much content apart from the medical side of it, Tyler was an underused character. I loved him getting drunk at shivah, it was the most realistic part of the whole book for me although what was up with the weird-spiritual-and-yet-not-uncle who I really thought would crop up again but he didn't, whether that was due to Wolfson forgetting about him or just thinking he wasn't worth mentioning. (Not worth mentioning in the first place I felt, then again that could be me in a grumpy yet again I'm ill mood).
The death of Amanda was really horrible though, imagine watching your own daughter die it's really horrific. Then again I just don't understand the attraction of gymnastics beyond having an abundance of sparkly leotards. But there must be something I'm missing.....Anyway she was so OCD for a kid I'm really kinda worried if thats every kid, I'm against them worrying about anything beyond when they get their next E number and being let loose on the playground. I've watched Pushy & Proud Mums and even I a child of the desensitized generation (according to the media) was shocked at their standards. One kid before her beauty pageant was fed 12 shebert packets (like sherbet fountains) and then wondered why she couldn't concentrate....perhaps weird american mother (not saying all americans are weird just clearing that up, but beleive me this one was) if you think really REEEAAALLLYYY hard you might remember giving her her body weight in sherbert therefore she's off her tree!
To sum up definitley not one I would recommend but I can tick off the I've read a book about organ donation box soo not entirely useless.
http://theteenagebookworms.blogspot.com
Although this book wasn't that long I still didn't really feel it had much content apart from the medical side of it, Tyler was an underused character. I loved him getting drunk at shivah, it was the most realistic part of the whole book for me although what was up with the weird-spiritual-and-yet-not-uncle who I really thought would crop up again but he didn't, whether that was due to Wolfson forgetting about him or just thinking he wasn't worth mentioning. (Not worth mentioning in the first place I felt, then again that could be me in a grumpy yet again I'm ill mood).
The death of Amanda was really horrible though, imagine watching your own daughter die it's really horrific. Then again I just don't understand the attraction of gymnastics beyond having an abundance of sparkly leotards. But there must be something I'm missing.....Anyway she was so OCD for a kid I'm really kinda worried if thats every kid, I'm against them worrying about anything beyond when they get their next E number and being let loose on the playground. I've watched Pushy & Proud Mums and even I a child of the desensitized generation (according to the media) was shocked at their standards. One kid before her beauty pageant was fed 12 shebert packets (like sherbet fountains) and then wondered why she couldn't concentrate....perhaps weird american mother (not saying all americans are weird just clearing that up, but beleive me this one was) if you think really REEEAAALLLYYY hard you might remember giving her her body weight in sherbert therefore she's off her tree!
To sum up definitley not one I would recommend but I can tick off the I've read a book about organ donation box soo not entirely useless.
http://theteenagebookworms.blogspot.com
March 31, 2014
Oh. Just, oh wow. That was definitely not what I was expecting from this book when I picked it up. But after finishing it within today I have not had a book that has hit all the right marks in a while. This book had so many feels within it, I just felt that it was written with such a beautiful eloquence to it. The topic, the way it was portrayed, absolutely amazing. image
Dani was born with her heart on the wrong side of her chest, leading to life full of doctor’s appointments, procedures and constant tests. Amanda is a successful competitive gymnast, Miss Perfect to everyone she is around. And whilst these girls do not know each other, their loves are about to collide.
I really enjoyed the way it was written. I was not expecting the transgression from third to first person but I found it gave me a greater understanding of the positions whoever you were reading about were in. I found myself reading each part differently and instead of being annoying I found it incredibly helpful. The use of letters etc, was another interactive way to read, and found it to be more emotional that way. The direct address had more emotion built into it and felt even more personal than the use of I and I really appreciated that. The storyline was carried to just the right point. I felt what was covered was covered amazingly well, with no useless bits and the ending felt appropriate and at the right time. Jill, the choice of positioning was absolutely wonderful.
The topic chosen was not one I had really encountered before, yet the portrayal that had been put forward felt just right. The choice to use both sides of the transplant was very wise, as I felt I had a much larger picture of what was going on. Empathy was felt at a greater level for both members and I really appreciated it. Although I was not expecting the book to begin that way, the tone felt right. It allowed for a better development in the long run. There was no dithering, which was good.
The choice of characters, I believe were wonderful. And the way they were portrayed kept me engaged. They dealt with grief and pain in a way that did not sound whiny, and with all of the characters mentioned I felt engaged by them. At not one point did I want them to stop talking and move to another, I found all aspects interesting and I think was so engaging about this wonderful novel.
This book felt like a breath of fresh air. I found it refreshing, meaningful and utterly emotional. It was brilliantly executed and has left me feeling good inside. Jill Wolfson, this book is amazing. Thank you.
Dani was born with her heart on the wrong side of her chest, leading to life full of doctor’s appointments, procedures and constant tests. Amanda is a successful competitive gymnast, Miss Perfect to everyone she is around. And whilst these girls do not know each other, their loves are about to collide.
I really enjoyed the way it was written. I was not expecting the transgression from third to first person but I found it gave me a greater understanding of the positions whoever you were reading about were in. I found myself reading each part differently and instead of being annoying I found it incredibly helpful. The use of letters etc, was another interactive way to read, and found it to be more emotional that way. The direct address had more emotion built into it and felt even more personal than the use of I and I really appreciated that. The storyline was carried to just the right point. I felt what was covered was covered amazingly well, with no useless bits and the ending felt appropriate and at the right time. Jill, the choice of positioning was absolutely wonderful.
The topic chosen was not one I had really encountered before, yet the portrayal that had been put forward felt just right. The choice to use both sides of the transplant was very wise, as I felt I had a much larger picture of what was going on. Empathy was felt at a greater level for both members and I really appreciated it. Although I was not expecting the book to begin that way, the tone felt right. It allowed for a better development in the long run. There was no dithering, which was good.
The choice of characters, I believe were wonderful. And the way they were portrayed kept me engaged. They dealt with grief and pain in a way that did not sound whiny, and with all of the characters mentioned I felt engaged by them. At not one point did I want them to stop talking and move to another, I found all aspects interesting and I think was so engaging about this wonderful novel.
This book felt like a breath of fresh air. I found it refreshing, meaningful and utterly emotional. It was brilliantly executed and has left me feeling good inside. Jill Wolfson, this book is amazing. Thank you.
December 6, 2011
I have always been a little freaked out about the whole idea of organ transplants. Urban legends abound with tales of the donor's personality traits showing up in the recipient. One of the teens who is waiting for a transplant talks about a movie she saw where a pianist loses his hands in an accident, and his replacement hands are from a murderer. The pianist then goes on to become a murderer as well. This has always been my fear. This novel, aside from the one anecdote, is not about anything creepy. This is the story of a fifteen-year-old girl who was born with a heart defect, waiting for a transplant. The other main character is a 14-year-old girl who has a blood clot in her brain and is brain dead. What happens when the worst posible thing that could happen is the best possible thing that could happen to someone else ?
I found this novel to be well-written and compelling, with believable characters. There is one part describing the "Pediatric Transplant Family Support Group" which was so well done it was painfully uncomfortable. There were parents raging about the bills and insurance hassles, recent recipients of new organs who were dealing with all the medical stuff that went along with the new organ (steroids, weight gain, facial hair...) and then the angry, frightened group still waiting for an organ donor, with their ever present toughts of being near-death. I was glad when that ended.
I particularly liked the characterization of Tyler. Tyler, age 16, was the older brother of 14-year-old Amanda, who becomes the organ donor. Amanda has always been the perfect one and Tyler has been the bad, acting-out brother. They didn't get along in life and since his sister's eeath, Tyler is feeling confused and guilty and angry all the time. How he eventually chooses to find a release from his pain is a lesson for others. Tyler's growth during the story is moving.
This was my "new author" for the winter challenge.
I found this novel to be well-written and compelling, with believable characters. There is one part describing the "Pediatric Transplant Family Support Group" which was so well done it was painfully uncomfortable. There were parents raging about the bills and insurance hassles, recent recipients of new organs who were dealing with all the medical stuff that went along with the new organ (steroids, weight gain, facial hair...) and then the angry, frightened group still waiting for an organ donor, with their ever present toughts of being near-death. I was glad when that ended.
I particularly liked the characterization of Tyler. Tyler, age 16, was the older brother of 14-year-old Amanda, who becomes the organ donor. Amanda has always been the perfect one and Tyler has been the bad, acting-out brother. They didn't get along in life and since his sister's eeath, Tyler is feeling confused and guilty and angry all the time. How he eventually chooses to find a release from his pain is a lesson for others. Tyler's growth during the story is moving.
This was my "new author" for the winter challenge.
April 4, 2010
Dani has had fifteen years of surgeries, x-rays, docotor’s appointments, and her favorite hospital class jello, all because she was born with her heart on the wrong side of her chest. She is more than ready to live the life of a normal teenager, but it will never happen until she has a new heart, but getting one isn’t easy at all.
Amanda has been a gymnast for almost her whole fourteen years. She’s one of the best with her sleek muscular very healthy body. On the biggest day of her career though, in a very common routine, something goes horribly wrong without any notice.
Dani and Amanda have nothing in common, don’t go to the same school, and have no idea who each other are, but their lives are about to completely collide. On a journey through life and death, friendship and hardship, the reader learns about the pains of life and death.
This book is really one of a kind. It deals with heart transplants. It shows the life of a kid who needs a heart and the life of a family who provides that heart. It was a good read, but lacked a lot.
The plot was interesting as I mentioned before, but very repetitive. It was interesting to see two different sides to the story – the family and the recipient. The characters were okay. There were so many that it was hard to keep up with them all at times. Dani was a lot of fun though. Despite her set backs she was spunky and funny and really cared about life. It was also fun to see her relationship with Milo, a boy in need of a new liver, develop. The ending tied together nicely and was very satisfying.
Overall I liked this book and learned a lot. It really opened my eyes to the reality and difficulty of organ donation. There was a lot of emotion even though the writing was little bland. I think it would be interesting to read other books by Jill Wolfson as she definitely peaked my interest with this book.
Amanda has been a gymnast for almost her whole fourteen years. She’s one of the best with her sleek muscular very healthy body. On the biggest day of her career though, in a very common routine, something goes horribly wrong without any notice.
Dani and Amanda have nothing in common, don’t go to the same school, and have no idea who each other are, but their lives are about to completely collide. On a journey through life and death, friendship and hardship, the reader learns about the pains of life and death.
This book is really one of a kind. It deals with heart transplants. It shows the life of a kid who needs a heart and the life of a family who provides that heart. It was a good read, but lacked a lot.
The plot was interesting as I mentioned before, but very repetitive. It was interesting to see two different sides to the story – the family and the recipient. The characters were okay. There were so many that it was hard to keep up with them all at times. Dani was a lot of fun though. Despite her set backs she was spunky and funny and really cared about life. It was also fun to see her relationship with Milo, a boy in need of a new liver, develop. The ending tied together nicely and was very satisfying.
Overall I liked this book and learned a lot. It really opened my eyes to the reality and difficulty of organ donation. There was a lot of emotion even though the writing was little bland. I think it would be interesting to read other books by Jill Wolfson as she definitely peaked my interest with this book.
July 28, 2010
found an old ARC of this in the house...obviously it's been published at this point, but what i read was the galley.
dani needs a heart transplant, but the only way to get one is for another person to die. enter amanda, who falls during a gymnastics competition and is declared brain-dead, leaving her family to agonize about organ donation. ultimately, amanda's organs give several people a new chance at a healthy life.
wolfson does a great job educating her readers on everything involved in the process of donations and transplants, down to the people who keep the organs alive until they can be harvested. i liked the character of milo and all of his research on death and how dani asks if all the information he's collected really helps a person who knows they are going to die. (and he says no). i liked tyler and how he was able to realistically assess his relationship with amanda after her death.
that said, i really hated the character of wendy. i also felt wolfson had an agenda in writing this book and really beats her point home. don't get me wrong, i find her agenda worthy, but i still feel like the entire plot was designed to advocate for organ donation and all of the events and characters were secondary. i would have liked it if she had spent more time exploring why loved ones are often hesitant to donate. even though it seems like an obvious choice to me, that's not the case for everyone.
overall: good for younger teens who tend toward the sappy.
dani needs a heart transplant, but the only way to get one is for another person to die. enter amanda, who falls during a gymnastics competition and is declared brain-dead, leaving her family to agonize about organ donation. ultimately, amanda's organs give several people a new chance at a healthy life.
wolfson does a great job educating her readers on everything involved in the process of donations and transplants, down to the people who keep the organs alive until they can be harvested. i liked the character of milo and all of his research on death and how dani asks if all the information he's collected really helps a person who knows they are going to die. (and he says no). i liked tyler and how he was able to realistically assess his relationship with amanda after her death.
that said, i really hated the character of wendy. i also felt wolfson had an agenda in writing this book and really beats her point home. don't get me wrong, i find her agenda worthy, but i still feel like the entire plot was designed to advocate for organ donation and all of the events and characters were secondary. i would have liked it if she had spent more time exploring why loved ones are often hesitant to donate. even though it seems like an obvious choice to me, that's not the case for everyone.
overall: good for younger teens who tend toward the sappy.
November 19, 2012
(I have to rewrite this three times because I keep pressing the back arrow accidentally.)
One of the books that I would classify under 'alright'. It's not my fashion to read short reads, but since the exams are at the corner I decided to take this one up.
I am not sastified of the length. I don't think it's enough after reading the end of the page, but then again, it's a quick read... what do I expect?
Also, about the plot, there's no conflict, no cliffhanger, no suspension to read the next page. This book mainly revolves around the process of Dani receivng her heart transplant. And the heart was already available at the first half of the book, the rest is just waiting for the transplant, and going home. And oh, Tyler. Tyler doesn't really have much of plot, he's just there to display to the reader 'I have feelings too!' (Want a spoiler? )
It was majorly thoughts and feelings that this book focuses on. It asked itself a lot of questions. Though questions are a good way to bring the reader's attention into something, Wolfson had overused it. Every time I read a question at the end, it was as if something meaningful had sprung in the middle of not-so-seriousness. Not consistent. Her thoughts are something I enjoy, but she seems to be abusing it by using it as much as she can possibly fit in. Maybeee coming to a close 2.5 stars.
One of the books that I would classify under 'alright'. It's not my fashion to read short reads, but since the exams are at the corner I decided to take this one up.
I am not sastified of the length. I don't think it's enough after reading the end of the page, but then again, it's a quick read... what do I expect?
Also, about the plot, there's no conflict, no cliffhanger, no suspension to read the next page. This book mainly revolves around the process of Dani receivng her heart transplant. And the heart was already available at the first half of the book, the rest is just waiting for the transplant, and going home. And oh, Tyler. Tyler doesn't really have much of plot, he's just there to display to the reader 'I have feelings too!' (Want a spoiler? )
It was majorly thoughts and feelings that this book focuses on. It asked itself a lot of questions. Though questions are a good way to bring the reader's attention into something, Wolfson had overused it. Every time I read a question at the end, it was as if something meaningful had sprung in the middle of not-so-seriousness. Not consistent. Her thoughts are something I enjoy, but she seems to be abusing it by using it as much as she can possibly fit in. Maybeee coming to a close 2.5 stars.
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