Review by Booklist Review
Journalism professor Kelly French, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and her husband, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author, tell a heartwarming, healthily-ever-after story of their micro-preemie daughter, Jupiter, born at 23 weeks instead of the usual 40. They take turns narrating as they recount the tale of their high-tech miracle baby, conceived through IVF and kept alive with the help of an incubator, surgery, medication, and amazing medical providers. The book begins when teenage Kelley listens to Tom, who is 17 years older, speak at a high-school journalism camp. They don't start dating until Kelley is 28 and Tom is a divorced father in his forties. Their chronicle of Juniper's survival is based not only on recollections but also on their carefully reviewing their daughter's 7,000-page medical chart and interviewing their doctors and nurses. They candidly bring up the ethical issues of their daughter spending 196 days in the hospital, which cost $6,000 a day to keep her in the neonatal intensive-care unit, but, ultimately, this is an uplifting story, concluding with their 4-year-old daughter happily at home.--Springen, Karen Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The Frenches, Pulitzer-winning journalists, put forth a love story about their daughter, with highs and lows throughout and moments of sheer joy that will keep readers involved until the very last page. This achingly tender memoir is also a roller-coaster. Juniper French was born weighing just 575 grams (the mass of $2.28 in pennies, or a bottle of Gatorade) and was the length of a Barbie doll. She fought with every breath. Her parents kept watch; they sang, they read, they were mesmerized. Thomas even read the Harry Potter series to his tiny bundle, as he did with his older boys from a previous marriage, hoping the protagonist's spirit would be emitted in every syllable. In alternating chapters, the Frenches recall trying everything to conceive, then later trying everything to keep their baby alive. For nearly seven months, they lived in and out of the hospital while family, friends, and colleagues maintained a tight network of support. The narrative sparks a need to reassess the meaning of a miracle, and the story will resonate for days after the last word. With sharp prose, honoring the simple and the profound, this book should be in the hands of every parent-indeed, of everyone. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
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