When Jessica Chai dies in a car accident, her overachieving mother decides that the only way to make sure her daughter's death doesn't go to waste is to donate her organs to those who desperately need them to survive. Jessica's body is dismembered, pieces of her are taken and transported miles away. Not ready to move on, Jessica's spirit lingers, watching those who received her organs, observing their lives. She becomes a silent witness to their recoveries and she begins to realize that her seemingly unimportant life affected others deeply, and her tragic death miraculously helped save numerous lives. 
 Pieces of Me is a very emotional novel full of thought-provoking observations and poignancy. It's a story that offers an unusual and highly original take on death and afterlife - one full of hope and positive energy. Jessica's death brings pain, emptiness and the feeling of unfairness, but it's never deemed meaningless or a complete waste. Her death, as unexpected and heartbreaking as it was, is not the end of Jessica's existance. Her soul (or something close to it) lives on in the pieces of her donated to others. 
 While Jessica's death is a very important event of the plot and it's through her eyes that we get to know all the characters, it's the organs' recipients that are the main focus of the story. It's their lives, their every-day struggles, problems, hopes, dreams and plans for the future that we get to explore. Each of them received an incredible gift - a gift of life and a chance at the future - and they're all trying to live up to the expectations and make the most of it. Not all the characters were terminally ill prior to receiving Jessica's organs, but they're all profoundly affected by the donation. And we get to see just how much their lives change. They all go through difficult times and their journeys are very emotional and affecting, not to mention eye-opening. 
 To me, Pieces of Me is a very important book. Organ donation and all the bioethical issues surrounding it is a subject of ongoing debates. Different groups have different views on whether it's a beneficial, morally acceptable practice or not. Issues surrounding patient's autonomy or religious beliefs are just two of many things taken into consideration. It's a complicated, often controversial, and very emotional (for all parties involved) subject, and I myself am not entirely sure how I feel about it. On one hand, I am all for saving lives and giving people second chances, but on the other.. if someone close to me, say family member, died in an accident.. would I be able to make the decision for them? Should I be able to do that? 
 In her novel, Kizer explores many different aspects of organ donation, as well as the consequences and benefits of it. And she does it with remarkable sensitivity and thoughtfulness. She shows us how being able to receive Jessica's organs affected the lives of many teenagers who otherwise wouldn't have survived. She gives Jessica's death a new meaning, almost as if saying that, even though Jess is no longer around and she won't be able to make her own dreams come true, she will still live in the hearts and memories of all the people she helped save, connecting them with an invisible thread; and her tragically short life will not be a waste. It's a difficult subject to tackle, but I think Kizer really nailed it. 
 Pieces of Me is a brilliant, powerful and profoundly touching novel that explored themes of death, loss, grief, hope and destiny. It's a bitter-sweet story, full of pain and sadness, but also happiness and new beginnings. It shows the importance of organ donation and how sometimes even the most tragic and heartbreaking of events can lead to something good in the end.