Engaging, funny, and unflinching essays about coming of age as a
transplant patient and living each day as a gift
Adina Talve-Goodman was born with a congenital heart condition and
survived multiple operations over the course of her childhood, including
a heart transplant at age nineteen. In these seven essays, she tells the
story of her chronic illness and her youthful search for love and
meaning, never forgetting that her adult life is tied to the loss of
another person--the donor of her transplanted heart.
Whether writing about the experience of taking her old heart home from
the hospital (and passing it around the Thanksgiving table), a summer
camp for young transplant patients, or a memorable night on the town,
Talve-Goodman's writing is filled with curiosity, humor, and compassion.
Published posthumously, Your Hearts, Your Scars is the work of a
writer wise beyond her years, a moving reflection on chance and
gratitude, and a testament to hope and kindness.