Regine's Book: A Teen Girl's Last Words

In honest, straightforward prose, Regine’s Book introduces readers to a bright, passionate eighteen-year-old and places them in her shoes as she confronts her own mortality. “My worst fear has come true,” Regine wrote on November 5, 2009. “It won’t be long before I die. All I want is to live, but I can’t.” Written from late 2008 to December 2009, Regine’s blog entries share the daily ups and downs, private victories and defeats, of cancer treatment. Two and a half months after her initial diagnosis of leukemia, Regine learns she has the option to freeze one of her ovaries (“since I’ll probably be infertile after all of this”). A month later, she gets the painful news that the chemo she’s been taking has already rendered her infertile: “How could they be so careless!?” As her health worsens, Regine’s passion for life surges. Through her blog and media appearances, she raises thousands of dollars for medical research. She learns painting, and begins exhibiting and selling her photographs. She becomes the second-most-popular blogger in Norway, moving readers from around the globe to comment on her posts. Regine’s achievements are both a testament to her spirit and to the ability of social media to connect, inform, and inspire. Many of Regine’s photographs are reproduced in full color. She particularly liked roaming the forest behind her house, camera in hand, and her moody shots of leaves, sky, and water track the change of seasons over her last year. Diaries, letters, and blog entries from friends and family members are also included. Together, they provide a multifaceted picture of Regine—as a friend, a daughter, a sister—while also giving a glimpse into the mourning process of those left behind. “My ultimate dream for this blog is that it will be published as a book after my death,” Regine wrote on November 8, 2009. Soon after her death, Regine’s blog was adapted for publication in Norway; three years later, American readers have the opportunity to get to know Regine, too.