Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

Synopsis from Barnes & Noble:
Every life has a soundtrack. All you have to do is listen.

Music has set the tone for most of Zoe Baxter’s life. There’s the melody that reminds her of the summer she spent rubbing baby oil on her stomach in pursuit of the perfect tan. A dance beat that makes her think of using a fake ID to slip into a nightclub. A dirge that marked the years she spent trying to get pregnant.

For better or for worse, music is the language of memory. It is also the language of love.

In the aftermath of a series of personal tragedies, Zoe throws herself into her career as a music therapist. When an unexpected friendship slowly blossoms into love, she makes plans for a new life, but to her shock and inevitable rage, some people—even those she loves and trusts most—don’t want that to happen.

Sing You Home is about identity, love, marriage, and parenthood. It’s about people wanting to do the right thing for the greater good, even as they work to fulfill their own personal desires and dreams. And it’s about what happens when the outside world brutally calls into question the very thing closest to our hearts: family.

Jodi Picoult has churned out yet another great novel that is full of controversy and characters that are easy to love and hate. I don't know how she does it year after year but she keeps releasing books that are full of research and full of arguments that really make you reconsider your opinion on something. She gives a voice to the subject through characters that you wouldn't otherwise know.

If you didn't already know, part of this book is about gay rights. When I first heard about this book I naturally assumed it would be about gay men, but it wasn't. It was about lesbians, and I will be honest, it made me uncomfortable at some moments, but I feel like I know a little more about what goes on in a gay woman's mind. It seems like whenever there's a controversy surrounding gay rights it tends to have to do with men, lesbians prefer a more lowkey lifestyle I suppose? Makes sense, I guess.

It's sort of perfect timing for this book to come out considering the controversy surrounding the semi-recent legalization of same sex marriage in Iowa. Some people aren't happy (I'll let you guess what party that could be...). I have my opinion on it, as I'm sure we all do, but before that I am in favor of equal rights regardless of sexual orientation.

I, for one, am extremely proud to be from Iowa. Words cannot even describe... so instead, I will post this graphic from Wikipedia that makes my heart swell in joy.
My only complaint about this book is the predictability of it. Maybe it's because this is my 10th Picoult book and I've gotten to know her writing too well. Regardless of being able to guess the ending about halfway through I have always loved how much I end up learning from her books. Whether it's about a rare disease or a group of people, I always walk away with a newer or stronger outlook on a specific subject.

Oh, and I can't forget the soundtrack that this book comes with! I loved it, it's perfect music to sit and enjoy a book to. I was a little worried that the cd would raise the price of the book too much, but it doesn't look like it is!

Read this book if you're a Jodi Picoult fan, and if you haven't read any of her books this would be a great one to start with!