I didn't rush to pick this one up, but I should have. Entertaining, different, and fascinating! The perspective of the tumor was heartbreaking and intriguing. Highly recommend for teens who like the idea of the Inside Out movie!

Such an interesting concept. Totally something I'd recommend to my students.

I have a friend with the same kind of brain tumor, so this book was a difficult read, but it also gave me some good insights into what my friend's family is going through.

Jackie's father has been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. What could the logical next step be? Invite the world in to witness the journey through their television of course. Jackie's family at first cannot even being to understand why her father would want to have strangers watch him die, but it seems to be the only hope he has of insuring his family is okay once he is gone. What Jackie soon learns though is that "reality TV" is anything but reality, and she does everything she can to sabotage the TV show.

Told from quite a few different narrator's voices including Jackie, Jackie's father, Jackie's father's brain tumor, and more, this novel moves at a quick pace. Many reader's may be shocked, or even in denial, about how far from reality reality TV is. Jackie struggles with having to deal with not only her privacy being striped from her, but coming to terms with losing her father (very publicly at that). I'm not quite sure what didn't click for me with this novel. As a reality TV junkie, this book seems like it should be a match made in heaven. One possible issue was some of the strange story line chapters that were included that really didn't to much of anything to move the story along. I recommend as an additional purchase for libraries.

I tried several times to read this, but it wasn't grabbing me or holding my attention. Not right for my school library, but I could see several students who would enjoy it.

I feel like this book tried way too hard to be biting and witty. It was hard to get a handle on who the target audience is supposed to be, as it seemed too heavy on the satire to be young adult but not engaging enough for an older reader. I felt overwhelmed by the amount of narrators and the constant changes that made this book more of a challenge to finish than I anticipated. Perhaps the promotional blurb that I looked at prior to requesting a copy left me frustrated because it almost felt deceiving.

I’ll give it to you upfront: I did not like “Life in a Fishbowl.” I did appreciate the writing and the use of some unique points-of-view.

There were a lot of voices in the book, with many being in the same chapter. It became confusing at points, but the voices were distinct and well-written. I found the parts written about the thoughts of the tumor itself to be unique and engaging. In fact, those were the only sections that genuinely made me feel like I was reading a book about cancer that handled the subject well. The message of how intrusive reality television can be was a good one, but also over-extended the plot. A few less points-of-view in the tv aspect would have made it flow much better.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the use of an animal for emotional blackmail. There is an animal death, and it was part of an unnecessary subplot that crowded the tv aspect that I mentioned up above. I feel like a strong plot can evoke emotion without needing to add in something extra.

The writing is good, but the rest of “Life in a Fishbowl” was disappointing. It had so much potential. I recommend giving this one a pass.

Wow! This book was so much better that I expected. It is no way near your run of the mill kid with parent dying of cancer tale. It doesn't even read too much like a teen book. Very much like Noah Hawley's, Before The Fall, multiple characters are given voices in this story. We hear from the studio exec, random billionaire playboy and even an uber-righteous nun. Even the brain tumor, who aptly names himself Glio, is given a unique voice. This made the book even more exciting to read. Jared's memories are shown to us as they are consumed by Glio. Then having to watch the family deal with their father's gradual mental deterioration while having their lives filmed for the world made the story feel even more tragic. The daughter Jackie was an amazing character who decided to get up and fight for the rights of her family. And the way she does it was brilliant and hilarious and sad all at he same time. This book really makes you wonder just how real these reality tv shows really are. And how much are the tv brass skewing the footage to show you what they want you to see. This was a thought-provoking book for those looking for a unique read.

I was sort of on the fence about this one right from the outset. The concept could either be amazing or trite. What I read tended towards the former looking only at the concept. It was the writing style I struggled with. We're getting a lot of perspectives here, each person involved having at least a brief chapter so we see his/her background and motivation. All fascinating if hard to track. THe voices didn't work for me, though. Beginning with the father and giving his tumor a sort of voice. It was a bit maudlin and the teen voices didn't feel genuine.

I am always looking for edgy books that my more advanced readers might enjoy. I liked the concept of the book but I only read a bit before I decided not to finish due to the swearing mostly. My library only goes up to 5th grade so I feel this book would not be appropriate there. There were also moral conundrums that they are not mature enough to handle. If my TBR pile wasn't so huge I probably would have finished it for myself but other books are calling and I must go.

Jackie Stone’s whole life turns upside down when she discovers not only that her father has a terminal brain tumor, but that he’s decided to auction his life for sale on ebay. As a reality show executive takes control of her family’s lives, Jackie’s whole life begins to come apart. She finds allies in an online community and the courage to fight for her privacy and her family’s dignity. Together they fight to get the cameras out of the house and win her family’s lives back.

Life in a Fishbowl is totally different than Vlahos’s earlier novels. The story follows the experiences of many characters, most of them adults, which kind of breaks tradition in young adult literature. I think what keeps it grounded in the genre is the tone which the story takes. Not many authors can successfully craft a story like this and have it still feel like young adult fiction, but Vlahos does here.

One of the more surprising elements to me was the fact that the brain tumor was an anthropomorphized character as well. At some moments, I struggled with this—it definitely requires a lot of willingness to suspend disbelief. At other moments, it felt like a natural turn in the story. I loved Jackie’s character, but my real favorites were Hazel, an online gaming girl, and Max, Jackie’s friend from Russia. Both really hit that note for me of the shy kids who have so much more going on under the surface. Jackie also had that vibe, too, and the story shows each of them blossoming in the midst of adversity.

The story deals with whether someone has the right to euthanasia. Mostly we see the issue from the side of Jared, who himself wants to have the right to end his life—to have a death with dignity, he says. Members of the Catholic Church oppose him, but there’s not a deep exploration of their position on the issue, and the nun who protests the loudest has her own ulterior motives which only twist further the more deeply she becomes involved in the situation.

The way this plays out was very different from the sort of romanticized version of events in The Loose Ends List by Carrie Firestone, in which terminally ill cruise passengers opt for assisted suicide sometimes earlier in their illnesses.

The issue that truly dominates Life in a Fishbowl is less the issue of euthanasia and more the issue of reality television and the invasion of privacy that other members of Jared’s family suffer once he has signed a contract with the studio. Events get edited and clipped into scenes that look vastly different to the public than the reality Jackie and her family face. Ratings, not reality, govern the show, and cameras lurk in every room, recording everything. Eventually Jackie finds ways to fight fire with fire, releasing her own video clips that show the truth happening inside her home.

This book has so much of everything that I love packed inside. Multifaceted and engaging characters? Check. Morally complicated situations? Check. Family dynamics, humor amidst tragedy, and an eerily plausible situation… yep, they’re here too. There are quite a few POVs, but it works. I didn’t get super connected to any one character, but I don’t think that was the point. Of course, I cared about Jackie’s plight most, as the main character, but the side characters were really well fleshed out, each with their own firm beliefs (or in some cases, lack thereof). Like I said, it worked.

When I first read the synopsis I thought “this will either be really awesome… or not so much.” Because it is a pretty bold idea, no? Selling the rights to one’s life? But the magic of this book lies in the author making you believe the premise- and even understanding why someone would do it. The moral complexity blew my mind, and had me questioning what I would do throughout the book- how I would react in each character’s shoes.

The author had me caring about each character, and each issue that arose. The tumor itself was even personified, and it was kind of genius. Because I’ll be damned if by the end of the book I didn’t care about the tumor, too. Life in a Fishbowl explores so many important themes, like family, euthanasia, media deception and intrusion, and ultimately, the lengths we will go to to protect our beliefs and our loved ones. Quite thought provoking while being emotive and entertaining, this was a total win for me.

I was interested in this book for the very ideas it challenged. I also admit the idea of the tumor's POV was a draw.

While humorous, I also felt the emotions Jackie felt. You couldn't help but feel for the Stones. But in a weird way, I felt the Glio's side too. (I know, I know.) It did add an extra element that most "cancer" books don't use. It was creative.

But the idea of her father selling his life... I understood why. I did. But it also highlights/showcases this generation's obsession with 'fame' or glory or whatever it is we all seek. Not to mention what the population will watch as entertainment. It's disturbing that we could be glued to a family's suffering. It's also REAL. I could absolutely see this happening someday.

Len Vlahos has written yet another book I loved. I think it encapsulates our state of mind and should be read and discussed.