Moonface

November 29, 2010
By the time she was in her early 30s, Balcita had an M.F.A., a husband named Charlie, a toddler daughter, and her third kidney transplant. Her debut is a wonderfully composed, moving tale of what it was like to discover at age 17 that renal disease is her lot in life—and to realize not once but thrice that there are people who love her so much they will offer her a kidney. It's not hard to see why Balcita would inspire such generosity; she's funny and smart and considerate. In fact, she rarely stops worrying about her donors: her brother, then boyfriend (now husband), and a friend. Are they in pain? Do they regret their decision? Does she deserve such a gift? Bits of her story first appeared in literary journals and in a 2006 New York Times "Modern Love" column, and it has grown into a creatively rendered homage to love in its many forms. Whether reflecting on her nomadic postcollege days or her emergency C-section, Balcita balances drama and comedy with finesse.

December 1, 2010

A Filipino woman with a deadly diagnosis finds love and support at every turn.

Raised in Queens, New York, Balcita's family occupied a two-bedroom apartment. She spent a lot of time in the room she shared with her free-spirited brother, Joel, whom she idolized, and she was ever-fearful of the chronic stomachaches that plagued her youth. Her overprotective father, a doctor, obsessively coddled her, instilling fear about infections and disease. Unfortunately, his precautions proved to be appropriate, as minor medical problems (edema, shortness of breath, high blood pressure) interrupted her college years, and she was soon diagnosed with kidney failure. The progression of her condition forced doctors to order an immediate organ transplant, which precipitated her brother Joel to make a sacrificial donation. Providing love and support was college sweetheart Charlie, her lighthearted boyfriend who affectionately nicknamed her "Moonface" because of the bloating side effects of the anti-rejection drugs. After college graduation, Balcita relocated to San Francisco, a city "full of possibility" (and unsettling earthquakes). Charlie eventually joined her, and life became balanced until body chills signaled a kidney rejection, leading to grueling dialysis and the need for a second transplant. The author writes with earnest appreciation about the outpouring of kidney offerings she received from a fellow writer, Charlie and, surprisingly, Charlie's protective mother. The painful aftermath of Charlie's nephrectomy is coupled with Balcita's daunting postoperative complications. The author gratefully reiterates how she has been blessed with the healing power of friends and family, who collectively bolstered her faith in love.

A heartwarming and inspiring memoir.

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

February 1, 2011
What could possibly be entertaining about the memoir of a relatively young woman with a serious kidney disease called glomerulonephritis who has had three, count them, three kidney transplants? It certainly is not the times that she teetered on the precipice of mortality, nor the distress her illness caused her doting family. It is not the sacrifices of those who donated organs that she might live. No. What makes Balcitas memoir so brightly entertaining is the unequaled sense of humor and perspective with which she and her devoted boyfriend-cum-spouse, Charlie, challenge these health problems. When facing yet another surgery, Charlie lifts Angelas spirits by likening their life to a comedy act. He says life is like a circus that goes horribly wrong, but thank God youre always here so I can follow your cues. Angela replies, My cues? I thought you were the straight man. By good-naturedly chiding each other, they build a oneness of spirit, bolstering their combined strength. Certainly, Balcitas pitch-perfect prose and intrinsic sense of timing dont hurt either.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)