We make decisions every single day. Oatmeal or cereal for breakfast? Go to the movies or go bowling? Do I really want to give my sister, who is dying of cancer, my kidney? Do I want another cup of coffee or some iced tea instead?

Wait, let's back up a second… Did someone say bowling?

Okay, after you've bowled a few frames, you can tackle the serious question here. Yes, coffee and tea are serious business, but… what's the deal with that kidney?

This is the dilemma facing Anna Fitzgerald in Jodi Picoult's 2004 smash hit My Sister's Keeper. Why is Anna so selfish with her kidneys? Doesn't she know she has two? Well, it's not that easy. See, Anna was genetically engineered to be a donor for her sister, Kate, and she's getting sick of being stuck with needles every few weeks and not having any choice in the matter. She hires an attorney to sue for medical emancipation—the right to make her own choices regarding her health care—and this starts the ball rolling through Dramaville.

Nothing is easy in Picoult's books. Her stories often feature multiple points of view, legal drama, medical cases, and sometimes, even murder. My Sister's Keeper hits all those marks on Jodi's checklist, except the manslaughter—sorry to disappoint, bloodthirsty Shmoopers—while stirring up tons of controversy with regards to medical ethics.

My Sister's Keeper was adapted into a film in 2009, starring Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, and Sofia Vassilieva. The Fanning twins were originally scheduled to star, but Dakota was too chicken to shave her head for the role. Hair scandals aside, the movie generated its own fair share of controversy for changing Picoult's tragic ending into one that's… differently tragic.

Here's one choice we can help you make today: Go with oatmeal, not cereal. And here's another: Read My Sister's Keeper. Even if you've seen the movie, you'll want to read the book just to see what's different.

Bad news: In 2014, well over one million people were affected by a new case of cancer. So chances are pretty good (er, bad?) that you or someone you know has dealt with this disease at some point in their lifetime.

If you have been affected, you know that hearing other stories can sometimes help you deal with your own. And if you haven't, well, consider yourself lucky, and take the opportunity to get the viewpoint of someone who has.

Like all good fiction, My Sister's Keeper takes the inherent drama of a family dealing with cancer and cranks it up to eleven. It throws in complicated medical drama (a genetically engineered blood donor sibling), complicated courtroom drama (a lawsuit for medical emancipation of a minor), and complicated family and love drama (a will they or won't they between the prosecuting attorney and the minor's guardian). So. Much. Drama.

It's like Picoult took Grey's Anatomy, Law & Order, and a Lifetime Channel Original Movie (probably starring Delta Burke) and smashed them together into a wild and crazy chimera of a novel. And the really ridiculous part? It actually works. So turn off your Netflix marathon for a while and grab My Sister's Keeper for a marathon of hardcore drama.