Content Warning: This section of the guide describes mental health conditions, terminal illnesses, death by suicide, teenage pregnancy, and sexual abuse.

When 18-year-old Ben Wolf is diagnosed with a terminal illness and given one year to live, he must face his mortality and decide how to live life on his own terms. After his conversation with Doc Wagner at the novel’s start, he begins to realize how short and fragile life is. He doesn’t allow this truth to discourage him but rather sees it as a form of empowerment and motivation. Instead of using the prognosis as an excuse “to coast [and] catch up on partying” (1), Ben’s illness inspires him to think deeply about the meaning of life and death. Ben decides that he wants to use his final months to discover the world around him and to make definitive choices. His decisions to go “out for football” (1), ask out his crush Dallas Suzuki, read as much as he can, and befriend the town pariah, Rudy McCoy, illustrate his desire to live a meaningful, fulfilling life (10). He feels “blessed with nothing to lose” and therefore finds agency in his condition and prognosis (20).