Lillian gave a great review of this book in October. The central moral question in the book is very timely because there are parallels to two medical questions in the news today and the struggle between religious freedom and the role of government in the most intimate parts of our lives.
In the novel, a judge must decide whether or not to force a 17 (almost 18) year old boy to take a blood transfusion that will save his life. He and his parents object because it is morally reprehensible in their 
Jehovah’s Witness faith. The judge must weigh religious freedom and the rights of minors.
The two related questions in the news are whether or not the government has the authority to require parents to vaccinate their children (and if not should those children be barred from public school) and whether or not assisted suicide for the terminally ill is a crime.