A Life Told from the Cloud

SAN FRANCISCO, the near future: CJ Harper, a young creative writing professor, has been diagnosed with cancer and will undergo surgery in less than two weeks. With the diagnosis looming over him, Harper assigns his class a heartfelt writing project: "Incorporating modern technology, imagine you or the main character has a short amount of time to live. Describe what you want to leave behind-your regrets, your legacy-and how the situation would shape your attitude about your own life." Harper resolves to spend the week before surgery writing his own assignment-a memoir from the cloud. Using his own social media timeline, Harper retells his life story with the help of seven profiles of friends and family who altered the course of his life. As the surgery date nears, the question isn't only whether Harper can finish his memoir, but if any of the seven people will return in his time of need.