The Panacea Project - Hardcover

by Catherine Devore Johnson (Author)

A timely exploration of bodily autonomy set in a classic medical thriller

​Calla Hammond has always been a loner--a product of the foster system and avoided by others because of a skin condition. When doctors discover her immune system holds the key to curing cancer, she struggles to advance lifesaving research in a world that sees her only as a means to an end. Yet along the way, Calla gains the one thing she has always longed for: a chosen family.

When a group of unscrupulous people join forces to sell Calla's blood to the highest bidder, she digs deep to find the strength to retake control of her life, her body, and her story.

The Panacea Project is a layered examination of self-sacrifice, implicit bias, and the juxtaposition of bodily autonomy with high-stakes capitalism--for those who love fiercely strong characters and deep themes infused with heartwarming moments of love and humor.

Author Biography

Catherine Devore Johnson is a former attorney turned writer. Her work has won or placed in competitions held by the Houston Writers Guild and the Writers' League of Texas, and she has published an essay in the Houston Chronicle about caring for her mother after two strokes. She works as a writer and editor at a children's hospital and lives in Houston with her husband and two children. The Panacea Project is her first novel.