New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult is widely acclaimed for her keen insights into the hearts and minds of real people. Now she tells the emotionally riveting story of a family torn apart by conflicting needs and a passionate love that triumphs over human weakness. Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate—a life and a role that she has never challenged...until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister—and so Anna makes a decision that for
most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves.
My Sister’s Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child’s life, even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less? Should you follow your own heart, or let others lead you? Once again, in My Sister’s Keeper, Jodi Picoult tackles a controversial real-life subject with grace, wisdom, and sensitivity.
At first, I wasn't going to write a review of this. My Sister's Keeper deals with a controversial issue and is very confusing. However, I figured that if I can write "mean" book reviews and not care if people hate it, I can write a book review about this book.
Anna Fitzgerald is a thirteen year old girl that has had blood transfusions, shots, and surgeries. It is not Anna that is sick though, but her older sister, Kate. The medical procedures were to help Kate live a little longer. In fact, the reason Anna was born was to be Kate's donor. One day, she gets pushed too far. Her parents are asking her to give up a kidney for Kate. Anna gets a lawyer to sue her parents for medical emancipation.
There are valid arguments of why Anna should donate her blood and why she shouldn't. Both make you think a lot. Sometimes, you might hate Anna for being selfish, but other times, you'd cheer her on. Either way, this book makes you think a lot.
The characters of My Sister's Keeper were well developed. They all had their own issues they needed to deal with.
There was a main plot of this book, which was Anna suing her parents, but there were other subplots, unlike in many other books.
Campbell Alexander, the lawyer of Anna, was very fun to read. He has a service dog, and he tells many people different explanations of why he has the dog. Over the course of the book, he changes from an uncaring jerk to a caring one.
I both hated and admired Sara Fitzgerald. She did everything she could to save one child, but what about the others?
I really enjoyed the multiple point of views in this book.
When I started reading, I was expecting a serious book. I read what I thought I would read, but there were also a couple of jokes in there, which I did not expect. It didn't take away the seriousness of the book but actually lightened it a little bit.
And the ending. I know most reviews talk about the ending, but it was very unexpected. Well, it was unexpected to everyone except for me because my friend ruined it for me. I'm looking at you, Tiny Korean.
If you read this book, and I really recommend you do, you really have to keep an open mind. If you don't you're probably going to hate it a lot. And, if you didn't understand the hints in this review, this is not a quick and light read. You're going to sit and think of what you might have done in their situation and change your mind a lot.
I am definitely going to read Picoult's other books. Her writing style is very interesting and is hard to pull off, but she does.
Read this is you want a compelling book. However, do not read it out in public. You'll probably start crying, and that's not embarrassing at all.
And now, some of my favorite quotes from this book. I think I'll start doing this in reviews.
“You don't love someone because they're perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they're not.”
“Let me tell you this: if you meet a loner, no matter what they tell you, it's not because they enjoy solitude. It's because they have tried to blend into the world before, and people continue to disappoint them.”
“Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it.”
“The bottom line is that we never fall for the people we're supposed to.”
“It is the things you cannot see coming that are strong enough to kill you.”
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