448 pages
Publisher: Atria Publishers; April, 2004
ISBN: 075697335X
Level/Lexile: 9th grade and up/840L
Genre: Adult Crossover/Realistic Fiction
Annotation/Teaser: What happens when a child is born for the sole purpose of making sure her older sister survives? This is the story of Anna and Kate, two sisters who are torn between keeping one alive and letting the other live.
Plot Summary: Anna is a thirteen year old who has spent her whole life in and out of the hospital and has never been sick. Anna was conceived to keep her sister Kate alive. Kate is suffering from leukemia and is entering the last stages of kidney failure. Now Anna is expected to give up a kidney to prolong Kate's life. But Anna starts to question who she is and refuses to donate the kidney. Anna approaches Campbell Alexander, an attorney who agrees to take on her case to sue her parents for medical emancipation. In this story, Anna follows her own heart, even though it means standing up to everyone she has ever loved and tearing her family apart.
About the Author: Jodi Lynn Picoult was born on May 19, 1966, in Nesconset on Long Island in New York. Picoult studied writing at Princeton University, where she earned her bachelor's degree. She also earned a master's degree in education from Harvard University. Picoult wrote her first story, "The Lobster which Misunderstood," when she was five. While at Princeton, she published two stories in Seventeen magazine. She wrote her first novel, Songs of the Humpback Whale, while she was pregnant with her first child, and published it in 1992. Picoult's novels usually deal with ethical issues and are told from a variety of viewpoints, with each chapter written in a different character's voice. Picoult uses this technique to show multiple sides of a situation and underscore areas of moral ambiguity. Picoult writes stories that are heart wrenching and full of family drama. It should be no surprise, then, that several of her books have been adapted into films for Lifetime, a TV network for women. Her first feature film, My Sister's Keeper, will be released in theaters in 2009. She and Tim and their three children live in Hanover, New Hampshire with a dog, a rabbit, two Jersey calves, and the occasional Holstein.
Jodi Picoult
Biography Retrieved from http://bestsellers.about.com
Critical Evaluation: There are several conflicts in Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper. There is the internal conflict. Anna is torn between putting her own interests first and taking care of Kate to keep her alive. While Anna has no legal obligations to keep Kate alive, she knows that is why she was born. There is also Kate's conflict to beat her illness. There is also the Anna's conflict against society. There is much controversy surrounding her trial because there is the fine line between right and wrong because Anna was born to keep Kate alive. Is this morally right? The last conflict and the most prominent in the story is the conflict with Anna and her parents, especially her mother. When her dad starts to see her point, there is also a conflict between her parents. Sara, Anna's mother, finds it hard to accept that they do not want to help keep Kate alive because she has spent most of her time taking care of her.
There is also a theme running throughout the book. It is the bond of sisterhood. We see this bond in several places. Of course, in the relationship of Anna and Kate. This is why Anna is torn with this decision. The fate of her sister lies in her hands. But we also see it with Zanne and Sara. Zanne steps in to help take care of Anna and Jesse, the older brother. There is also Izzy's support of Julia when she and Campbell break up. She allows her sister to move in with her. Izzy's dislike of Campbell shows just how close the sisters are. This theme shows the strong bonds that sisters have even in some of the minor characters.
Curriculum Ties: N/A
Book Talk Ideas: If faced with the decision to save the life of your older sibling, what would you do? How is the family affected by Kate's sickness?
Controversial Issues: Sickness (cancer), Death
Defense:
Why I Chose This Book? Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors. Her book is a wonderfully written coming of age story that can easily appeal to young adults.
Critical Evaluation: There are several conflicts in Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper. There is the internal conflict. Anna is torn between putting her own interests first and taking care of Kate to keep her alive. While Anna has no legal obligations to keep Kate alive, she knows that is why she was born. There is also Kate's conflict to beat her illness. There is also the Anna's conflict against society. There is much controversy surrounding her trial because there is the fine line between right and wrong because Anna was born to keep Kate alive. Is this morally right? The last conflict and the most prominent in the story is the conflict with Anna and her parents, especially her mother. When her dad starts to see her point, there is also a conflict between her parents. Sara, Anna's mother, finds it hard to accept that they do not want to help keep Kate alive because she has spent most of her time taking care of her.
There is also a theme running throughout the book. It is the bond of sisterhood. We see this bond in several places. Of course, in the relationship of Anna and Kate. This is why Anna is torn with this decision. The fate of her sister lies in her hands. But we also see it with Zanne and Sara. Zanne steps in to help take care of Anna and Jesse, the older brother. There is also Izzy's support of Julia when she and Campbell break up. She allows her sister to move in with her. Izzy's dislike of Campbell shows just how close the sisters are. This theme shows the strong bonds that sisters have even in some of the minor characters.
Curriculum Ties: N/A
Book Talk Ideas: If faced with the decision to save the life of your older sibling, what would you do? How is the family affected by Kate's sickness?
Controversial Issues: Sickness (cancer), Death
Defense:
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Why I Chose This Book? Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors. Her book is a wonderfully written coming of age story that can easily appeal to young adults.
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