My Sister's Keeper

My Sister's Keeper
Jodi Picoult
448 pages

Anna Fitzgerald was born as a genetically-matched donor for her older sister Kate, who was plagued with leukemia as a child. Kate has always been dependent on Anna, therefore Anna has not been able to live the life she wants. Now, Kate has gone into renal failure, and needs a kidney from Anna. Although she loves her sister, Anna has had enough and decides to hire a lawyer to sue her parents for medical emancipation.

This was an amazing book to read. Picoult tackles such an uncommon topic with clarity and sensitivity. Each chapter alternates between different main characters in the book; Campbell Alexander; her lawyer, Sara; Anna's mother, Brian; Anna's father, Jesse; Anna's brother, Anna herself, and others. I love this feature of the book because it helps the reader to understand how the lawsuit effected the people she loved the most.

Throughout the book, flashbacks occur, to show the connection between Anna and Kate. Each is meant to touch the reader in a sentimental or humorous way.

Some quotes from the book that I enjoyed include:

“You don't love someone because they're perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they're not.”  

“Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it.”    

“Extraordinary things are always hiding in places people never think to look.”   

“It is the things you cannot see coming that are strong enough to kill you.”  
  
“If you have a sister and she dies, do you stop saying you have one? Or are you always a sister, even when the other half of the equation is gone?”    

Picoult wrote a book that will certainly touch your heart, and if you haven't already learned it, she will teach you the definition of family.