Stop Pretending: What happened when my big sister went crazy by Sonya Sones

Sones, Sonya. Stop pretending: What happened when my big sister went crazy. New York: HarperCollins. 1999. ISBN: 0-06-028387-4.

Summary

This novel in verse tells the story of Cookie, who is eleven when her big sister goes crazy. Cookie feels alone. Her father watches baseball by himself and her mother just sleeps. Cookie is worried that everyone knows and when her friends find out, Cookie makes new friends because her old friends don't take it well. Her sister is alternately the same as she's always been and a stranger. But the hospitalization works and the family finds a new normal.

Critical Evaluation

Sones is first and foremost a poet. Stop Pretending, though it tells a story, is a collection of masterfully crafted poems. Based on the author's own experiences, this story is a sensitive and realistic portrayal of mental illness. An uplifting story of family and strength. Highly Recommended.

Reader's Annotation

Cookie isn't crazy, but her sister is. Cookie's parents are fighting and her friends have deserted her, but Cookie will survive her sister's illness and so will her sister.

Bibliotherapuetic Usefulness

For those whose family is falling apart by no fault of their own. Dealing with mental illness, especially in others.

Why I chose it:

Mental illness is a personal interest of mine.