My Sister's Keeper: A Novel and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more



or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Start reading My Sister's Keeper: A Novel on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 

My Sister's Keeper: A Novel [Paperback]

Jodi Picoult
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,600 customer reviews)

List Price: $16.00
Price: $12.67 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $3.33 (21%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Want it Friday, June 21? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
Image
Save on Popular Books This Summer
Browse our Bookshelf Favorites store for big savings on popular fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and more.

Book Description

February 1, 2005
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.


Frequently Bought Together

My Sister's Keeper: A Novel + Life Is So Good
Price for both: $24.96

Buy the selected items together
  • Life Is So Good $12.29


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The difficult choices a family must make when a child is diagnosed with a serious disease are explored with pathos and understanding in this 11th novel by Picoult (Second Glance, etc.). The author, who has taken on such controversial subjects as euthanasia (Mercy), teen suicide (The Pact) and sterilization laws (Second Glance), turns her gaze on genetic planning, the prospect of creating babies for health purposes and the ethical and moral fallout that results. Kate Fitzgerald has a rare form of leukemia. Her sister, Anna, was conceived to provide a donor match for procedures that become increasingly invasive. At 13, Anna hires a lawyer so that she can sue her parents for the right to make her own decisions about how her body is used when a kidney transplant is planned. Meanwhile, Jesse, the neglected oldest child of the family, is out setting fires, which his firefighter father, Brian, inevitably puts out. Picoult uses multiple viewpoints to reveal each character's intentions and observations, but she doesn't manage her transitions as gracefully as usual; a series of flashbacks are abrupt. Nor is Sara, the children's mother, as well developed and three-dimensional as previous Picoult protagonists. Her devotion to Kate is understandable, but her complete lack of sympathy for Anna's predicament until the trial does not ring true, nor can we buy that Sara would dust off her law degree and represent herself in such a complicated case. Nevertheless, Picoult ably explores a complex subject with bravado and clarity, and comes up with a heart-wrenching, unexpected plot twist at the book's conclusion.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School - Anna was genetically engineered to be a perfect match for her cancer-ridden older sister. Since birth, the 13-year-old has donated platelets, blood, her umbilical cord, and bone marrow as part of her family's struggle to lengthen Kate's life. Anna is now being considered as a kidney donor in a last-ditch attempt to save her 16-year-old sister. As this compelling story opens, Anna has hired a lawyer to represent her in a medical emancipation suit to allow her to have control over her own body. Picoult skillfully relates the ensuing drama from the points of view of the parents; Anna; Cambell, the self-absorbed lawyer; Julia, the court-appointed guardian ad litem; and Jesse, the troubled oldest child in the family. Everyone's quandary is explicated and each of the characters is fully developed. There seems to be no easy answer, and readers are likely to be sympathetic to all sides of the case. This is a real page-turner and frighteningly thought-provoking. The story shows evidence of thorough research and the unexpected twist at the end will surprise almost everyone. The novel does not answer many questions, but it sure raises some and will have teens thinking about possible answers long after they have finished the book. - Susan H. Woodcock, Fairfax County Public Library, Chantilly, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 448 pages
  • Publisher: Washington Square Press; Reprint edition (February 1, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0743454537
  • ISBN-13: 978-0743454537
  • Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,600 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,529 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up on Long Island with my parents and my little brother, the product of a ridiculously happy childhood. My mom says I've been writing as long as she remembers - my first masterpiece was "The Lobster That Was Misunderstood," at age 5. I honed my writing skills beyond that, one hopes, before I headed off to Princeton, where I wanted to work with living, breathing authors in their creative writing program. Mary Morris was my teacher/mentor, and I really do believe I wouldn't be where I am today if not for her guidance and expertise. I had two short stories published in SEVENTEEN magazine when I was in college. However, when I graduated, a desire to not eat ramen noodles exclusively and to be able to pay my rent led me to take a job on Wall Street (not a great idea, since I can't even balance my checkbook). When the stock market crashed in 1987, I moved to Massachusetts and over the course of two years, worked at a textbook publishing company, taught creative writing at a private school, became an ad copywriter, got a master's in education at Harvard, got married, taught at a public school, and had a baby. My first novel was published shortly after my son was born, and I've always said that the reason I kept writing is because it's so much easier than teaching English.

In fourteen years, I've published thirteen novels: Songs of the Humpback Whale, Harvesting the Heart, Picture Perfect, Mercy, The Pact, Keeping Faith, Plain Truth, Salem Falls, Perfect Match, Second Glance, My Sister's Keeper, Vanishing Acts, and the upcoming The Tenth Circle, this March. Two of my books (Plain Truth and The Pact) were made into Lifetime TV movies; Keeping Faith will be another. My Sister's Keeper is in development at New Line Cinema to be a feature film. And there isn't a single day that I don't stop and marvel at the fact that when I go to work, I get to do what I love the most.

My husband Tim and I live in Hanover, NH with our three kids, a dog, a rabbit, and the occasional donkey or cow.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
233 of 258 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Complex issues in a fascinating story April 29, 2004
Format:Hardcover
Jodi Picoult has masterfully covered yet another controversial topic in her novel "My Sister's Keeper." This time, young Kate is diagnosed with a severe form of leukemia. Her parents then have a baby, Anna, who is genetically selected to be a close donor match for Kate. From her birth onward into her early teens, Anna is called upon to undergo increasingly invasive and dangerous procedures to provide blood, bone marrow, and other tissues to sustain her older sister's life. Now, a kidney is needed, and Anna brings a lawsuit against her parents, claiming the right to her make own decision about what medical procedures can be performed on her. Anna's mother Sara, an attorney, decides to represent her own daughter Kate at the trial.

There are some very difficult questions raised in this story. Does Anna have the obligation to risk her own health to save her sister? Do her parents have the right to make the medical decisions about Anna's donor role, and where should their loyalties lie? Where is the fine line between what is legal and what is ethical in a situation like this? There seem to be no right or wrong answers here, and the ensuing trial recounts all the physical, moral, psychological, and familial struggles that are brought to bear on the issue. Picoult paints a powerfully emotional picture of a family in turmoil. She adds additional tension to the story through brother Jesse, whose drug taking and criminal tendencies add even more burdens to an already overwrought situation. The story also includes the love/hate relationship between Anna's lawyer and her legal guardian.

The narrative switches from character to character so that the reader hears the voices of each family member, as well as that of Anna's lawyer and of the legal guardian appointed to watch out for her interests....

Eileen Rieback Read more ›

Was this review helpful to you?
107 of 119 people found the following review helpful
By MJS
Dear God, how I hated the characters in this book.

I read My Sister's Keeper after reading a blurb about it. The topic fascinated me: what would a child conceived to "save" a sibling think as they grew older? Especially if the "saving" part went on and on and on.

The books starts with that child, Anna, going to a lawyer to get out of her role as genetic donor on call. So far, so good. It's a soapy, Lifetime movie idea but I've nothing against a soapy story. Middlemarch and War and Peace have their soapy elements too. The problem isn't the soapiness, it's that Picoult keeps adding the soap, piling on sub-plots and adding quirks to her characters until, frankly, I wanted to kill them myself. You'll rarely find a less likable group of characters than the adults on display in this book.

Campbell Alexander, the lawyer Anna hires, is standard issue "selfish, self-absorbed, morally questionable attorney who only wants to win." His quirk is that he has a service dog but HE ISN'T BLIND. Gee, I wonder what the reason could be. Seriously, is there anyone with half a brain who can't think of the one other reason an adult would have a service dog? There must be loads because Picoult treats this as a big mystery even though every chapter from Campbell's point of view has him telling someone that "Judge" (get it, a lawyer with a dog named "Judge"? Wow.) is a service dog. I wish that Judge's service job would have been to bite Campbell on the leg everytime Campbell said the words "service dog" or at least to chomp on him whenever he was a jerk but, alas, Judge just trots around witnessing this silliness.

Then there's Julia Romano, Anna's court appointed guardian and Campbell's old flame. What are the chances that these two would see each other again after he dumped her?
... Read more ›
Was this review helpful to you?
140 of 158 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars A good book that is RUINED by its horrible ending June 4, 2009
Format:Paperback
MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE ENTIRELY SPOILED!

With the movie about to come out, I thought I should review this book to warn people about it. DON'T BOTHER!

I actually really enjoyed the book (even with the rather clunky writing and unsubtle characterizations), and then the ending comes and I start screaming "What? You've gotta be kidding me!" It betrayed the entire premise of the book. It betrayed the characters. It certainly betrayed the reader. I will never read another book by this purveyor of pulp, and I refuse to go see the movie unless I am assured beforehand that they have re-written the ending so it makes sense with the rest of the story.

Specifically, and these are spoilers: what I got from the book was that the mother was so determined to save her older daughter, Kate, that she had totally lost her moorings. Kate was suffering unbearably, and so were her other children and her husband. So Anna, the younger daughter, takes a stand on Kate's behalf, and says stop, Kate should decide when enough is enough and this is it. Kate has decided she has fought through ten years of misery just to take another breath, but that's not enough. She wants a quality of life that she just can't have. So she is going to step back, let her sister and her family live their lives, and accept her own lot in life. I thought that was a very moving and interesting perspective.

Then, the end of this stupid book happens. Anna and Kate win their court case. They get to make their own medical decisions. Except they don't. "Fate" intervenes. Anna is killed in a stupid, cheap car crash. And suddenly her kidney, which was the point of the whole book, is basically up for grabs. So Kate just takes it.
... Read more ›
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars great
Must read allow yourself some time to read it then watch movie the newer one with Blondel in it I cried
Published 14 hours ago by Stella C
4.0 out of 5 stars emotional story
One of Picoult's more moving novels, this one really pulls at the heart strings. This is pure curl up and cry reading that leaves you feeling full and content.
Published 2 days ago by Monika Matthews
5.0 out of 5 stars POWERFUL! A must read for everyone as we enter the future of...
Picoult is one of the best storytellers around! This one grabs you and doesn't let go. The title belies the deeply complicated moral conflict explored within these pages. Read more
Published 5 days ago by Judith L Hall
3.0 out of 5 stars My Sister's Keeper
One cannot quite take in that a parent exists who is like this mother, who knowingly has a child in order to save another but at the same time subjecting the one to real trauma in... Read more
Published 10 days ago by Jean
5.0 out of 5 stars Surprised, was my reaction.
I've always gone with "the book is better than the movie". This proves it to be absolutely true. And how!
Published 13 days ago by Jeanne C. Little
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Interesting book. Have read it many times. I would definitely recommend this book. I didn't predict the ending at all.
Published 14 days ago by Stephanie Owen
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
I bought this book for my daughter. She loves to read. She finishes them so fast, it seems like I am buying them every other day. I would recommend this book.
Published 18 days ago by swilson1237
5.0 out of 5 stars My sister's keeper
Really great book hard to set it down!! The text was kind of weird though, it changed in every chapter
Published 20 days ago by Karley Kenney
4.0 out of 5 stars Morally Interesting
Last week I finished My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. This was my first Jodi book and had no expectations going in. Read more
Published 21 days ago by M. G. Gagliano
5.0 out of 5 stars Depressing, but well written
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. Read more
Published 21 days ago by TexasTransplant
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Forums

Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions

Topic From this Discussion
Why such poor language?
ook, I'm all for using the King's English at most times, esp. throughout a novel. (Lots of dialogue) but you are looking at this line of tragic events through your own set of strict moral values. Are you quite aware that there are thousands of people who, while they have a wide vocabulary; while... Read more
Sep 8, 2009 by jules |  See all 2 posts
Such accurate details!
She may have her fact down when it comes to transplants, but Ms. Picoult shirked her duties when it comes to researching the details of life with epilepsy. In Rhode Island you must be seizure-free for eighteen months in ordder to drive a car. You do not put things in the mouth of an epileptic... Read more
Jan 16, 2009 by Joy Begbie |  See all 5 posts
Couldn't put this book down!
I agree. I spent the afternoon reading this book. I couldn't stop. I will recommend this to everyone!
Sep 7, 2008 by Melissa Wyatt |  See all 12 posts
Welcome to the My Sister's Keeper forum
This is my first Picoult novel. However I like how the narrator changes with each chapter. It give insight into the way different people process Kate's battle against cancer depending on their individual role within the family.
Nov 13, 2005 by Gypsy Mom |  See all 27 posts
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 






Look for Similar Items by Category