My Sister's Keeper: Learning to Cope with a Sibling's Mental Illness [Paperback]

Margaret Moorman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2002

Now a Hallmark Hall of Fame TV-movie starring Kathy Bates, Elizabeth Perkins, and Lynn Redgrave.

When Margaret Moorman's older sister, Sally, was first hospitalized with schizophrenia in 1959, her family denied the truth to neighbors, friends-and even themselves. Not until thirty years later, when their mother's death made her Sally's sole caretaker, did Margaret face the truth. In this poignant memoir, she tells the brave story of her struggle to come to grips with the legacy of her sister's devastating disease, its effect on her own life and on her entire family. Candid, moving, and ultimately healing, My Sister's Keeper is a heartwarming story about two sisters and their love for one another. "As gripping as a well-crafted thriller, but much more moving."—Washington Post "Moorman tells her family's story with courage, honesty, and generosity."—Kirkus Reviews "A brave, poignant memoir of a difficult coming-of-age... a lifeline to siblings of the mentally ill."—Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This poignant memoir of a difficult coming-of-age is an inspiration for siblings of the mentally ill.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

The younger sister of a woman with lifelong disabling mental illness describes her struggles to oversee her sister's care after their mother's death, and to acknowledge the deeply pervasive effects of the illness on her own self-image and outlook. Sally Moorman's manic-depressive emotional disorder first required hospitalization when she was 18 and her sister Peggy, the author, was ten. Over the years that followed, Peggy tried a few strategies to cope with Sally's problems: denying her sister's existence; trying to become perfect in order to banish suspicion in others (and in herself) that she herself might be mentally unstable; and, finally, fleeing from the family home in Virginia to live and work in New York. Meanwhile, the sisters' widowed mother made Sally's care her life's purpose, and it took all she could give, and more. Peggy dreaded what would happen when their mother died, and she helped her mother set up a trust fund for Sally's future needs. When Sally was 47 and Peggy 39, their mother did die; the nightmarish year that followed realized all of Peggy's worst fears as she was forced to shuttle back and forth to Virginia to ensure that Sally did not self-destruct. The trust-fund money allowed Peggy to hire a private social worker and the services of an agency of advocates for the mentally ill; this helped--but not enough to keep Peggy from being driven to exhaustion and despair. Finally, Peggy found a self-help group for siblings of the mentally ill, and they and Peggy's therapist helped her to begin to get on with her own life. The memoir ends on a happy, cautiously hopeful note, with Sally stabilized and Peggy married and a mother. Moorman tells her family's story with courage, honesty, and generosity. Those close to people with mental illness should find insight and gentle guidance here. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (February 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393324044
• ISBN-13: 978-0393324044
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #634,562 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anyone who has a difficult family member will understand..., May 14, 2004

By 

M. C. Crammer (Decatur, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: My Sister's Keeper: Learning to Cope with a Sibling's Mental Illness (Paperback)

This true-story book tells of a woman's experiences in dealing with a sister with bipolar disorder. Throughout her life, her sister's illness has impacted her own life in a variety of ways, and after the mother dies and she is the only one responsible for her sister, the situation intensifies. While on medication, the bipolar sister can function reasonably well, but she goes off meds from time to time and then the sister eventually has a mess to sort out.

The ambivalence of the relationship (the two sisters both love and resent each other) is perfectly captured in this book. It rings true. Although there was sufficient money left by the mother and social services available to assist, so that this was not the "worst case" scenario that some families experience, still, the family-wide devastation of mental illness was well captured in this book.

I couldn't put it down.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Honest and painful, January 25, 2006

By 

E. Northrop (MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Sisters Keeper: Learning to Cope With a Sibling's Mental Illness (Hardcover)

I read this book coming from the outlook of being a mom of a schizophrenic 14-year-old daughter. By the time I finished the book, I was sorry I read it. Although it was a brutally frank and honest account, Ms. Moorman not sugar-coating her feelings for her sister and making it into some kind of overcomer's tale with a happy ending, I found myself mired in sadness through the course of the story. There were so few hopeful moments that I found myself wondering why she wrote it in the first place, and how would this book give comfort or hope to other siblings of the mentally ill?

I had to continually remind myself that for a young person in this day and age dealing with any kind of mental illness, there are so many more effective therapies and medications available with a greater chance of improving their quality of life. Sally seemed to go for so many long stretches without being medicated that I don't know how she did as well as she did (which wasn't that great most of the time).

This book did leave me with a goal of working on bringing my ill daughter closer to her younger brother and sister.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Sister's Keeper, March 26, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: My Sister's Keeper: Learning to Cope with a Sibling's Mental Illness (Paperback)

"This beautifully crafted novel will grab readers with a stunning topic."
This book shows different perspectives of this situation.

-PV, Ashburn,VA