A provocative novel that raises some important ethical issues, my sisters keeper is the story of one familys struggle for survival at all human costs and a stunning parable for all time. The reason her parents had her in the first place, she explains, was so that she could donate bone marrow to her older sister. Each chapter in the book is told from the first person point of view. Shes doing it for her older sister kate, who has suffered from severe leukemia since the age of three. My sisters keeper is the first book one of my own kids has read. Differences between my sisters keeper book vs movie page 1. The story is about anna, a yearold girl who is average in every way except for the circumstances of her life. This essay will focus on three events in annas life, and discuss how each event in the characters life had an affect on her physical, psychosocial and.
The characters of my sisters keeper feel like they could be divided into two categories. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of my sisters keeper by jodi picoult. My sisters keeper was one of the most heart wrenching stories ive ever read. My sisters keeper by jodi picoult is a provocative novel that raises some important ethical issues, my sisters keeper is the story of one familys struggle for survival at all human costs and a stunning parable for all time. However, he is shown to have a big heart when he is around his sisters and become a totally different person.
My sisterss keeper is a 2009 american drama film directed by nick cassavetes and starring cameron diaz as sara, abigail breslin as anna, sofia vassilieva as kate, and alec baldwin as campbell. Highly recommended, my sisters keeper is an excellent choice for book discussion groups. The book, my sisters keeper by jodi picoult, is also available on audible. My sisters keeper by jodi picoult presents a lot of questions for book clubs to discuss. My sisters keeper characters listed with descriptions. Anna fitzgerald, sara fitzgerald, campbell alexander, brian fitzgerald, jesse fitzgerald, kate fitzgerald, julia romano, zanne, dr. Anna fitzgerald years old and knows that the reason her parents had her was so that there could be a bone marrow donor for kate. New line cinema adapted my sisters keeper into a feature film, which was directed by nick cassavetes and released on june 26, 2009. Chance, judge desalvo, taylor ambrose, izzy romano, judge the dog. Anna fitzgeralds sister, kate, is dying of leukemia and needs a kidney. All 71 characters in my sisters keeper are listed by chapter with character descriptions included. Once again, in my sister\ s keeper, jodi picoult tackles a controversial reallife subject with grace, wisdom, and sensitivity. The my sisters keeper community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you.
My sisters keeper by jodi picoult is the amazing, gutwrenching, sad, funny, insightful, moving and thoughtprovoking story of this american family. Anna is expected to give her one, but anna is sick of giving things to her sister. My sisters keeper by jodi picoult summary and analysis. If you havent read the book its about a girl kate with leukemia whose parents had a second genetically matched child anna to help with blood and bone marrow to save their first daughter. My sisters keeper is a 2009 american drama film directed by nick cassavetes and starring cameron diaz, abigail breslin, sofia vassilieva, jason patric, and alec baldwin. Anna, jesse, kate, and brian fitzgerald, campbell alexander, and julia romano narrate in present time2004. Jesse is the fitzgeralds oldest, and most invisible, child. Literary essay the novel my sisters keeper by jodi picoult has an astounding contrast between. Sure, its not a person, but it causes as much trouble, or even more, than that of usual antagonists in novels. Analysis of the movie my sisters keeper 1627 words.
Every narrator did a remarkable job and i was utterly impressed. Picoults latest chronicle of family travail second glance, 2003, etc. The main characters and perspectives we hear from are. I highly recommend this book, but be warned that it is a fairly emotional story. Winner of the 2005 bookbrowse diamond award for most popular book new york times bestselling author jodi picoult is widely acclaimed for her keen insights into the hearts and minds of real people. As the girls grow up, more and more is required of anna until shes had enough of being nothing but an organ donor. She studied creative writing at princeton university and received her masters from harvard. The four characters i chose were anna fitzgerald which is the thirteen year old daughter born to be of assistance to her terminally ill sister.
It starred cameron diaz as sara and alec baldwin as campbell. Now she tells the emotionally riveting story of a family torn apart by conflicting needs and a passionate love that triumphs over human weakness. Was it your plan from the beginning, or did this develop later on, as you were writing. My sisters keeper is bittersweet, thoughtprovoking and poignant. My sisters keeper is a novel by jodi picoult that was first published in 2003.
One line of the synopsis is, the only way to save your daughter is to sacrifice her sister. If you enjoyed the book, prepare yourself for disappointment with the movie. Characters see a complete list of the characters in my sisters keeper and indepth analyses of anna fitzgerald, sara fitzgerald, and campbell alexander. He lives a very troubled life and does things like drugs, alcohol, theft, and the starting of fires. People critics choice second glance is a fastpaced, densely layered exploration of love, the pull of family and the power of both to transcend time. The movie my sisters keeper is about yearold anna, who sues her parents for medical emancipation when she is expected to donate a kidney to her sister kate, who has leukemia. Interestingly, kate does not seem to voice much opinion about annas choice. Based on jodi picoults 2004 novel of the same name, on june 26, 2009 the film was released to cinemas in the united states, canada, ireland, mexico, and the united kingdom. She hires a lawyer to get medical emancipation from her parents so she will not be forced to donate her kidney. Published february 1st 2005 by washington square press first published april. The characters of alexander campbells relationship with julia the thing about flame is that its insidious it sneaks, it licks, it looks over its shoulder and laughs. The film adaptation of my sisters keeper made a few key plot changes as well as various small character and setting changes, which combine to create a movie that is only similar to the book its. After going home she goes to the office of campbell alexander in order to hire him to sue her parents for the right to her own body.
She fights anna in court and even at one point slaps her across the face. Anna is a yearold girl from a middleclass family in rhode island. When julia requests information about annas whereabouts, jesse asks if he is his sisters keeper. The ending of my sisters keeper is surprising and terribly sad. These book club discussion questions on my sisters keeper will allow your book club to delve into the issues picoult raises about family, science and doing the right thing in a hard situation. In my sisters keeper, what are the main differences in the movie vs the book.
My sisters keeper by jodi picoult is a story about a. My sisters keeper is quite possibly my favourite of picoults books. One issue that shapes many of the characters and situations in the novel is that of control. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. But this is one of the most heartwrenching, heartbreaking, most upsetting, sad, miserable, books i have read. My sisters keeper book by jodi picoult thriftbooks. This made my heart drop the moment i saw it and from that moment i had to have it. This essay will focus on three events in annas life, and discuss how each event in the characters life had an. Hes a firefighter who saves people and speaks in a. Ethical dilemma in my sisters keeper by jodi picoult. She is the mother of jesse, kate and anna and has been focused on kate for all of kates life and wants her daughter anna to donate her kidney to kate. Annas sister, kate, is dying from a rare form of leukemia.
Cancer makes all the characters in the book worried out of their minds for kate, and it destroys as much as it wants. Kate and anna were played respectively by sofia vassilieva and abigail breslin. Anna, for example, seems to want to control her body and what is. The story of adam and eve is referred to as a load of crap. The book s title, my sisters keeper, is a reference to genesis 4. See a complete list of the characters in my sisters keeper and indepth analyses of anna fitzgerald, sara fitzgerald, and campbell alexander. Picoult has won numerous awards for her work, most notably an alex award and a lifetime achievement award from the romance writers of america. Spisak honors english 11 period 10 november 4, 2012 my sisters keeper my book was split in sections by individual characters. She was conceived as a genetic match to help save her sisters.
Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. Nearly every major character in my sisters keeper is looking for control over some part of their existence in the face of disease. The character has the same name in both the book and the movie. Like a sunset eating everything in its path my sisters keeper. The book starts off with anna selling some of her belongings in a pawn shop. Find books like my sisters keeper from the worlds largest community of readers. Goodreads members who liked my sisters keeper also liked. My sisters keeper is written so beautifully with alternating perspectives, and the cast of narrators just makes this audiobook shine. My sisters keeper is a fictional novel written in first person.
This new novel is by far her best achievement and a leap forward in her literary oeuvre. The author vividly evokes the physical and psychic toll a desperately sick child imposes on. Told in alternating chapters from the perspectives of several of the characters involved, this is a sensitive, deeply moving and thoughtprovoking story that left me pondering my true moral and ethical beliefs. The point of view, however, is shared by several narrators. Anna fitzgerald has gone through countless surgeries, transfusions and shots by the age of thirteen. She is the opponent in the legal battle for annas emancipation. This study guide consists of approximately 128 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of my sisters keeper. Whats the difference between my sisters keeper the book and my sisters keeper the movie.