"The message inside the
envelope — a deeply troubling request disguised as a fable — can not be
ignored.  …whether to act on his
grandfather’s last wish, Grant faces some difficult questions about living and
dying…" In the author’s note, she states this book was written to "tell
a story", "not to take a stand on the issue …".

This is a very engaging story about the struggles
any typical teenager may have in a family system where the father appears
physically and emotionally absent and the mother is a high profile judge, doing
the mom "juggling act" of home and career.  This family dynamic leaves the son to become very resourceful and
creative in dealing with the traumatic event of his grandfather’s dying
process.

 This book addresses a highly controversial issue in a way that may
inspire the reader to look past the topic itself to gain new insight from the
heart, eyes and ears of a teenager. The depth of Grant’s character as written
in the story, speaks of tremendous courage, strength, compassion and loyalty
that has almost vanished in its practice.

There are many, many dynamics in
this book that any mental health professional would have a field day going
through. Regardless, the story is told in a way that makes it extremely easy to
read by any age group and be touched by its contents.  I would recommend this book be a part of middle school through
college level libraries as a resource for adolescents and young adults.

This book would also be a powerful
resource for parents to look at their own communication styles and in asking
themselves "how present" are they in their children’s lives.

Excellent!!!

© 2005 Susan Wingate

Susan
Wingate is currently working for the Department of Corrections of North
Carolina in the capacity of Program Supervisor for Substance Abuse Treatment,
in a maximum security prison for women.

Categories: Children