The book that I read is called Stop Pretending by Sonia Sones. This book says that even though someone seems a lot different than they used to be, they are still themselves inside. One example is that when the main character’s sister went to the mental hospital and she visited her, it was harder to talk to her and she acted different, but it seemed like old times when Sister was mentally healthy because they were both together.

Secondly, the main character could not get used to the idea that her sister was crazy and wanted her to ‘stop pretending’ that she didn’t know her even though Sister wasn’t pretending. It seemed as though her sister would all of a sudden turn sane again because she still seemed like herself and she was still the same person.

Also at the end of the book, their family was playing Scrabble and Sister put a made up word on and said it was worth fifty extra points. Then, her mom and dad both put stupid words on and everyone was getting along like always and then the main character (it does not say her name) put down the word BETTER. I agree with this view of life because one of my relatives was in the hospice and was hardly communicating for a while. Even though she couldn’t talk, she was still a part of my family and I remembered all the times that she was herself and I knew that even though it may seem different, she was the same person. It didn’t matter that she was different now, because I still remembered how she was before and what a good person she was. I think that is how the main character feels in the book. Like in the movie, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Eddie is reunited with his wife who he hasn’t seen in so long but it is like they had been together all that time because she was the same inside and he remembered how it was when they were together. This is kind of like what happens with the two sisters, because it is almost like nothing happened between them.

I think I am most like the main character, whose sister is crazy. If I had a sister who was mentally unhealthy, I think I would react in a similar way, because the main character is just wishing that her sister was normal again. She is just trying the best she can to adjust to how things are now and being supportive of her family. I think that that is a good way to deal with things. Also, the main character doesn’t really stick up for herself, and that is sometimes how I am when I am shy. For example, if her friends or classmates make rude comments about her sister, she just doesn’t say anything. I could really relate to the main character because if I were in her situation, I would try to make the best of it like she did even though she really wanted things back to normal.

I loved this book because it shows how people can still be the people you know and love and be different at the same time. It was a beautifully written poetic book that I would recommend to anyone.