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Summary: I found this book by accident...
Review: I picked up this book by accident, just looking for something to match Lisa, Bright and Dark, by John Neufeld, and now I love them both, even though they are quite different (Lisa, Bright and Dark was written in the sixties, and is in chapters instead of poems). They are both about what happens when people go crazy. The poetry was very moving and real, and you should read it immediately- even if you don't like poetry. Stop Pretending is a beautiful book, and it is wonderful that Sonya Sones had the support of her sister (and teacher, Myra Cohn Livingston) and the courage to write this book. Read it!
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Summary: Read!
Review: This is one of my favorite books ever! it's the first i actually read of poetry nd now i enjoy poetry a lot! it's easy reading for the younger readers but really deep and emotional for the older. I think any typeof person would lkethe book and could probably relate even if they dont have "a big sister that went crazy"! so read this book it'sreally great and i hope you like it too!
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Summary: Powerful and Riveting
Review: I started reading this book a while ago, and as soon as I started, I had immidiate regrets. I thought that the book was awful and the poetry was thoughtless. Then, it started getting deeper as the author life turned worse and worse. By the end, it was completely powerful. It held a trap of emotions that could not be escaped. since my reading it, I have posted it on my website as a book to read and one poem on my favorite and most powerful quotations. I cannot really compare Sones' book and style to anything really. It all poetry that tells a story and appears in some-what chronological order, but not completely. I consider this a must buy because its a book that you can pick up, open a page, start reading where you want and finish where you want. I really enjoyed it and I think that others will, too.
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Summary: One of the best books I have ever read
Review: I loved the book Stop Pretending When My Big Sister Went Crazy. It talked about a true story and what really happened in a young girls life. Everything in the books is true making you want to keep reading it. The way the little sister deals with her sisters situation is just amazing. Not only does the book talk about true stuff that happened it talks about the girls feelings making you feel like you could actaully be the little sister. Alot of the topics they talk about alot of people could relate to. Stop Pretending was a book that I just couldnt put down.
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Summary: Stop Pretending is a "must read" for teens and adults
Review: Written as a series of short but powerful poems, Stop Pretending is a must read for teenage readers as well as adults. Based on the authors' own family experiences, this masterpiece takes the reader through a gamete of emotions from grief, anger, guilt, loss, fear, resentment, humor to acceptance. Her depictions of personal emotion and the new family dynamics are based on the authors' own personal journal that she kept as a teenager. She credits this writing process as the way in which she stayed sane while her sister was having a nervous breakdown, later diagnosed as manic-depression. She expresses the fears of her friends finding out about her sister and the joy of first love in the middle of such chaos. She writes about feeling as if it is somehow her fault and about how the joy and laughter disappear from the house. "Minus. Last night/sister wasn't there/to help me study for my math test. Father tried to fill in/but he's never been as good at math/as her. This morning/I'm sitting here/taking the test/but the numbers on the page/keep scrambling/in my head/and the only equation/I really understand is:/4-1=0." Finally, after many months there is improvement in her sister and she notices that once again her parents resume normal activities and there is laughter again. "Girl's Night In. Mother's friends/are over tonight/and I'm sitting/at the top of the stairs/listening/to the tinkling/of their voices,/and the gentle flup/of the cards being shuffled,/the muffled jingling/of coins tossed onto the silk tablecloth,/and the best sound of all:/my mother's long lost laugh." Excellent reading for those dealing with a family members mental illness or those just wanting a powerful emotional read.
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Summary: Stop Preteding
Review: "Stop Pretending" is truly an amazing story, based on the authers own view of her life when she was 13.With her sister in a mental house, her parents always fighting, having only one friend since she shared about her sister and trying to keep a boyfriend without scaring him off life wasn't what you call easy.To her, her life was a nightmare.
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Summary: *place your favorite superlative here*
Review: I first heard of this book when I read an interview with Sonya Sones in a book about writing. When I reached the book description, my initial reaction was, "What a weird idea. That's a stupid idea for a book." Then I forgot about it for a year until my sister found it in our local library. I remembered the interview, and curious, decided to give the 'strange' book a chance. ....<grumbles to self> Boy, I've got to stop judging books by their cover. Anyway. Needless to say from the fact that this is a five star review, I did a complete about-face from my first impression. In fact, if I could give this more than five stars, I would. For me, this is not just a great book. It's become one of my favorite young adult books ever. Even though at twenty-two you'd probably still consider me a young adult, I'm not the target audience of the book. But it still touches me. It's told from Cookie's viewpoint, a twelve-going-on-thirteen girl who has to cope with the normal trials and tribulations of adolescents her age. Unlike most girls her age, though, she also must deal with the the crises that arise both in her family and social life when her nineteen-year-old sister 'goes crazy' the Christmas that Cookie is twelve. (And yes, it's based on the author's own true story.) The story covers a total time period of about five months and contains a wonderful mix of both emotions and events that a young girl would feel. There's confusion, embarrassment, loneliness, and anger, but also nostalgia and happiness. These stem from scenarios varying from her sister's illness, to losing close friends, to making new ones, and from getting her first boyfriend. To a literary lay-person (that would be me) the poems are best described by free verse. That's not entirely accurate, though, as the author's note in the back says that she used falling rhythms. In any case her style gives her plenty of room to explore her feelings. Her meter is her best assets in some poems, like "Last July, When Sister and I Got Lost at the Cape." Though in a very few poems I would go so far as to say that an attempt at structure and rhyme works against her, overall the emotion and depth in the words glosses over any imperfections. Likewise it is this same depth that makes what otherwise would be very good in any other poetry collection, here, the very best. As a side note, many of the titles are descriptive, such as "in the morning" or "thoughts during English class." But there are a few gems that make you smile, like the "Wondering through the Halls at School" play-on-words, to the "Realitease" pun, to the saucy "Why Sister Doesn't Cross My Mind on the Way Home from Horseneck Beach." (And if you're why sister doesn't cross her mind...let's put it this way. She's a teenage girl with a teenage boy. ^_^) Lastly, if you were wondering about the cover...sorry, I'm not going to explain the picture. *laugh* But I will tell you that it's very nice and appropriate after reading the entire book. There is one poem near the end that will make you say, "Oh! Now I understand!" and as this was one of the best discoveries for me, I won't spoil it for those who haven't read it yet. Now, I have to say that in most of my reviews, I usually try to restrict my praise so that it's aimed at a certain group. But with this one, even my restrictions are broad. If you like young adult literature, you'll love this. If not...well, my mom liked it! Like poetry? You'll love this. Don't like poetry? Thanks to the narrative style, I still think you'll like it. In short, I think I can safely recommend this book to everyone and still say you'll like it. I've already ordered a copy so it can sit on my bookshelf, safely nestled between other classics of YA literature. And I truly believe you won't be disappointed if you decide to do the same. :o)
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Summary: SO VERY POWERFUL!
Review: Omigosh! Wow, I read this book in about 1 hour! If this would have happened to me I would have cried for days. It really let's you know you should be thankful for what you have and you should love everyone! I cried myself and couldn't put it down you have to read it!
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Summary: We couldn't put this book down!
Review: Stop Pretending is a beautiful, honest, and touching tale of family. Dealing with a life changing illness brings this family closer than they ever imagined. I was moved by the main character's honesty when discussing her sister's illness. I am a teacher and cannot keep this book on the shelf. For reluctant readers, it is a must. The poetry the author uses draws the reader in and won't let go. Read this book. It will change the way you think.
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Summary: A wonderful story with an interesting twist
Review: Though I know what it's like to be driven crazy by a sister, I don't know what it's like to have a sister who has such problems. With this book you go into the mind of Cookie, whom the author has based on herself. This book was truly a wonderful read, and what made it really great and original was that instead of chapters, it was composed of poems. I love poetry as well as books, and combining the two made this all the more better and all the more worthwhile. You can tell that Sonya Sones truly wrote it from the heart, especially since she went through the same exact thing. In fact, I think it says in the book that she wrote the poems while her sister was going through it. It's like she's cracked open her heart and let you look right into what she was feeling ( not to be graphic or anything ). A truly inspirational and loving novel. Read it immediately.
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