Erica Stevenson

Dear Jodi Picoult,
 
There is a student who used to go to my school. Her name is Ashlyn White and just this year she has discovered that she has leukemia. She went through chemo and was finally starting to get better when she started relapsing again. In a couple of months she will receive a bone marrow transplant from her younger sister. Honestly, I don't even know her but just because she walked the same hallways that I walk now, it really hit home. It also totally reminded me of My Sister's Keeper.

Before reading My Sister's Keeper I had never paid attention to problems in our society today and I wouldn't be paying attention to Ashlyn White, like I am now. Like most teens, although I don't like to admit it, I was just focused on myself and my own little insignificant problems. Anything else just went over my head and I didn't pay attention to it; almost like I had tunnel vision. I like to think that by reading your book I changed. I can now see in endless directions with open eyes and an open mind.

My Sister's Keeper, as well as opening my mind, taught me a lot of lessons that I was now able to understand. Your book taught me about stem cell research, which is a big issue in our society today. By attaching a fictional and interesting story to this lesson, my mind was able to wrap around it a lot better and I could actually understand it.
 
Another issue My Sister's Keeper kind of showed was teen crimes and underage drinking. You showed how a teen like that, and like Jesse, probably just needs attention and love.

You also taught me many other insignificant lessons as well. By reading about Anna's court case and suing, I kind of got the gist of how the court system works and what exactly lawyers do. Also, by reading about Anna's dad, I now understand the commitments of being a fire fighter, and how they partly live in the fire house; I did not know that. I even learned how to make a big fire. (Although, that is something I hopefully wont need later in life).

Most importantly, though, you taught me that even though a family may seem perfect, they are just as messed up as every family sort of is. The Fitzgerald's, for example, seemed like they were perfect. It seemed like Anna was donating to Kate out of love and togetherness, but that really wasn't the case. I know my family is sort of dysfunctional at times and I get frustrated thinking that all my friend's families are perfect. It's like, if their family is perfect, why can't mine be? But by showing the Fitzgerald's big dysfunctional moment, you helped me to realize that yeah, everyone's family is dysfunctional; I'm not alone.

Your books always manage to teach me multiple lessons through an interesting topic. But they also always help to open my mind, probably at the times when I need it the most. So thank you for all you have and will teach me, and especially for putting an end to what seemed liked an endless tunnel blocking my vision.

Sincerely,
Erica Stevenson