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Book Summary ofMy Sisters Keeper, by Jodi Picoult
Main characters: Sara Fitzgerald: Mother Brian Fitzgerald:
Father
Kate Fitzgerald: Daughter and leukemia patient Anna Fitzgerald:
Daughter, sister Jesse Fitzgerald: Son, brother Campbell Aleander:
Anna!s attorne"
#eaders notice earl" on in the no$el that the narrati$e point o%
$ie& s&itches bet&een characters,and the timeline is
not static' Although it primaril" sta"s in the present, it skips to
the past%re(uentl"' )here is onl" one chapter, the epilogue, that
occurs in the %uture'
)he plot opens b" introducing Anna and Kate as sisters' Kate
&as diagnosed &ith an aggressi$e%orm o% leukemia in *++ and
&as not responding to treatment or chemotherap", sparking
the
need %or her to %ind a suitable donor'
-e then learn about Kate!s diagnosis as a bab"' )he stor"
eplores the %act that Anna &as a .testtube bab",/ concei$ed to
%ill the need %or a donor to keep her sister ali$e' Anna is
custom0madeto be a per%ect match %or Kate!s medical needs, and %rom
the moment Anna is born, she ispricked, prodded, and cut open in
order to donate bone marro& and health" cells to her
sister'
)he stor" then %ast %or&ards *1 "ears through Kate!s illness
and the li%e o% the %amil"' )hroughthese "ears, &e learn about
Kate!s unending su%%ering, as &ell as the struggles that Sara
andBrian %ace as a couple as a result o% their daughter!s illness'
-e also get the impression that Sarais solel" %ocused on Kate!s
struggles and illness, taking attention a&a" %rom her other
children,
Jesse and Anna 2&ho is %re(uentl" undergoing pain%ul and
in$asi$e procedures because o% Kate3'
)he stor" takes a turn &hen *40"ear0old Anna approaches
attorne" Campbell Aleander, askinghim to represent her &hile
she sues her parents %or medical emancipation' Kate is in the
%inalstages o% kidne" %ailure, and Anna does not &ant to gi$e
Kate her kidne"' Aleander agrees torepresent Anna %or %ree'
-hen Sara is ser$ed &ith papers noti%"ing her Anna is suing,
she becomes outraged and does notunderstand Anna!s actions at all'
5o&e$er, Brian understands to an etent'Kate becomes $er" ill
and is hospitalized, gi$en a &eek to li$e' )he trial begins,
and Sara,pre$iousl" a la&"er, represents hersel% and Brian'
During the trial, Anna admits that she %iled thela&suit because
Kate asked her to, &anting to end her o&n su%%ering' Anna
also admits that shedoes &ish to ha$e more personal %reedom and
cannot ha$e that &hile being a donor'
A%ter hearing testimonies %rom Kate and Anna!s doctors as
&ell as Anna hersel%, the 6udge grantsAnna medical
emancipation, and Campbell is gi$en medical po&er o% attorne"
o$er her'A%ter the trial, on the &a" to the hospital to $isit
Kate, Campbell and Anna get into a near0%atalcar accident' Anna
su%%ers %rom in6uries that ha$e le%t her &ith irre$ersible
brain damage'Campbell, &ho no& has po&er o% attorne",
directs doctors to take her kidne" and gi$e it to Kate'
