Stop Pretending: (What happened when my sister went crazy)
By Sonya Sones
Published: 1999
Genre: Young adult poetry
Info: Ms. Sones is a filmmaker in
California. This is her first book--inspired by her personal experiences.
Synopsis: The poems progress along
the timeline of the big sister's mental illness--before, during, and after. Basically, the big sister
suffers a sudden mental breakdown, and the narrator struggles to cope.
Analysis: I was astounded. Normally, I hate poetry, and there are few poems (especially
written by one person) that will strike me deeply enough that I will praise them. I will note some of my favorites:
"My Sister's Christmas Eve Breakdown," "In Art Class," "Found and Lost," "February 15th," "Mass Pike," "Realitease,"
"Sister in Slumberland," "Last July When Sister and I Got Lost at the Cape," "Minus," "Kodak Moment," "The Best May 2nd
of My Life," "Secret Rendevous at the Full Moon Cafe," "Sister Says It's Not So Bad," "After Shock," "Going for the Gold,"
"Dr. Milton Silver," and "In the Visiting Room." Yes, you see, there were quite a few. I enjoyed the memorable closings and also the play
on words in the title "Wondering Through the Halls at School." Sones managed a beautiful conveyance of a helpless, frightened,
and resentful little sister who doesn't understand how the illness could have befallen someone she idolized. I would call this
some brutally honest poetry.
Recommendation: Really, I would recommend this book for anyone who likes Sylvia Plath, who has a heart, who has a
sister, or who has had to cope with a difficult situation in his/her life. Just give it a shot, I think just about everyone could find at least one
poem in there that will really strike home.
