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Book Review of Handle with Care

Handle with Care
Handle with Care
Author: Jodi Picoult
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Hardcover
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Handle with Care is the story of Willow O'Keefe. Willow is a kindergartner who was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic condition that causes her bones to be extremely brittle and break extraordinarily easily. Willow even broke bones in utero. She has broken an extraordinary number of bones already and spent most of her life in pain and in a cast of one kind or another â and she's only 5 years old! In an attempt to raise money to offset Willow's medical expenses, her family instigates a âwrongful birthâ lawsuit against the obstetrician who provided prenatal care to Willow's mother, claiming that the doctor did not diagnose Willow's condition early enough in the pregnancy to give the parents the option of terminating the pregnancy. To add to the drama, the obstetrician and Willow's mother were best friends and continued to be best friends until the day that the O'Keefes filed the lawsuit. Also, Mr. and Mrs. O'Keefe were not on the same page regarding the lawsuit, which led to much fighting that Picoult's readers eavesdrop upon. Willow's older sister, Amelia, must compete with Willow for their parents' attention and deal with the normal teen angst and acting out as well as a chronically ill sibling. This novel has much to hold the reader's attentionâ law, medicine, and family dynamics.