Handle With Care - Jodi Picoult

   Handle with care is about a mother that is suing for wrongful birth of her child Willow, who has Osteogensis Imperfecta. This means that her bones are extremely fragile and by simply falling down, Willow could break her hip.  ( This is a child with Osteogenesis Imperfecta).

   When I read this book, I couldn't put it down. The way the mother feels towards the child is just so full of love and yet regret for what she was doing. She thought of her daughter as strong, even when all evidence pointed to her being weak. "Willow, I whispered, the name that you father and I had agreed on. I had had to convince him. I won't call her that, he said. They weep. But I wanted to give you a prophecy to carry with you, the name of a tree that bends instead of breaking." ( Pg. 5)

   Everything about this book was great. The switching point of views, the author's writing style, and the message behind the story. Throughout the book, Charlotte, the mother of Willow, separates from her husband, and her best friend because of the lawsuit. She gains so many enemies, but throughout it all, it doesn't matter to her because she knows that the money she is going to win will help her daughter in the future. If i was in Charlotte's position, I don't know if I would be able to sue for wrongful birth. On one hand, the money you would be getting would help sufficiently in the future, but I don't think I would be able to handle all the negativity that went along with it. But, then again, a special needs child is very expensive. I guess you have to be put in that position to know what you're going to do. I also wondered about how many other kids might have OI and found this website : http://www.oif.org/site/.
   When I reached the end of this book, I balled my eyes out. But, it wasn't because of the fact that Willow dies, it's because of how beautifully the author explains Charlotte's feeling and how the family dealt with Willow's death. " I don't have the money anymore.It was yours after all. I slipped the check into the silk lining of the coffin when I kissed you goodbye for the last time. Here are the things I know for sure: when you think you're right, you are most likely wrong. Things that break - be they bones, hearts, or promises - can be put back together but will never really be whole. And, in spite of that I said, you can miss a person you've never known. I learn this over and over again, every day I spend without you." (Pg.475)
   In every few chapters or so, Charlotte puts in a recipe, she's a chef, that somehow relates to the book. In the last chapter, the recipe is for Willow's Sabayon with Clouds. She explains why the dessert is so special to her. "The outcome of this recipe is a work of art, if you can make it through the complicated preparation. Above all else: handle everything with care. This dessert, like you, is gone before you know it. This dessert, like you, if impossibly sweet. This dessert fills me, when I miss you the most." (Pg. 477) This title means so much more than the obvious. Learning to treat everything with care, is a life ,lesson that everyone will learn. You never know when someone, or something is going to be gone forever. Cherish what you have, while you have it.
P.S. This book was AWESOME!