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A review by 100pagesaday
Letting Go of Gravity by Meg Leder
5.0
"That's what friends do- they remind you of who you are underneath all the stuff people believe about you, all the stuff you believe about yourself."
Charlie and Parker are twins. During childhood, they always had each other's back. However, they were always two different people; Charlie is extroverted, loud, popular and easily makes friends, Parker is introverted, guarded and needs approval. One other difference arose when Charlie and Parker were in fourth grade, Charlie got leukemia. As medical bills rose and their parents lived in fear, Parker vowed to become a doctor and help kids with leukemia. Now it is coming true, as Parker graduates valedictorian of her class with an internship at a hospital and an acceptance to Harvard, and Charlie is in remission for a second time. When it's time to begin the internship, Parker feels overwhelmed and panicked at even being in the hospital. She quits, reconnects with an old friend and finds a job at a pottery shop and the weight lifts. Now, if she could only tell her parents.
Letting go of gravity is an epic coming of age tale that so many teens will be able to connect with. It is not only Parker's story either, it is also Charlie's. For so much of Parker's life she has strived to be what her parents expect that she has lost herself. For Charlie's life, he has been the boy with cancer that people have given up their lives to help. They both just want to stop being people's expectations for them and learn to be themselves, but they will need each other to do it. I could easily relate to Parker and was swept up in her story, eagerly turning the pages to see how she would manage the twists and turns in her life. Even though I have never had to deal with cancer, Charlie was also intriguing. His journey in and out of remission while being a teen is very sincere and heart wrenching, even when he is ok. Charlie and Parker's journey took me through emotional highs and lows that reminded me of the transitional time after high school. In addition to this, the romances were very sweet and realistic. Overall, a roller-coaster of a story about self-realization and being able to become who you truly are.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Charlie and Parker are twins. During childhood, they always had each other's back. However, they were always two different people; Charlie is extroverted, loud, popular and easily makes friends, Parker is introverted, guarded and needs approval. One other difference arose when Charlie and Parker were in fourth grade, Charlie got leukemia. As medical bills rose and their parents lived in fear, Parker vowed to become a doctor and help kids with leukemia. Now it is coming true, as Parker graduates valedictorian of her class with an internship at a hospital and an acceptance to Harvard, and Charlie is in remission for a second time. When it's time to begin the internship, Parker feels overwhelmed and panicked at even being in the hospital. She quits, reconnects with an old friend and finds a job at a pottery shop and the weight lifts. Now, if she could only tell her parents.
Letting go of gravity is an epic coming of age tale that so many teens will be able to connect with. It is not only Parker's story either, it is also Charlie's. For so much of Parker's life she has strived to be what her parents expect that she has lost herself. For Charlie's life, he has been the boy with cancer that people have given up their lives to help. They both just want to stop being people's expectations for them and learn to be themselves, but they will need each other to do it. I could easily relate to Parker and was swept up in her story, eagerly turning the pages to see how she would manage the twists and turns in her life. Even though I have never had to deal with cancer, Charlie was also intriguing. His journey in and out of remission while being a teen is very sincere and heart wrenching, even when he is ok. Charlie and Parker's journey took me through emotional highs and lows that reminded me of the transitional time after high school. In addition to this, the romances were very sweet and realistic. Overall, a roller-coaster of a story about self-realization and being able to become who you truly are.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.