In a sequence of short, intense poems based on the author's own experiences, a 13-year-old girl suffers through her shifting feelings about her sibling's mental illness. She recalls the terror of the Christmas Eve when Sister was suddenly transformed into a stranger; the horror of visiting Sister in the hospital and finding her rocking on all fours; the fear that her friends will find out; her own worry that she, too, may lose her mind; and her wistful memories of Sister as she was before. More complex emotions are also explored, such as her irrational suspicion that Sister may be deliberately acting crazy, as poignantly expressed in the title poem: "Stop pretending./ Right this minute./ Don't you tell me/ you don't know me./ Stop this crazy act/ and show me/ that you haven't changed./ Stop pretending/ you're deranged." Gradually, as Sister begins to recover, the girl is able to find hope and again take pleasure in her own life.

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An excellent book for preteen through adult. It's a quick read, but will spark lengthy conversations, especially in families with a history of mental illness/depression. It'd be a great jumping-off point.

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Sonya Sones is an effective author. The younger sister, the narrator, writes completly in poety. The story shwos teh effects of mental illness and how it is handled by family members, even those who are too young to understand. You can read the entirty of the work on the bus to the store or in a study hall.

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working in the mental health field, this is a wonderful addition for people to get a feel of how it can affect others, not just those fighting the affliction

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A book written in poems about a 13 year old girl and her sister who went crazy. Very good and very well written but a bit short.

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For me, this book was very...powerful. I liked it a lot, because it made me think, and whats even better is that I usually dont read these types of books...I'm more into fantasies. But I was interested in "What My Mother Doesn't Know" (which is also a must read) and I found the same author wrote "Stop Pretending".

You have to read it.

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A collection of powerful poems, which capture the struggles a young girl encounters when her older sister is committed to an insane asylum. Highly recommended.

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