God is in the Pancakes

My next YA read will be God is in the Pancakes, by Robin Epstein. I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Epstein a few months back and she is just as down to earth as you can imagine. She is also quite genteel, for someone from the north! Our media specialist invited her to speak about her book and she actually came to our little school in Middle Georgia and spoke to the students for FOUR periods. Then she was whisked off to speak at another school. She graciously answered questions and even told a joke. She was a stand-up comedienne before her success as an author. One of her books was co-authored by her lawyer sister, and is titled, So Sue Me Jackass.


I have checked this book out of our library several times, but when the kids see that I have a copy, I relinquish it so they can read it. We have multiple copies of it, but it's never on the shelves!


The opening of the book has a great hook:
"Here's what I've come to realize about perfect happiness: It's a fragile as the bubbles that form on the top of a pancake." 


God is in the Pancakes by Robin Epstein

Fifteen-year-old Grace, having turned her back on religion when her father left, now finds herself praying for help with her home and love life, and especially with whether she should help a beloved elderly friend die with dignity.

Here's the description from Amazon.com:

Fifteen-year-old Grace Manning is a candy striper in a nursing home, and Mr. Sands is the one patient who makes the job bearable. He keeps up with her sarcasm, teaches her to play poker . . . and one day cheerfully asks her to help him die. At first Grace says no way, but as Mr. Sands' disease progresses, she's not so sure. Grace tries to avoid the wrenching decision by praying for a miracle, stuffing herself with pancakes, and running away from all feelings, including the new ones she has for her best friend Eric. But Mr. Sands is getting worse, and she can?t avoid him forever.

So, yes, this is about assisted suicide. I've only read the first chapter due to giving my copy away, but I'm told by everyone who has read this book that Epstein handles the subject masterfully and with dignity. 

This book falls in a couple of genres. It is in the realistic genre and could also be considered a book that could challenge intellectual freedom due to the fact that it is about assisted suicide. Because the protagonist is asked by an elderly man to help him die, I think it could be of use in several ways, one of which would be in psychology classes. Young adults who have elderly family members could also benefit by seeing the alternative viewpoint of a senior citizen who wants to pass on. 

***UPDATE!

I finally got to read beyond the first chapter and finish this book, thanks to Spring Break and KT (my new best friend - Kindle Touch - I have an upcoming post on this soon!)

I now see why the kids at school had no reservations stripping me of my checked out copies! This main character, Grace, will no doubt tug at your heartstrings as you follow her course throughout the story. She will make you laugh and she will make you cry, but one thing is certain; she will make you care. One of my students told me that Grace was the kind of character she wished were real so they could be friends. That is how beautifully crafted Epstein's characters are. They actually could be real people. 84-year-old Frank Sands reminds of my own 85-year-old father, so for me, reading this was especially  poignant. My student was right - these characters do make you feel that they are real. 

I was surprised by the depth of  "religion" in the book - NOT that it is a "religion-ish" book that might turn kids off. Quite the contrary. Obviously, God is mentioned in the title, but I did not, for some odd reason, equate that to God being in the story! Not to give away too much, but the pancakes do equate with God, because that's where Grace finds her comfort. I suppose I may have been a little surprised because meeting the author gave me a different impression of her in a religious light. Don't ask me to explain that - it makes no sense. Usually, I delete things that make no sense! It is important to know that it is not a "religious" book with an author's agenda; it's just a story in which a young girl is faced with questions that she must take to God. While she receives no clear-cut answers, she does well in spite of the fact that it is an awesome request. 

While the topic of this novel rests on the ultimate decision Grace must face - assisting her dear friend with taking his life before he total loses out to ALS, it is not depressing. Grace is faced with so many other life-challenges at the same time, it's incredible to travel this journey with her. Does she assist him? I'm not telling. It truly will ruin the book should you decided to read it. I begged my students to just tell me. I assured them that I would be ok with the answer, but none would tell. And they were right. The reading would not have been the same going in with the answer. Smart kids!

This realistic work of fiction is as I thought, a book that could be read by students (and adults alike) who may be faced with the point that elderly loved ones may have a different viewpoint of living vs dying. This story made me think of my own mother who chose to die eight years ago rather than face another surgery just to die anyway, or worse in her opinion, live through it to face a diminished quality of life. 


I can see that it could also challenge intellectual freedom due to the choice that a young girl faces - to help her friend die. Only one of my students who read this said she was not surprised by Grace's choice. I will admit that I was. 

For an ex-stand-up comedienne and writer of video games, you will be surprised to find the author has created a book truly worthy to be considered a work of art.  

Publisher: Dial Books (Penguin)

ISBN-10: 0803733828

ISBN-13: 978-0803733824