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Quick answer: If you finished Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper, try Nineteen Minutes, Handle with Care, The Pact, Small Great Things, Still Alice and The Lovely Bones. They explore family, morality and heartbreaking choices.
Picoult's 2004 novel follows Anna Fitzgerald, a girl conceived to be a donor for her sister, who sues for control of her own body. It raises hard ethical questions. Readers who finish it want more family dramas and moral dilemmas. These 15 books deliver them. Many are emotional and some deal with illness and death.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nineteen Minutes | Jodi Picoult | Adult | more Picoult |
| Handle with Care | Jodi Picoult | Adult | readers who like medical-ethics stories |
| The Pact | Jodi Picoult | Adult | older readers |
| Small Great Things | Jodi Picoult | Adult | readers who like race and justice |
| Leaving Time | Jodi Picoult | Adult | readers who like mysteries |
| Still Alice | Lisa Genova | Adult | readers who like medical drama |
| The Lovely Bones | Alice Sebold | Adult | readers who like emotional stories |
| Room | Emma Donoghue | Adult | readers who like child narrators |
| The Midwives | Chris Bohjalian | Adult | readers who like legal drama |
| Before We Were Yours | Lisa Wingate | Adult | readers who like history |
| The Nightingale | Kristin Hannah | Adult | readers who want a big emotional story |
| The Fault in Our Stars | John Green | 14+ | teen readers |
| A Walk to Remember | Nicholas Sparks | 13+ | readers who like romance |
| Defending Jacob | William Landay | Adult | readers who like legal thrillers |
| The Light Between Oceans | M.L. Stedman | Adult | readers who like moral dilemmas |
1. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
A school shooting in a small New Hampshire town, told from many sides. Gripping and emotional.
Best for: more Picoult.
2. Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult
A family sues for wrongful birth after their daughter is diagnosed with a severe condition. Emotional and complex.
Best for: readers who like medical-ethics stories.
3. The Pact by Jodi Picoult
Two teens make a suicide pact, and only one dies. Dark and sad.
Best for: older readers.
4. Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
A Black nurse is accused of a baby's death in a case involving a white supremacist father. Timely and thoughtful.
Best for: readers who like race and justice.
5. Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
A daughter searches for her missing mother, an elephant researcher. Twisty and tender.
Best for: readers who like mysteries.
6. Still Alice by Lisa Genova
A professor is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. Clear, moving and informative.
Best for: readers who like medical drama.
7. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Susie Salmon narrates from heaven after being murdered. Sad and unusual.
Best for: readers who like emotional stories.
8. Room by Emma Donoghue
Five-year-old Jack lives in a room with his mother, who is held captive. Tender and gripping.
Best for: readers who like child narrators.
9. The Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
A midwife faces trial after a patient dies. Gripping courtroom drama.
Best for: readers who like legal drama.
10. Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
A story of a family stolen by a corrupt adoption agency. Based on real events.
Best for: readers who like history.
11. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Two sisters in occupied France take different paths of resistance. A moving bestseller.
Best for: readers who want a big emotional story.
12. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Hazel and Augustus, two teens with cancer, fall in love. Funny and sad.
Best for: teen readers.
13. A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
Landon, a popular teen, falls for the quiet pastor's daughter Jamie. A gentle, classic tearjerker.
Best for: readers who like romance.
14. Defending Jacob by William Landay
A district attorney's son is accused of murder, and the family comes under strain. A legal thriller with a family twist.
Best for: readers who like legal thrillers.
15. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
A lighthouse keeper and his wife make a hard choice about a baby who washes ashore. Beautiful and sad.
Best for: readers who like moral dilemmas.
How to Choose
For more Picoult, start with Nineteen Minutes or Small Great Things. For similar moral dilemmas, read The Light Between Oceans or Handle with Care. For illness stories, choose Still Alice. A simple plan is to read a heavy book and then a lighter one. Several books on the list involve illness, death or violence, so choose when you are ready. If you want to discuss the book with a group, prepare questions on the ethics: who decides what is right for a child, and what is fair to a sibling? Reading a short article on genetic matching and donation can add context. Keep tissues handy.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is My Sister's Keeper about?
Anna Fitzgerald, conceived as a donor for her sister Kate, sues her parents for control of her body.
Is the ending the same in the movie?
No. The 2009 film changed the ending, which upset many readers.
Is it a good book club pick?
Yes. It creates debate about parents' rights, medical ethics and sibling love.
What age is it for?
It is written for adults and often read by older teens.
Does Picoult write about real issues?
Yes, many of her novels center on legal or ethical dilemmas such as school shootings, medical choices and race.
Are all her books sad?
Many are, but some have hopeful endings.