SuitabookIllness and family change
Ruth gradually recognises that her mother’s unusual behaviour is connected with a disease that may affect the family and Ruth’s future.
Loading your next page
Book details
Susan White - Author
A historical coming-of-age story about Ruth’s changing family life, set against late-1960s music, sport and public events. Its central concern is how a mother’s disease may reshape family relationships and Ruth’s sense of the future.
"It is 1967 and twelve year old Ruth Iverson's world pretty much revolves around her friends, a boy she likes, the Monkees and spending time with her dad doing special stuff like watching the Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup. But she is soon to realize that her mom's strange behaviour which has become an embarrassment, are symptoms of a disease that will affect the family's life and possibly Ruth's future. While she watches major events like the marriage of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, the birth of Pricilla Presley, the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy and Neil Armstrong walking on the moon, Ruth faces some major life events of her own and struggles to come to terms with the changes they bring"--Page 4 of cover.
Book Brief
Sign in to see how this book fits your child and family preferences.
Sign in for personalised guidanceA historical coming-of-age story about Ruth’s changing family life, set against late-1960s music, sport and public events. Its central concern is how a mother’s disease may reshape family relationships and Ruth’s sense of the future.
Ruth gradually recognises that her mother’s unusual behaviour is connected with a disease that may affect the family and Ruth’s future.
Ruth’s interests and personal experiences unfold alongside music, sport and major events associated with the late 1960s.
The mother’s behaviour is described as embarrassing before its connection with disease becomes clear. It may be worth noticing how the story handles confusion, stigma, responsibility and Ruth’s feelings towards her mother.
This is a grounded book brief while Suitabook strengthens the analysis: the current material supports only a cautious reading; another book-specific source is still needed.
Book information
Limited information
Anything not established here remains open; it is not being treated as absent or safe.