Needles - by Andie Dominick (Paperback)

About the Book

In this poignant tale of growing up "different, " Andie Dominick writes about the powerful bond between her and her sister--and the challenges, emotional and physical, she faced after her sister's tragic death.

Book Synopsis

A CLASSIC ACCOUNT OF A YOUNG LIFE IRREVERSIBLY ALTERED BY ILLNESS
"I know about needles."
All her life, Andie Dominick adored her older sister, Denise. She wanted to look like her, talk like her, be her. Unfortunately, she got part of her wish when, at age nine, she was diagnosed with the same disease from which Denise had suffered since age two: juvenile diabetes. In this beautifully written, revelatory, and profoundly affecting memoir, Dominick recounts her transformation from a free-spirited kid who enjoyed giving shots to her stuffed animals with her sister's castaway needles to a life-long patient who must learn to inject herself twice a day. Emotionally charged, tragic, but in the end hopeful, Dominick tells how she found the courage to embrace love and hope in the face of fear, and to live with a disease that has taken so much from her.
Chosen in 1999 by the American Library Association as one of the best books for teenagers

Review Quotes

Mary Swander author of Out of This World Anyone who has ever been challenged by an illness, anyone who has had an ill relative, or anyone who simply wants a greater insight into the human condition will want to read this book. And read it again.

Sharman Stein Chicago Tribune Needles is a strong story and quite vivid.

Whitney Scott Booklist Graceful, elegant prose....[Dominick] has made some measure of peace with loss and developed the spirit not only to go on but to write absorbingly about the experience of disease.

About the Author

Andie Dominick grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, and received her master's degree in English from Iowa State University. She won the 1995 Writer's Digest Award for Best Essay for a piece that appears in altered form in this book. She lives in Des Moines with her husband and dogs.