"The Memory Keeper's Daughter" by Kim Edwards

"This stunning novel begins on a winter night in 1964, when a blizzard forces Dr. David Henry to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy, but the doctor immediately recognizes that his daughter has Down's syndrome. For motives he tells himself are good, he makes a split-second decision that will haunt all their lives forever. He asks his nurse, Caroline, to take the baby away to an institution. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child as her own. Compulsively readable and deeply moving, The Memory Keeper's Daughter is a brilliantly crafted story of parallel lives, familial secrets, and the redemptive power of love."

I finished this book a few days ago, and I really enjoyed it! I didn't really know much about it going into reading it, but I just knew there had been a Lifetime TV movie about it and it had been on the New York Times bestseller list for a long time. I have worked a lot with children with disabilities, and so it was interesting to read about the opinions of these children in the 60's (like the daughter with Down's syndrome in this book) and how they are treated now. There is a huge difference! I also learned from reading this book that it is so important to be honest with those you love because secrets can drive relationships and lives apart.

Well there's a funny story about my copy of the book... a couple of months ago, my mom wanted to read this book, so she went to the library to go check it out. I think the story goes that there weren't any copies of the book there, so she just didn't think much more about it. But as she was leaving the library, she walked past the used book sale that they always have going on, and she found it for sale for $.10! It has a little water damage, but other than that it's just fine. You can't get a much better deal than ten cents for a book!