SHIRA: A Legacy of Courage

by Sharon Grollman ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 6, 1988

Grollman has enlarged on the diaries and poems of Shira, who died at nine of a rare form of diabetes. Shira was in and out of hospitals for several years, being fitted for insulin-dispensing devices, repeatedly receiving operations. On her rare school days she hauled around an LV. pole that she called Peter Pump. Even as the experimental treatments failed and she declined, she was busily putting on plays in the hospital and playing tricks on other patients. In the end, it was she who asked her family to let her go, demonstrating that even young children can understand something of life and death. Rabbi Harold Kushner's helpful introduction points out that, more than death, ill children fear that they will lose their parents' love because of their problems, or that they will be forgotten because their life was so short and sad. Shira expresses these feelings, but since she was loved and both she and her family expressed their emotions, readers will be able to share the solace she received. Whether this spunky, unforgettable child is describing her grandfather denying something she craves, a group of skating children forming ""a circle of love"" around her, or her growing fatigue, her narrative is without sentimentality and altogether moving. Epilogue by Shira's mother; glossary; resource list of organizations and books; index.

Pub Date: May 6, 1988

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 84

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1988

Categories: CHILDREN'S