Walk Softly, Rachel

By: Kate Banks

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Synopsis: "Fourteen-year-old Rachel knows little about her brother, Jake, except that he died in a car accident when she was seven. Her parents have put the past behind them and rarely talk about him. Still, to hold on to him, they have left his room just as it was before his death. On a visit to his room, Rachel finds a journal of Jake's, which becomes an invitation to visit the past. Jake's thoughts, fraught with anguish and doubt, unmask the truths of a seemingly perfect boy. By filtering his experiences through her own--the departure of her best friend and her involvement with a troubled young man--Rachel is able to reclaim some of the brother she has never really known. Through Rachel's own words and Jake's journal entries, a picture emerges, like puzzle pieces coming together, of a family trying to cope with the tragic and heartbreaking loss of a son. Rachel examines her own shortcomings and those of her family with courage and humor. Her witty and wise observations attest to her own transformation and the power of the mind to heal.... Kate Banks [the author] takes us through the inner workings of the subconscious mind, dispelling notions of time and space, to reveal our connections with one another and our place in the world. Sometimes funny, often sad, but painfully true, Walk Softly, Rachel is a memorable story of love, loss, and letting go."