Stone Water

by Barbara Snow Gilbert

An insightful and thought-provoking look at assisted suicide from the perspective of a 15-year-old boy.

Genres: Young Adult, High School

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Barbara Snow Gilbert is an attorney, mediator, and an award-winning author. As a political science major with a minor in art history, Ms. Gilbert studied in Florence, London, and Washington, D.C., and graduated with a B.A. degree, magna cum laude, from Colorado College. She worked on various political staffs, including that of the Speaker of the House of the U.S. Representatives and the Governor of Oklahoma, then attended law school and received her Juris Doctor degree, with honors, from the University of Texas.

Ms. Gilbert is married and has two daughters. She is a lifetime student of the piano, which she studied in the University of Michigan Division of Interlochen National Music Camp, and at Colorado College. She is fourth generation Oklahoman on both sides of her family tree, and proudly claims her heritage back to territorial days. Ms. Gilbert lives in Oklahoma City.

Reviews

[Meredith Jaworski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating story that I won't be able to leave behind any time soon. At once well crafted and supremely heartbreaking, the subject matter was handled with grace and acuity.

[Joy Slykhuis · Rating 4 out of 5]

14-year-old Grant has to make some awful choices when his grandfather is placed in the "other wing" after he has a stroke. The "other wing" is what they call the terminal wing of the nursing home. Grant's grandfather left him a letter to be opened only if this happened. In it, he basically asks Grant to end his life. Hear-breaking and realistic and extremely good.

[Autumn Kotsiuba · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this a high rating for now because I read this in Jr high and still think of it. That's the mark of a good book, isn't it? I'll revisit it soon to make sure it holds up to my memory.

[Spencer Sacrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I read the back of the book I had no idea it would be anything like it was. I thought it would be a story about a young boy learning that there was more to his world than he thought, and had to learn to navigate it on his own. But this is a story where a grandfather leaves his grandson a letter stating “only open if I am put in the other wing”.

The “other wing” being a hospice unit where Grant (the boys) grandmother slowly dies of old age/health issues. The grandfather decides not to make a living Will that states he does no wish to be placed on life support, because of his bad relationship with his son. He believes that the son will find a loop hole and keep him on life support for years. While personally I think that whole idea is ridiculous, that’s the premise of the story.

When the grandfather is placed in the “other wing”, Grant opens the letter which includes a tape with an old cryptic story. The short version: there is an old Indian chief who is suffering from the effects of old age and no longer enjoying any quality of life. A young boy of the tribe who understands this takes it upon himself to feed the chief poisonous berries to kill him. Grandpa leaves a message saying “if you understand why I shared the story with you, then you are old enough for the job” and later states that maturity/age is not defined by a number.

I won’t spoil the entire story so that’s where I’ll stop with the overview. But personally I think that asking a family member to “euthanize” you no matter the circumstances, is not only wrong, but completely inappropriate no matter the persons age. You can inform them of your wishes but don’t ask for something of that magnitude!!

Above is just my personal opinion which is not really relevant to the quality of the story or the writing. If the author wanted to write a story about a young person coming across an adult decision, there are much better topics to focus on. I will say that the writing (although not the style I normally read/enjoy) was good. But would I recommend this book? My answer is a definite no, no matter who the person is. The topic is awful and the story is just not worth it.

[Kristina Lovel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had me hooked from page one. it's a subject matter that I am very passionate about.

[Rebecca Goldstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Grant studied the red thread. It was all that had stood between him and this mystery for two years. And now, on Wednesday afternoon, only four Wednesdays into eighth grade, at 3:40 P.M., Grandpa wanted him to unwind it."

Two years ago, Grant’s grandfather gave him an envelope with strict instructions: open it if, and only if, he was moved to the “Other Wing” of his nursing home. Otherwise, leave it alone. For two years, the envelope sits untouched, tucked away in Grant’s desk, until Grandpa’ s health takes a turn for the worse and he’s relocated to the dreaded Other Wing. When Grant opens the envelope, he finds a tape and a message from his beloved partner: if he understands the story on the tape, he can carry out his grandfather’s last wish.

A thought provoking look at what it means to live and die on your own terms - this one will definitely leave you wondering what you would do in Grant's place.

[Winifred]

I felt that this book was interesting in that the situation that main character, Grant, is put through is something that I could ever imagine myself dealing with. If anyone in my family or friends was to ask me to help put an end to their life, similar to what Grant is faced wit his grandfather is something that I dont think I will be able to do. I liked this book because I felt the conflict was interesting and something that I haven't read aout. A good discussion question for this book would be "Is the life of someone worth saving when you know that they want it to end?"

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am still thinking about how this book made me feel. I can say at the very least that this book will start many conversations regarding euthanasia, and whether a person has the right to die. Part of me says that this was too much of a burden to put on a 14-15 year old boy. That being said, Grant's parents are closed-minded workaholics, particularly his father. His grandfather knew that he had no one else that he could trust as much as his beloved grandson.

This book will bring about much reflection in its readers.

[Armend · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is both sad and a happy story because it discusses every issue with family and conflicts in a family. The largest conflict muxt have been the conflict is the conflict in Grant's mind because he doesn't know if he should listen to his grandfather and actually use euthanasia or to let him die on his own. This conflict also adds to the overall theme of family by shgowing that family is so hard to get rid of.

[Steen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a theory I do not support euthanasia, but this book made it hard not to. It was very clear that Grant's grandfather did not deserve to be stuck here, but then somethings happen and we don't deserve them. So I'm really not sure...It definitely made me think.
Great book, very emotional. Also an easy read...I read it in two hours while I was home sick. :)

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy who's grandfather was one of the most highly looked upon figures in his life is living in a coma. They had a very close bond, but before his grandpa fell into a coma, grandpa wrote him a letter and a story. The moral of the story he told Grant to put him to sleep (euthanasia), but Grant was afraid to since he was so young and that it would require him to break the law. Great book.

[Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

good book kind of slow. I liked how detailed it was and it did pick up like two chapters in. otherwise it's a great book I would recommend this book to anyone. about a kid who doesn't spend much time with his dad and his grandpa gets hospitalized and that kid has to make one of the biggest decisions of his life.

[Femmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good YA novel dealing with the issue of euthanasia, when a boy is asked by his ailing grandfather to end his suffering. I believe all arguments for and against euthanasia are explored in this book, seen from a teen perspective.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting.

[Rodney Haydon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very powerful story about a very controversial topic.