Saint Vitus' Dance

by Jill Rubalcaba

Thirteen-year-old Melanie feels angry and guilty because she is worried about herself instead of her mother, who has Huntington's chorea, a hereditary condition, until Melanie finds the strength to face her mother's illness and her own uncertain future.

103 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1996

About the author

Jill Rubalcaba is an American writer.
She was born in Boston in 1953, and attended the University of Vermont. She obtained a degree in mathematics and intended to become a teacher. However, teaching jobs were scarce, so she worked as a model for a year to pay rent. She landed a teaching job a year later.
She says that she writes because of her endless curiosity about the world.

Reviews

[Kym Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad story but a good read. The mother's declining health condition forces her husband to make a tough decision to send her away to a facility and leaves the daughter with many questions in a pit of loneliness.