Petrusso is a history and screenwriting scholar and freelance writer and editor. In this essay, Petrusso argues that while the surprise ending to My Sister's Keeper is controversial among critics and readers, it is logical to the story and underscores major ideas and themes in the novel.

In many reviews of Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper, critics object to the way the novel ends. The last fifty pages or so feature a somewhat unexpected climax and a most stunning conclusion. The climax nears when Anna finally agrees to take the stand and explain why she filed the lawsuit. Throughout the text, it seems like the thirteen-year-old has taken her parents to court to win control over her own body because she does not want to donate a kidney to her sister, Kate. Anna testifies that she filed for medical emancipation as a favor to Kate, so that...