You and an Illness in Your Family offers concrete examples of problems a young adult with a sick relatives will have with his or her emotions. It also offers suggestions of concrete ways teens can go about dealing with their problems and emotions. These ideas are simple and easy to implement. However, the extent to which an emotionally overwrought teenager will take the book’s advice varies depending on the teen reader’s personality and his or her particular situation, yet Wainwright assumes that all readers will do everything suggested. For example, Wainwright suggests making a game of choosing and dividing chores with a sibling. This seems overly optimistic. As the book moves toward the end, the feeling grows stronger that the reader is viewing a TV program where a problem is presented and easily solved in one hour. The author seems to smugly assume the teen reader will do everything suggested and is quickly “cured.” ( )