Three Things About Emmy Crawford

Gr 8 Up–A passionate story about access to healthcare, mental illness and invisible illness, perfectionism, and coming of age in the spotlight. Emmy is a high school senior and a senator’s daughter living in Washington, D.C. Her mother is a presidential nominee, and her family is a paparazzi favorite. She thinks nothing can get in the way of her goals; not Crohn’s disease, heartbreak, or negative media attention. This book has phenomenal representation of chronic illness with Emmy’s disease, her sister’s anxiety, and former fling Gabriel’s experiences with his mother’s schizophrenia, as well as an exploration of equal access to health care. There is a positive representation of therapy and family support. The discussion of these topics comes through the plot in a very natural way as the author uses the debate team as a tool to incorporate background information. Bitz writes from her own experiences with Crohn’s and anxiety as shared in the author’s note. Fans of contemporary fiction will find this coming-of-age book relatable, and those with chronic and invisible illnesses will see themselves in the characters.