The Year My Life Went Down The Toilet

"Some 'scientists' claim that everybody poops.
Which might be true, but I have a hard time believing it.
I'm not saying I want to see some proof, because that would be disgusting. But if everybody poops…how come no one talks about it?"
Middle schooler Al, protagonist of Jake Maia Arlow's The Year My Life Went Down The Toilet, has to spend a lot of time thinking about a very embarrassing topic. Her stomach is nearly almost always queasy, She spends a lot more time pooping than anyone else she knows. And at least once she doesn't make it on time. But she doesn't share her mother's fear that she has a real problem. "I'll go to this special doctor and she'll fix me up and I'll never have a port potty emergency ever again."
Unfortunately it turns out that her mother's right. A colonoscopy, in itself a nightmare for a seventh grader, reveals that she has Chrohn's. It's a chronic condition that she'll have to manage for the rest of her life, not something that "can go away with a bit of medicine".
"Even if medication can help, it won't solve anything. This can't be fixed, it can only be managed. I don't want to be managed. I want to be normal." When her doctor suggests that she join an IBD support group at the hospital the idea repulses her.
But then her best, actually only, friend, Leo, previously constantly available (except on weekend visits to his father), tries out for a part in a school play and gets a lead. Suddenly Al has a lot more free time to get through. When Leo suggests that she join the stage crew she remembers that she has an alternative.
"So it's settled. I'm going to go to sick kid support group because my best friend's abandoning me and I don't want to be stuck at home with my mom.
This should be fun."
In her acknowledgements Arlow thanks her gastroenterological care team. It's so wonderful that these days adults who were diagnosed with chronic conditions as children and teens are reaching out to juvenile and YA readers with their stories, letting them know that they're not alone
On a purrrsonal note, you may have noticed that I've been writing and posting a lot of reviews lately. I pulled or bruised something in my shoulder right before the long weekend. I've had to take it easy—ice, heat, elevate—and reading is about all I can do under those circumstances. Hopefully I can start getting more active tomorrow.
A great big shout out goes out to Allow for her honesty and truth telling.
Jules Hathaway