This book would not have been possible without the love and support of many.
To my outstanding agent, Jim McCarthy, thank you for your unwavering faith, your expertise, your wit and guidance. To my incomparable editor, Anne Heltzel, and her superb assistant, Jessica Gotz, thank you for asking all the right questions and pushing me to make Isa and Alex’s story better. (You’re like personal trainers—minus the whistles!) Thank you to the extremely talented Siobhán Gallagher for such an amazing cover (again!!) and to the rest of the illustrious team at Amulet, Trish McNamara-O’Neill, Jenny Choy, Mary Marolla, and Borana Greku, for getting this book into the hands of readers.
To my incredible writer friends, new and old, who are all far more accomplished and brilliant than me, Carolyn Mackler, Paul Griffin, Emmy Laybourne, Liz Acevedo, Tisha Hamilton, Stacey Lender, Mayra Cuevas, thank you for patiently listening to all my worries and even more patiently and graciously doling out advice and support. To my ever-supportive writer’s group, Maria Andreu, Lisa Hansen, Gigi Collins, Hannah Lee, Betsy Voreacos, thank you for your honest but gentle critiques and for our many nights of carrots, chips, and hummus. To the gifted José Angel Araguz, thank you for lending your poet’s eye. To the thoughtful Mark Oshiro, Ricardo Peralta, and Leslie Bermingham, thank you for the early reads and very beneficial comments. To my wonderful nephews, William, Connor, and Owen, thank you for answering all my questions about baseball (an additional baseball thank-you to Betsy and my husband, Marc!). Also thank you to Lisa, Frankie and Dylan Campione, as well as Helen Poon and Laurie Rocke for NYC high school baseball insight. Thank you to Detective Isaac Moltry for answering my questions about NYC police procedures. Thank you to Lesly Torres and Albany Perez for letting me check my cubanismos against dominicanismos. Thank you to Dr. Janet Jackson and Dr. Amanda Wilson for fielding my questions about being a child of a parent with mental illness and about bipolar disorder specifically.
To my mom friends and girlfriends, Christina, Trudi, Sara, Kristin, Davina, Kennedy, Nat, Sally, Suzannah, Pilu, Amanda, Barbette, Jillian, Lucia, Jennifer (C and L), Corey, Leslie, Jane, and Rachel, thank you for long talks, laughter, and camaraderie (and for your enthusiasm and not-so-patient questions about when the next book is coming out). To my medical colleagues and friends, Guytree, Nora, Daisy, Nadine, and Daphne, thank you for supporting my medical career and helping me balance it with my writing career. To my brother and sister-in-law, Jamie and Ashley, thank you for sharing with me stories from your childhoods and for helping me understand sports team and family mentalities.
To my loving parents and abuela, thank you for the many years you drove me back and forth to ballet class and for all the recitals you had no choice but to attend! To my cariñoso abuelo, who would tell me stories deep into the night when we were supposed to be asleep, and who wrote such beautiful poetry, thank you for instilling in me a love of words and characters and plot. To Rachelle and to my brother, Curtis, and to Emma, thank you for helping out with the kids when I was pulled in five different directions. To my in-laws, thank you for your unwavering faith and support and for bragging about me to all your friends (it really is the best type of publicity). To my daughters, Auden, Amaia, and Ella, thank you for putting up with me when I disappear into my writing cave and when I emerge somewhat bearlike. Every day, your kindness, thoughtfulness, and curiosity amaze me. I am so proud to be your mother and cannot wait to see how your stories unfold! And to Marc, my Everything. Darling, I can’t get enough of your love, babe.
Finally, I would like to thank each and every reader. Thank you for being interested enough in Isa and Alex to make it to this point in the book. It still astounds me that there are people in the world who are not related to me who want to read what I have written.
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A note about mental illness: If you or someone you know is going through a difficult time, please don’t keep it a secret. Find someone you trust to talk to. Mental health resources for patients and families can be found at the following links: childmind.org or childmind.org/audience/for-families. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, at nimh.nih.gov/health/index.shtml) and the National Alliance on Mental Health (nami.org) are also helpful resources.
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A note about subway travel: The pediatrician (and mom) in me would like to remind you that what Alex and Isa and their friends do in this book is fiction. Traveling between subway cars is illegal. As Isa’s mother says, the subway can be dangerous—so stay alert! Also, please don’t jump onto the tracks.