One

By Sarah Crossan

Winner of the Carnegie Medal * Winner of the YA Book Prize * Winner of the Children’s Books Ireland Book of the Year Award

Tippi and Grace share everything—clothes, friends . . . even their body. Writing in free verse, Sarah Crossan tells the sensitive and moving story of conjoined twin sisters, which will find fans in readers of Gayle Forman, Jodi Picoult, and Jandy Nelson.

Tippi and Grace. Grace and Tippi. For them, it's normal to step into the same skirt. To hook their arms around each other for balance. To fall asleep listening to the other breathing. To share. And to keep some things private. Each of the sixteen-year-old girls has her own head, heart, and two arms, but at the belly, they join. And they are happy, never wanting to risk the dangerous separation surgery.

But the girls' body is beginning to fight against them. And Grace doesn't want to admit it. Not even to Tippi. How long can they hide from the truth—how long before they must face the most impossible choice of their lives?

Carnegie Medal–winning author Sarah Crossan gives us a story about unbreakable bonds, hope, loss, and the lengths we will go to for the person we love most.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Sep 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9780062118776

Sarah Crossan

Sarah Crossan grew up in Dublin and London. Her books for children and teenagers have won many prizes including the prestigious CILIP Carnegie Medal, the CBI Book of the Year, the YA Book Prize, and the CLiPPA Poetry Award. Her first novel for adults, Here Is The Beehive, was published in 2020 to critical acclaim, and was shortlisted for Popular Fiction Book of the Year in the AN Post Irish Book Awards Sarah's novels have been translated into more than twenty-five languages. She currently lives and works in East Sussex.

Book preview

Sisters

Here

We Are.

And we are living.

Isn’t that amazing?

How we manage

to be

at all.

The End of Summer

Summer’s breath begins to cool.

The ink of night comes earlier and earlier.

And out of the blue

Mom announces that Tippi and I

will no longer be taught at home.

"In September

you’ll join a class of juniors

and go to school

like everyone else," she says.

I don’t make any

ripples.

I listen

and nod

and pull at a loose thread in my shirt

until a button

falls away.

But Tippi doesn’t stay silent.

She detonates:

"Are you kidding me?

Have you lost your minds?" she shouts,

then argues with Mom and Dad for hours.

I listen

and nod

and bite at the skin around my fingernails

until they start to

bleed.

Finally Mom rubs her temples, sighs, and gives it to us straight.

"Donations from well-wishers have dried up

and we simply can’t afford to homeschool you.

You know your dad hasn’t found a job yet

and Grammie’s pension

doesn’t even cover the cable bill."

You girls aren’t cheap, Dad adds,

as though all the money spent on us

—the hospital bills and special clothes—

could be saved if we’d both

only

behave a little better.

You see,

Tippi and I are not what you’d call normal—

not what you see every day

or any day

for that matter.

Anyone with a jot of good manners

calls us conjoined,

though we’ve been dubbed other things, too:

freaks, fiends,

monsters, mutants,

and even a two-headed demon once,

which made me cry so hard

I had puffy eyes for a week.

But there’s no denying our difference.

We are literally joined

at the hip—

united in blood and bone.

And

this

is why

we never went to school.

For years we’ve been cooking up chemistry potions

on the kitchen table

and using our yard for PE.

But now

there’s no getting out of it;

we are going to school.

Not that we’ll be in public school

like our sister Dragon,

with kids who pull knives on teachers

and drink Wite-Out for breakfast.

No, no, no.

The city won’t fund our homeschooling but

they’ll pay

for a place

at a private school—

Hornbeacon High—

and Hornbeacon is willing to have that one place

count for the two of us.

I guess we’re supposed to feel lucky.

But lucky isn’t really how

I would

ever

describe us.

Everyone

Dragon stretches out on the end of the double bed I share with Tippi,

her bruised feet pointed while she

paints her toenails a deep metallic blue.

"I don’t know,

you might like it," she tells us.

"Not everyone in the world is an asshole."

Tippi takes the polish, starts on my right hand and

blows my fingernails

dry.

"No, you’re right,

not everyone’s an asshole,"

Tippi says.

"But around us,

they all morph into them."

A Freak Like Us

Dragon’s real name is Nicola,

but Tippi and I changed it

when she was two,

when she was fierce and fire-breathing,

stomping around the apartment and

chomping on crayons and toy trains.

Now she’s fourteen and a ballet dancer

she doesn’t stomp anywhere—

she floats.

Lucky for her she’s completely normal.

Although

I do wonder if being our sister

sucks sometimes,

if being our sister

makes her a freak

too.

Ischiopagus Tripus

Although scientists have come up with ways to

categorize conjoined twins,

each and every pair that ever existed

is unique—

the details of all our bodies remain a secret

unless we want to tell.

And people always want to know.

They want to know exactly what we share

down there,

so sometimes we tell them.

Not because it’s their business

but to stop them wondering—it’s all the wondering

about our bodies that bothers us.

So:

Tippi and I are of the ischiopagus tripus variety.

We have

two heads,

two hearts,

two sets of lungs and kidneys.

We have four arms as well,

and a pair of fully functioning legs

now that the vestigial leg has been

docked

like a show dog’s tail.

Our intestines begin

apart

then merge.

And below that we are

one.

It probably sounds like a prison sentence,

but we have it better than others

who live with fused heads or hearts,

or only two arms between them.

It really isn’t so bad.

It’s how it’s always been.

It’s all we know.

And actually,

we’re usually

quite happy

together.

Milk Trudge

We’re out of milk, Grammie says,

brandishing an empty milk carton and

a mug of steaming coffee.

Well, go get some, Tippi says.

Grammie wrinkles her nose and pokes Tippi’s side.

You know I have a problem with my hip, she says,

and I laugh out loud;

Grammie is the

only person on the planet who ever pulls

The Disability Card

with us.

So Tippi and I trudge to the bodega

two blocks away,

which is how we get everywhere:

trudging

and lumbering

along,

my left arm around Tippi’s waist,

my right slung over a crutch—

Tippi mirroring me.

By the time we reach the store we are both

breathing hard

and neither of us wants to carry the milk home.

She can run her own errands in future, Tippi says,

stopping

for

a moment and

leaning on some rusty iron railings.

A woman pushing a stroller passes by,

her mouth

a gaping cavern.

Tippi smiles and says, Hey there!

then snickers

when this woman with a perfectly formed body

almost topples over in surprise.

Picasso

Dragon spreads a thousand jigsaw pieces

across

the kitchen table.

The picture on the box promises that the mess will turn into a

painting by Picasso—

Friendship—

a surreal arrangement of

limbs

and lines,

of solid blocks of

yellow,

brown, and

blue.

I like Picasso, I say.

"He paints the essence of things

and not only what the eye can see."

Tippi huffs. It looks impossible.

Dragon turns the pieces

faceup.

The harder the better, she tells us.

Otherwise, what’s the point?

Tippi and I plop ourselves next to her

on an

extra-wide dining chair

as

Dad

shuffles

down

from his bedroom

bleary-eyed and smelling stale.

He watches us

rummaging to find the puzzle’s frame—

the edges and

corners—

then reaches over Dragon’s shoulder

and places in her palm

the top right-hand corner piece.

He sits at the table opposite us

and silently slides bits we’ve been looking for

into line.

Great teamwork, I say,

beaming at Dad.

He looks at me and winks.

I learned from the best, he says,

and gets up from the table to search in the refrigerator for a beer.

The Launch

Mom and Dad prepare Tippi and me

for our first day at school

like they are

launching astronauts

into space.

Every day is packed with appointments.

They arrange for us to see our

therapists, doctors, and dentist.

Then Grammie highlights our hair

and shapes our nails

so we will be ready for our

Great Public Appearance.

"It’s going to be fabulous!" Mom says,

pretending we aren’t being

thrown into a ring of lions

without a weapon,

and Dad smiles

crookedly.

Dragon, who’s about to become a freshman,

rolls her eyes

and tugs at the cuff of her cardigan.

"Oh, come on, Mom,

don’t pretend like it’s going to be easy."

Well, I’m leaving if I hate it, Tippi announces,

and Dragon says,

"I hate school. Can I stay home?"

Grammie is watching Judge Judy.

Why would anyone hate school? she caws.

"Best days of your lives, girls.

You’ll meet your sweethearts there."

Dad turns away,

Dragon blushes,

and Mom doesn’t speak

because

they all know

that finding love is

something

that will never

happen

for us.

Therapy

Tell me what’s going on,

Dr. Murphy says,

and as

so often happens

I sit in silence

for ten whole minutes

worrying at a button in the brown leather sofa.

I’ve known Dr. Murphy

virtually all my life, sixteen and a half years,

which is a long time to know anyone

and to have to think of new things to say.

But the doctors insist we come for regular therapy

to support our mental health,

as though that’s the bit of us that’s broken.

Tippi is wearing headphones and listening to loud

music

so she can’t hear what I’m saying,

so I can

spew all my suppressed feelings into

Dr. Murphy’s notebook

without hurting any of Tippi’s.

And I used to rant a lot,

when I was seven or eight,

and Tippi had stolen my doll

or pulled my hair

or eaten my half of a cookie.

But now there’s not much to say

Tippi doesn’t already know,

and the talking seems

a waste of money we don’t have

and of fifty perfectly good minutes.

I yawn.

So?

Dr. Murphy says,

her forehead furrowed

as though my problems are her own.

Empathy, of course,

is all part of the service.

I shrug.

We’re starting school soon, I say.

"Yes, I heard.

And how do you feel about that?" she asks.

Not sure.

I look up at the light shade,

at an unspoiled web and a spider gorging

on a fly bigger than itself.

I fold my hands in our

Reviews for One

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

 I think this one wraps up the trilogy well, but it did feel repetitive. I’d love to have seen more about how the systems all actually change and the history of the northern rebels and their cause. I liked that we had a chance to get to know the other girls in the Elite a bit better in this one. Still, a fun series that was compulsively readable and just what I was in the mood for.

[wanderlustlover_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Another of my lost reviews. Lost reviews always make me the saddest, because it's hard to re-capture all the feelings I had about things from previous finally getting it all down correctly. I feel like this story got way too convenient in the end. The way Maxon figures out what he wants and the way America is fine with it, in less than a chapter, was something I winced at really hard.

I do remember I loved watching how the relationships of women working together, from different levels, socities and countries finally coming to full culmination in this one. I did like the participants finally coming together. I really felt for the worst girl in this book, and I like how she was drawn into still being deeply important. I as all baffled today to discover there's going to be a second trilogy based on America & Maxon's daughter having the same thing happen all over again. I'm on the fence about it, but I might read it.

[jennybeast · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I read the first book, and thought it was much better than I expected. The second book was ok. This one, well, I just couldn't bring myself to care. At all. It's probably me and not so much the book, but I think it might have been a much better 1 book well edited stand-alone than a gradually fading trilogy.

[ms_rowse · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Yeah, so I read the entire trilogy in a weekend. It's not like I had a ton of grading/lesson planning/cleaning/all of the things to do.

I hate that I"m such a sucker for romance stories. I blame Jane Austen.

[jessicareadsthings · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Three books was too many for me. I could have done with just two. The story dragged out too long. That said, I liked this book more than the second one.

[akbouterse · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I know that technically there are more books after this but I don't think I'm going to read them. These were quick and sometimes enjoyable reads and this is really a 2.5-star review. 2.5 is right in the middle and I really do see this book as just average. I can see the appeal of this book series. Being a normal girl and then having royalty (or some other equivalent) come and sweep you off your feet is a fantasy that I'm sure is appealing to many people, but it's not something I have wanted, not even as a young girl. Part of the reason I don't think I like this book series is because I don't think I would ever fall in love with someone like Maxon or Aspen and I don't think I could ever be happy being involved in something like the selection. It would feel too manufactured to me and the power imbalance and dynamic would not be okay with me. Really it's just a taste thing but I prefer books with way less romance than what this one had. I think romance can be good but this one is too focused on it for my taste. For this book, in particular, I found the pacing to be very weird. For the first like 4/5ths of the book America is still being indecisive, which proves to be that she would be a bad queen and a bad leader. The book kept trying to add in scenes that demonstrated her leadership ability but I don't think this book ever proved to me that America was capable of leading a country. In the last 1/5th of the book so much happens in such a short amount of time that nothing that happened was impactful to me. If some of the action was spread out more I think I would have rated this higher. I'm also still not convinced that America and Maxon have a healthy relationship. They're always fighting and the ending just didn't leave me satisfied on that front. Overall, I can see why so many people would like this book and this series but it just wasn't for me.

[ftbooklover · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

There were things that I liked about The One and things that I didn't. The continuation of the sociopolitical aspect of the story was a little over the top, especially by the end of the book, and overshadowed the romance. The king never seemed fully developed as a character so that we could understand more of his motivations and how someone like Queen Amberly could ever actually love somebody like him. Maxon and America were both too easily swayed by outside influences throughout the story. America's family as characters, especially Kota, were never developed until they were needed as a plot device in the story.
What I liked about the story was how much potential it had to be sensational. Situations were created and plot lines introduced that could have really made this story very intense and romantic. Those situations made the story successful even though it could have been so much more. Overall, a little disappointing but a satisfying ending to The Selection.

[sapphiremoonlight23 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It was good but the ending felt very rushed... from the point where America's dad died .

[sofiareis-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a great way to finish this trilogy! I say this very lightly, because that ending broke me both in a good and a bad way.I cried a lot, specially towards the end. My heart may have broken into a million pieces about a thousand times throughout this read and I don't know if I'm going to be able to cure it after reading certain parts of this book.The whole book was a freaking rollercoasters and I'm all here for it! If you love drama, then you're sure to love this one. If you love plot twists, then grab some popcorn. If you like feeling jealous over a fictional character like me, then this is the right book for you ahahah.That being said, this world makes me happy. Not in the way it was perceived full of wars and competition. But in the way where one loves another and only that love matters to the both of them even if the world is crumbling around them in the end.

[vishae-330728 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I kept thinking that I must have written a review already, but when I double checked I just realised I ranted and raved in the status update whilst reading the book but didn't really put something cohesive. Here's the reason why:

This book sucked.

This series sucked.

I don't know why I finished the series, except that I must be some kind of sadist/masochist rolled into one, or that my curiosity in seeing the end of this train wreck overshadowed my sensibilities. And even that was stretched thin, as I found myself skimming through Maxon's inane letters at the end (with a lot of eye rolling).

To be sure, more actually happened in this last book than the first or second combined, but not much which made sense. After finishing the book, I kept thinking of ways that this series (which had quite an interesting idea, but horrible execution) could have been made to improve - and there are many. I would refrain from expounding on them, as I have only just managed to calm down from flinging the book to the ground in disgust. Others have written at length at how terrible the book/series was and why and I ask that discerning readers go read them - it's quite entertaining (more than the book in most cases) and completely therapeutic (if you've had the misfortune of actually finishing the books).

Overall I can't help but think that this is another one of those examples where a series is written to create hype, with the hopes of catching the eye of some director, who would then get an actual decent writer to re-write and make into a movie. Which would then sell for millions, because have you seen the number of brainless 5 stars reviews??

[crazy4reading · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I forgot all about this series. I had started a few years ago. As soon as I picked it up and started reading I was taken back to the dystopian world with America, Maxon, Celeste and the other girls from the Selection. I enjoyed how America grew and decided that she was going to fight for what she wants. I love how Prince Maxon and America are with each other. They are both young and have been through a lot. You learn a lot about all the girls that are left in the Selection. Some of the girls are in love with the Prince and some are just hoping to become a Princess. Will America be the One????

[jonez-6 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

2.25

Although I enjoyed this, I have to admit that the gloss overs, plot holes and conveniences made this the least enjoyable of the three books. This offering is a bit harder to look over or forgive its many flaws, and the book just doesn't do enough for me to rate it highly based on enjoyment.

[amandanan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Positively devoured in a few hours. Excellent wrap up to the series but I wish the epilogue spanned a longer time period. But seriously though. Mer & Max forever.

[kat.nova · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The selection definitely deserves more recognition, the whole series has such a special place in my heart

[melrailey-412132 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Overall, I enjoyed this series. I got frustrated with America because it always felt like she was making the wrong decisions or just flat out not making decisions. Even at the beginning of this book, I felt like she still could go either way in choosing between Aspen and Maxon and I just wanted her to make a decision. But then, once the action got started, she seemed to stiffen up her spine and make decisions and even become ready to fight for a new way of life.

I think Amy Rubinate did a great job with the narration and will definitely listen to other books narrated by her.

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Despite her unconventionality, America has made it to the last group of contenders. Maxon's father is adamantly opposed to her as the next princess, but Maxon's mother seems to be sympathetic. The biggest push and pull of this book is the refusal of either America or Maxon to admit how they feel to each other - and neither is willing to commit without knowing for sure how the other feels. It's lame. There is a serious end to the book.

[angelarenea-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This review is full of spoilers.

This book was not as good as the first one, but much better than the second. I really liked that the back and forth between Aspen and Maxon came to an end pretty early on. As I've said in my review of The Elite, I was not a fan of the love triangle. I still found the love story plot a bit tired. Maxon was selfish and obnoxious dating 3 people at once, although I do know that is the basis for this series. The thing that got me though was the childish games that America and Maxon played with each other. Who cares who says I love you first? Page after page of back and forth monologues about how she loves him but can't or won't say it unless he says it first, and then the arguments over who should say it! For Heaven's sake just someone say it and be done with it!

As far as the political aspect, I thought it was amazing! I liked the way the northern rebels' story line played out and I absolutely loved the scenes with the Italians. This book had a feel that danger was right around the corner, but unlike the previous book, it felt important, and worth the risk.

I also really enjoyed seeing the family dynamic in the Singer household and was genuinely sad when the father died. I did not, however like the 180 Celeste's character pulled. I think she started out too extreme and had to come too far too fast to make it believable. I did like her after said unbelievable character change.

I think that the ending was rushed and a little bit of a cop out, but I saw it coming. Too much setup had been laid out for the Aspen reveal not to touch on it, and the king had to die to tie this up nicely. I didn't see the queen's death coming though, and was upset about that. I really liked her, she seemed like quite a lady.

If someone liked the first two books, I think that they would really enjoy this wrap up of the series.

[rosetyper9 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Through all three books I knew that shoe was going to drop...both actually. The ending was a tad predictable and I was a little sad for it. I enjoyed the journey and by the end I did kind of want to smack the crap out of America, shake her, and tell her to get herself together.

I enjoyed the ride though and I'll happily read the next one.

[rabidgummibear-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wow this series is a crazy fun read and I highly recommend checking it out if you like dystopianesque novels.

I am so happy about America and Aspen ending where they did. I'm left slightly curious about how the following books work out and will definitely read them eventually.

Also thank god Aspen wasn't as annoying in this one!

[master275 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Really? I was enjoying this book right up till the end and it was just so rushed!!! I mean I don't think it was ever doubted that she would end up with who she did.....but really! They fight (again) - rebel trouble (again) - and a wedding. What? No details? We can read for pages about things that didn't matter in the end....but no wedding details??? And not just the wedding...I felt like lots of things were introduced in this book that ended up having no relevance at all (unless they play into the last two books).
I like the story----just wanted so much more in this one. I rounded up to 3 stars (generous, IMO) - but if I rated the ending alone it would be a one:-(

[readingwithlynn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

First time in a while they I started and finished a book in the same day!
I love love love the Selection series!
5 out of 5 stars
and lets be real I intend to reread this whole series soon!

[thepageparamour · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Apr 2018 = 4.5 stars
Jun 2014 = 5 stars

[jessika.c · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well well well this series took a turn for the better. In this installment of the selection series, we reach the episode of The Bachelor where the dude is torn between two girls and the way he wants to make his choice is to see if he can get one of the girls to bite the bullet and tell him she loves him first. America being the spicy one with no intentions of showing her cards first is reluctant to play Maxon’s game. One thing that The Bachelor never really does is show the camaraderie between the ladies and in this one, the final four become better friends. Oh, and I finally got over what makes America unlikable.Once I remembered that I tend to judge people based on who they liked I just ignored it. Since I don’t like Maxon (still don’t) I didn’t like America. There’s something about him that rubs me the wrong way but hopefully he grows on me like America did. But seriously, I started enjoying this book a lot more after I got over how corny Maxon could be.

[ray_-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Even though this book was as easy to go through as the other it has to be the one I enjoyed the most out of the trilogy!
THE LAST FEW CHAPTERS THOUGH!!
They're probably the reason I enjoyed this book more than the rest, I liked the tension, the stress, the expectation, the fear and The heartbreak!!
I have to say though
HOW DID AMERICA NOT SEE THAT ASPEN AND LUCY HAD A THING GOING ON?
Like, bruh! I had my doubts the moment they were both mentioned in the same place!

The characters still get on my damn nerves but I enjoyed this!

[karenvg3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a good conclusion to the story either a HEA. But yet there are several more books. America was a bit less wispy washy I'm this book which made me happy. Again the story kept me on the edge of my seat needing to read until all hours of the night. Moving on to the next.

[edensteffey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Thought it ended abruptly. Still ok.

[simplykelina · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“Don’t worry. The best people all have some kind of scar.”I really am glad I gave this series a chance after not loving book one. I am really enjoying it.While I am reading, I will type or write down notes. During The One, I had wrote down that I loved the relationship between America and her father. I did not know at the time where the story with her father was going to go. I had a great bond with my father and he passed away while I was still young. So, the story between America and her father really touched me in a way it may have not others who read this one.I also loved the development of the relationship between Maxon and America. I also love how strong a female character America is as she does not allow others to dictate how she acts and thinks.Great series so far!

[anacskie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I actually like this one. There are parts of this book that I still think America is so dense but I like this better than the second book (The One). The first book (The Selection) is of course my favorite. Anyway, I love how everything ended. So yes, I'm looking forward to read the next installment.

[themjrawr · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My. Somehow, this book broke through my cynical nature and I really really enjoyed it! I'm a little surprised myself.

[samanthamholt · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I did not enjoy this one as much as the others however it absolutely had more of a plot than the first two. I did enjoy the first half of the book but the 2nd half seemed rushed and convenient. I found the "fight" to be pretty anticlimactic and I wasn't impressed with how America was still so indecisive and immature. I get it, she's only 17 but considering what she's been through, I expected more from her. I also was disappointed with how simple Aspen's involvement was especially toward the end. I found his ending awfully convenient when it didn't need to be. I would have preferred more development and a bigger payoff than what the author provided. However, I am overall satisfied with the ending and think it was enough to warrant three stars. I'm not as excited to read the next book as I know it doesn't focus on Max and America but I'll get to it, I'm sure.