I had resisted reading this book for a long time because I was afraid I would cry the whole way through, and I do not like sad books. I did cry a lot (mostly the bittersweet kind), but less than expected, because, in part, Ivan is so very dignified as a narrator, and he does not encourage pity for his situation. We listened to the audio book, which was incredibly well-done. The language of the book itself is beautiful. Sparse and simple yet poetic. The One and Only Ivan certainly has earned its many honors and I wish I had read it sooner.