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A Normal Family

The Surprising Truth About My Crazy Childhood (And How I Discovered 35 New Siblings)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
A Normal Family by Chrysta Bilton is a compelling memoir exploring the author's unique family journey, shaped by her unconventional upbringing with a free-spirited mother who chose a sperm donor to have children in the 1980s. The narrative delves into themes of identity, family dynamics, and the search for belonging, offering an intimate look at the complexities and surprises within what could be considered an extraordinary family life.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$2799
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

If you're fascinated by candid stories of unconventional families and personal discovery, this memoir offers a remarkable tale of resilience and the complexities of family dynamics. Through the lens of a unique family structure, it provides compelling insights into identity, belonging, and the meaning of family in today's world.

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A Normal Family

An entertaining, unconventional family memoir from the daughter of one of the most prolific early sperm donors AKA 'Donor 150'.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

ONE OF PEOPLE MAGAZINE'S BEST SUMMER READS 2022

5* 'A jaw-dropping memoir' - THE TELEGRAPH

'One of the maddest memoirs you'll read this year... a beautiful, warm, funny book.' - The Times

'A wholly absorbing page-turner that everyone will want to read. You should probably buy two.' - Kirkus Starred Review

'A riveting debut.' - People Magazine

'By turns hilarious, wrenching, and achingly tender.' - Susan Orlean, New York Times bestselling author

'A remarkable and wise book, two memoirs braided together with such tendresse that readers will come to believe the ironic title in earnest' - LA TIMES

'Riveting and hilariously funny' - The Times

For most of her life, Chrysta Bilton was one member of a small, if dysfunctional, family of four. There was her sister, Kaitlyn, her hedonistic, glamorous, gay mum Debra, and Jeffrey, who Debra hand-picked, in an LA hairdressers, to be the father of her children. During Chrysta's unstable childhood, Debra struggled to keep the family afloat and Jeffrey wandered in and out of their lives.

Then, in her twenties, Chrysta discovered that her father had secretly donated his sperm over 500 times - and that she had at least 35 other siblings.

A Normal Family is a captivating coming-of-age memoir about Chrysta's reckoning with the secrets both parents had carefully kept from her. Heartfelt, warm and funny, it's a story of embracing the family we have, in all the forms we find it.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Chrysta Bilton's memoir is acclaimed for its fascinating and twisty life story, praised for her keen eye for detail and profound exploration of her past. It serves as a testament to human resilience, forgiveness, and humour, and is celebrated for its warmth and beauty. The book has been described as extraordinary, jaw-dropping, and one of the most compelling and original memoirs of the year.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781913183158

Publisher: Octopus Publishing Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 06 July 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Monoray

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 32.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 300g

Pages: 320

About the Author

Raised in Los Angeles by an eccentric mother and a father who struggled with mental illness, Chrysta Bilton was in her mid-20s when she found out that her family was much more complicated than she ever could have imagined. She graduated from Barnard College in New York, studied classical drawing and painting at the Florence Academy of Art and currently runs her own public relations firm. Chrysta lives in Los Angeles with her husband, the writer Nick Bilton, their two children, Emerson and Somerset, two dogs and one cat, Pixel, Pine Cone, and Piano. A Normal Family is her first book.

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