Twice the Family

A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Sisterhood

By: Julie Ryan McGue

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Paperback | 4 February 2025

At a Glance

Paperback
376 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
21.59 x 13.97 x 2.13

Paperback

RRP $28.59

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Growing up as an adoptee and identical twin, Julie McGue will take you on her journey for identity and individuality, searching for answers through tragedy and adversity.

What is it like to grow up as an adoptee and be raised with your identical twin?

In this coming-of-age memoir, set in Chicago's western suburbs during the 1960s to 1980s, adopted twin sisters Julie and Jenny become the oldest daughters in a big family made up of a mixture of adopted and biological children. The twins' sisterly bond is tight as the two strive for individuality, identity, and belonging. But Julie's parents' continual addition of adopted and biological children to the family leads to a number of painful experiences: they encounter infertility, infant mortality, a child with special needs, and then, when Julie is sixteen, a sudden family tragedy.

Faced with these challenges, Julie questions everything--who she is, how she fits in, the circumstances of her adoption, where she belongs, her faith and idea of family. As their family values, parental relationships, and sibling bonds are tested, Julie realizes her adoptive family is held together by love, faith, support, and her parents' commitment to each other and family. But the life her parents have constructed is not one that Julie wants for herself--and as she grows older, she realizes how her parents' goals and dreams differ from her own, and how the experiences that have formed her have provided a road map for the person and mother she wants to be.

Industry Reviews

“Through the lens of her personal history, McGue explores human nature, family, and connection . . .”—Kirkus Reviews

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