An Unexpected Normal

By: Rita Angelini

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Paperback | 17 February 2026

At a Glance

Paperback
352 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
21.59 x 13.97 x 2.79

Paperback

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A beacon of hope for parents of children with disabilities, Angelini tells the story of a Chicago couple that learns unconditional love, complete acceptance, true compassion, and a new definition of normal after their baby is diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

Faced with the possibility of losing their three-day-old second child when she contracts meningitis, Norman and Rita Angelini experience all five stages of grief. Terrified for their daughter, they bargain, plead, and beg for a miracle—and they get one, but it isn’t what they expected: though KiKi survives, her illness results in severe brain damage, and she is ultimately diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

In the aftermath of this diagnosis, denial and anger take over. Rita fights to keep her vision of who she thinks KiKi could be, and she channels her energy into searching for a procedure—some therapy—that would change KiKi’s outcome. In pursuit of a cure, the Angelini family treks across the United States and abroad—but somewhere along the way, acceptance of and joy in who KiKi is prevails over the idea of “fixing” her.

A memoir of unending hope, faith lost and rediscovered, and unconditional love, An Unexpected Normal offers other parents of children born with a disability hope that joy is always within reach—even in the most challenging of circumstances.

Industry Reviews

“An Unexpected Normal is a testimony to the importance of community, told with clarity and emotion by a warrior mother who never gives up.”—Marianne Leone, author of Jesse

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