About My Sisters

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Summary: The Mysterious and Fascinating Relationship Between Sisters
Review: Debra Ginsberg, author of WAITING and RAISING BLAZE, successfully and marvelously conveys what it means to be a sister in her latest memoir, ABOUT MY SISTERS. The very title was appealing to me, as I am the youngest of five sisters. I thought I could relate. And I did. It caused me to step back and look at the relationship I have with my own sisters, and made me realize the importance of family and spending time with those you love. It is because of this that I couldn't put the book down.

Tracking the course of a year in the lives of her three sisters, who only live ten minutes apart, Ginsberg eloquently follows their relationships with each other, Ginsberg's son, parents and one brother. Through birthday parties, family gatherings, changes in careers and dilemmas with boyfriends and each other, Ginsberg brilliantly expresses the union they share as sisters and friends.

Being the oldest sister, Ginsberg begins by telling of her relationship with her younger sister, Maya, moving from country to country and state to state with their nomadic parents. Because of this, a bond was formed between them that is described by Ginsberg so well: "I never even put 'sister' before her name when I talk about her. She is the part of me who is Maya." She then discusses the birth of each sibling after and how the family dynamic adjusted as their birth order was changed. Each sister has a special role in the family and shares a unique bond with one another that is not like any other connection possible --- whether with a parent or friend.

Immediately pulling readers into the story, Ginsberg's memoir reads more like a novel. Her ability to bring you into her family, as if you are a silent viewer on the sidelines of her life, is exceptional. She shows that sisters can argue, disagree, have different personalities and not tell each other everything, but still have the comfort and assurance that they will always be there to support each other no matter what, because they are sisters.

As Ginsberg states, "Together we illuminate each other. When we reflect off each other, whatever light we possess individually is made that much brighter ... It is the brilliance and power of sisters."

--- Reviewed by Karen Campbell

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Summary: Great read--whether you've got sisters or not!
Review: I, for one, don't have a sister, but I couldn't stop turning the pages of this gorgeously written, poignant, funny, and thought-provoking book. Debra Ginsberg is a wonderful writer, as anyone who's read her previous books knows, and she's continued to hone her craft. Can't wait for her next book!

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Summary: About My Sisters
Review: In her third memoir, Ginsberg (Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress; Raising Blaze: Bringing Up an Extraordinary Son in an Ordinary World) covers a year in the life of her extended family, centering on her relationships with her three younger sisters. Maya, Lavender, and Deja (15 years younger than Debra) all share the responsibility of bringing up Debra's special-needs son (the subject of Raising Blaze). While in this light the sisters may seem more intimate than most, the author insists that they share "generalities" that make them like most siblings. As readers follow the Ginsberg family (which also includes Debra's parents, brother, son, and various boyfriends) through gatherings and informal get-togethers, the author chronicles intimate moments, cooperation, confusion, misunderstandings, and quarrels. These incidents, in turn, lead to flashbacks of shared memories of growing up with hippie parents who moved from place to place. This witty, entertaining account of a loving, intergenerational, and eccentric family will appeal to those encountering Ginsberg for the first time as well as those already familiar with her writing. For all public libraries