Friday, March 2, 2018

"Sisters First": What It's Like To Be A Twin

Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life
Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush
Published October 24, 2017
Born into a political dynasty, Jenna and Barbara Bush grew up in the public eye. As small children, they watched their grandfather become president; just twelve years later they stood by their father's side when he took the same oath. They spent their college years being trailed by the Secret Service and chased by the paparazzi, with every teenage mistake making national headlines. But the tabloids didn't tell the whole story of these two young women forging their own identities under extraordinary circumstances. In this book they take readers on a revealing, thoughtful, and deeply personal tour behind the scenes of their lives, with never-before-told stories about their family, their adventures, their loves and losses, and the special sisterly bond that fulfills them. - from Goodreads
I'm not a political person, but I was really looking forward to reading this book.  In Sisters First, Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush take turns writing short essays about memories from their lives.

I found there to be a distinct difference in their writing.  Barbara's essays were more thoughtful and contemplative, such as her feelings about a high school classmate's suicide and some of her college experiences.  Jenna's were more straightforward and familiar, such as when she talks about meeting her now-husband.

The book focused on more than just the relationship between Jenna and Barbara; there were many stories about their entire family.  I love the close bonds they have with their parents and grandparents, and you can really tell that family is of utmost importance to all of them.  They tell stories of summer vacations and growing up, their memories of the White House, and how they started their careers.  I feel like I got to know the whole family a lot better.

Some of the stories were intensely personal, such as when they talk about their maternal grandfather's decline due to Alzheimer's.  Jenna and Barbara don't shy away from sad or even embarrassing stories, but most of the essays were happy.  Sometimes it felt a little too saccharine, like everyone was just a little too good to be true.

I'll admit, I mostly wanted to read this book because of the fact that Jenna and Barbara are twins.  I have a twin sister, too, so I was eager to see how we could relate to these women, despite the fact that we live wildly different lives.  Twins seems to have this bond that's like no other.  I thought the book would have more focus on their sisterly relationship.  Of course, there are a lot of shared memories, but many individual ones are presented.

However, there were a few instances where the twin bond shone through.  Early in the book, Jenna remarks that to most people, she and Barbara weren't individuals, but a constant pair.  Similarly, my sister and I are most often referred to as "the girls."  But it also meant that we all had a built-in best friend from the moment we were born.  There's nothing like having a person know exactly what you're going through in any stage of life because they're going through the same thing.  Jenna also discusses how she and Barbara are different, especially in the area of academics, with Barbara being much better at math then her - sounds just like Michele and I!  But there also comes a time when twins realize that they need to forge separate identities, no matter how similar they are.  For Barbara, it was embracing her love of travel by studying in Rome during high school; for my sister and I, it was attending different colleges.

4 stars

28 comments:

  1. I loved this book and I love being your twin!

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  2. I have this one on my shelves. I love memoirs and I thought they would have interesting stories. Glad to see you enjoyed this. Great review!

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    1. Thanks, Grace! I think you will enjoy this one.

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  3. So fun! I am a twin also. I LOVE reading books about twins - nonfiction or fiction. I'm always curious whether authors of fiction books about twins can "get it right", ya know? Being a twin is a wonderful thing, but I agree about people not seeing you as two separate people. The built in best friend part is pretty fantastic though, but it does mean at some point you have to break away. My twin sister and I started at the same college, and then she transferred our sophomore year. It was hard to be left behind, but I really embraced my individuality when I moved further away from home after graduating. We're still really close, but we do better living far apart because we're VERY competitive. It's sometimes hard having someone else SO similar to you.

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    1. So cool! I don't think I knew you were a twin, too!

      I know, people always seem to ask the same questions of twins (who's older, do people get you mixed up, can you read each other's minds). Some misconceptions out there!

      Because I'm so shy, I love having a built-in best friend, although when we were younger, I think our schools didn't want us to rely on each other so much or wanted us to create our own identities, because we were often put in different classes.

      My sister and I aren't so competitive, but we often compare ourselves, like, "You're the smarter one, you're the prettier one." That can be hard sometimes!

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  4. Angela, I'm excited to see that you gave this one 4 stars; it's been on my list for awhile, but I haven't gotten around to it. What an interesting perspective, too, since you are also a twin! That's so cool!

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    1. Thanks! I did think it helped me relate to the book on another level!

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  5. I agree and am glad you shared this with us. My Dad was an identical twin and it was always a little odd to hear my Dad's voice come out of my uncle's mouth. They did look alike, but my Dad was fuller in the face, but their voices...wow. They were close their whole lives - my uncle passed away first and it was hard for my Dad. Anyway, I'll watch for this one. Oh, my Dad also had younger sisters that were identical twins. They were 5 years younger. Actually, my grandmother assigned each boy a girl to be responsible for when growing up. They were each closer to that particular sister always.

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    1. That's so cool, Kay! There is definitely a special twin bond. Our mom is actually a twin, too - she and her sister are more identical than my sister and I, especially their voices. They try to trick us on the phone sometimes!

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  6. I've had m eye on this book as well. I tend to avoid political memoirs, or really anything political in my writing - I feel like I get enough of that between Twitter, Facebook, the news - it's overwhelming. But I like that this book was more about life than policies, I found "Hilbilly Elegy" to be similiar - pumped up that it is about politics but mostly just a memoir and family story.

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    1. Exactly - just because this has the Bush name doesn't mean it's all about politics. I mean, there is obviously stuff in there about their father and grandfather, but it's more just family stories.

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  7. I'm not into politics either, but this sounds like I definitely need to pick it up!!

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    1. It was really good, I would recommend it if you like memoirs!

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  8. I didn't even realize they had written a memoir so thanks for putting this on my radar. I am pretty political so I sometimes shy away from books if I think they might be on the opposite end of the political spectrum from me, so I like the idea that this sounds like it focuses way more on family than on anything specifically political. Glad you enjoyed it!

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    1. Thanks! I did think this was an interesting book; if it had been overly political, I don't know that I would have finished it, but it's really more about family stories (a family that just happens to have lived in the White House, twice!).

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  9. I enjoyed this book too! I listened to the Audiobook and enjoyed hearing each girls different voice (literally and through the writing). Your experience with the book is different since you have experienced life as a twin. I was thankful this wasn't political, don't we all need a break from that when we read?!?!

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    1. Yes, we definitely do! My sister listened to this on audio, too, that's something I think I would like to do someday.

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  10. I'm also not political, but if you enjoyed it I think I might too! And I like the sound of the sisters' relationship, as well.

    P.S. The cover is really cute ;)

    Amy @ A Magical World Of Words

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    1. The cover is adorable! I think you would like it, too, they had some really cool stories to tell!

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  11. This sounds very interesting. I'm a twin too, but I have a twin brother.

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    1. That's so cool, Vicki! So many twins out there!

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  12. I tend to stay away from books involving politics too, but this one does sound worth it. I'm glad to hear the essay format worked well, and that's awesome that you were able to get a feel for both twin's personalities. Great review!

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    1. Thanks, Lauren! I was glad that there was such a difference in their writing, I definitely feel like I got to know them better.

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  13. oooh, you'ra a twin! My nephews are and we always wonder about their bond and how they will grow and experience things.

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    1. It's definitely an interesting bond. Some twins embrace their similarities and others seek out their differences.

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  14. I'm not sure I'm interested enough in the Bush girls in particular to pick this up - although it would be interesting to hear about the experience of being twins! - but I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

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    1. Thanks! Yeah, I think with a book like this, there has to be a particular pull to read it.

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I'm so glad you stopped by, and I would love to hear your thoughts! Comments are always greatly appreciated!