About My Sisters

By Debra Ginsberg

On the heels of her poignant and critically acclaimed memoirs, Waiting and Raising Blaze, Debra Ginsberg explores the unique connection she shares with her three sisters.

In About My Sisters, Ginsberg examines the special bond she shares with her three sisters, May, Lavander and Deja. As her hippie parents criss-crossed the globe, Debra, the oldest of five children, formed indelible bonds with her three sisters that last to this day. Separated by fifteen years among them, Debra and her sisters represent two different generations, each one of them having something to teach the other. Debra and Maya (the next oldest) became not only babysitters, but also playmates, problem solvers, teachers and surrogate mothers to the youngest two. And the shared experience of being the children of an unconventional, dope-smoking, non-career oriented, nomadic couple bonded them even more.

Structured around the course of one year, About My Sisters examines these bonds through the prism of the events of that year, revealing not only a "different" family, but also a unique and amazing relationship that has weathered many storms but never foundered. The four sisters (as well as their parents and brother) still live within ten miles of one another and share meals, holidays, joys, pains, and babysitting duties with an astounding frequency. This is a heart-warming, funny, and poignant look at a family that's much like the one we all wish we had..

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Oct 13, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061738463

Debra Ginsberg

Debra Ginsberg is the author of Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress and Raising Blaze: Bringing Up an Extraordinary Son in an Ordinary World. A graduate of Reed College, she is a contributor to NPR's All Things Considered and the San Diego Union-Tribune "Books" section.

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Reviews for About My Sisters

[debnance_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"No one will ever love you like your family!" my mother would scream at me, when I was a little girl, and, secretly, I'd think, How ridiculous. Now, at 47, I know the truth of her words and would add, as a cautionary note, "...and no one will ever drive you as nuts as your family." Ginsberg, then, takes on a big subject in About My Sisters: family relationships. Despite the title, she actually looks at the complex world of both her family of origin (the sisters of the title, a brother, a mom and dad) as well as her extended family (her son, along with various boyfriends and girlfriends of family members). It's in the very ordinariness of the family that the book derives its strength; by the description of the family's day-to-day feuds and fusses, as well as the family's ongoing support and caring, Ginsberg reveals the power of the family in our lives. A reader of About My Sisters will nod as she reads, recognizing, in the pages, her own family chaos, her own family cohesion, whirling and spinning, expanding and contracting, like the universe, like life itself.

[msimelda · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was a book you really hoped would pull you right in to the story; as though you were part of the family. I am one of five girls (three boys) and know the magic, drama, discomfort and ownership of belonging when one is part of such a special group.I really wanted to love the girls - their relationships and bonds. I wonder if I had read Ginsbergs first two books if I would have felt some warmth and likeability. I don't think she went deep enough in this book. Often times in families we have shared stories and history that no one else is allowed to have a part. I felt like I was standing outside, trying my best to belong.

[cantab_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book and the character descriptions drew me in. The writing wasn't the best. The plot did skip along swiftly so it was never dull. The characters, meant to teach us about depth and beauty of sisterhood and familial love, in the end were off-putting, simply because they themselves elected not to marry nor create siblings (and four out of five had no children at all.) Can't recommend this.