The I Index

Normal Family: On Truth, Love, and How I Met My 35 Siblings

Next in the queue

59

/100

I Index Overall Rating

Readers

56/100

Critics

61/100

Scholars

N/A

Author:

Chrysta Bilton

Publisher:

Little, Brown and Company

Date:

July 12, 2022

Chrysta Bilton’s magnetic, larger-than-life mother, Debra, yearned to have a child, but as a single gay woman in 1980s California, she had few options. Until one day, while getting her hair done in a Beverly Hills salon, she met a man and instantly knew he was the one she’d been looking for. Beautiful, athletic, artistic, and from a well-to-do family, Jeffrey Harrison appeared to be Debra’s ideal sperm donor. It wasn’t until Chrysta was a young adult that she discovered just how much her parents had hidden from their daughters—and each other—including a shocking revelation with far-reaching consequences not only for Debra, Chrysta, and her sister, but for dozens and possibly hundreds of unsuspecting families across the country.

What The Reviewers Say

Gabrielle Glaser,
New York Times Book Review
The book takes time to find its footing.
Marianne Power,
The Times (UK)
[Debra's] antics are described with deadpan humour and a wonderfully brisk pace.
Denise Miller,
Library Journal
Compelling.
Jessica Wakeman,
BookPage
Normal Family is about one of the most atypical families one can imagine, and in that way, it's certainly a page-turner. For most of the book, readers will simply have no idea where this wild tale is headed. But it also demonstrates that the most normal thing in the world is for a family to have—and overcome—its secrets..