Twins

Twenty-seven sets of twins, including twins separated and raised by different families, conjoined sisters, and a twin who still feels connected to his deceased brother, talk about their relationships

These books gather all sorts of twins together to explore the unique relationships they share. The Book of Twins, by two of the owners of the New York restaurant Twins, profiles a variety of twins (and one set of triplets) by juxtaposing photographs with brief and generally cheery text. The enthusiastic Ganz sisters (with Tresniowski, a writer for People) look at celebrity twins, twins who married twins, conjoined twins, belly dancing twins, and more. Profiles like the one of a man who lost his twin or of twin sisters facing one sister's cancer offer insight into the complexity twins face during crises. Intermittent sidebars with more twin information (e.g., trends in multiple births, lists of famous twins) add interest. The Sandweiss sisters delve a little deeper into the complexity of twin relationships. Similar in design to the Ganz book, Twins provides more depth of character to each twin, moving further into questions of identity and solidarity. The authors focus on a good mix of twin sets, including their share of famous twins (e.g., Mario and Aldo Andretti, Muhammad Ali's twin daughters). Though both of these could be considered coffee-table books, they are page-turners for people interested in how twins feel about their lives. The increase in multiple births may spark interest in this topic, but since the books cover a lot of the same territory, libraries can take their pick.?Rebecca Miller, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.