Review: Identical Strangers

Identical Strangers: A Memoir of Twins Separated and Reunited by Paula   Bernstein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A fascinating story.
Identical twins separated at birth. It sounds like a movie plot or an engrossing novel, but this is real life. Unfortunately, there was no tragic crisis that caused the two girls to be separated; rather an adoption agency sees an 'opportunity' to settle the 'nature or nurture' question by intentionally splitting up twins, then studying the results. It's appalling to realize there are people who are alive today who are still living out this reality. Elyse and Paula tell their individual stories, and their shared discoveries, with honesty and grit, with a good dose of humour thrown in. All of the things you might wonder if they thought, they share them. Very revealing, and very inspiring.


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Review: A Serial Killer's Daughter

A Serial Killer's Daughter: My Story of Faith, Love, and Overcoming by Kerri Rawson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A courageous story.
Wow. I can't even begin to imagine the traumas that Kerri and her family experienced. Given that there are murderers and serial murderers in this world, Kerri gives insight as to the shock, trauma and distress one must feel upon discovering a loved one has committed such heinous crimes. I admire her courage in sharing her story; it will help many. In terms of relatability, the bible and God references didn't connect for me, but this is not a criticism (it's her story, afterall), and they didn't get in the way of the story. Time well spent listening.

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Review: Team of Vipers

Team of Vipers: My 500 Extraordinary Days in the Trump White House by Cliff Sims
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A look on the other side...
Overall, a pretty good book, but I had a hard time staying engaged, partly because it was long, but also because the author reflects different political ideologies than my own. Reading about the day-to-day goings on of the Trump White House was at first interesting, but I just got bored. But I intentionally stuck with it, as I believe that if we only ever expose ourselves to those that think like we do, we don't do ourselves any favours. Plus, this book reiterated to me that most people are passionate about doing good work, and that's what I saw in this book.

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