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thewallflower00's review against another edition
3.0
The book has an axe to grind, that is true, but the subject matter is grotesquely interesting. The (lengthy) introduction promises it's going to be more of an examination of all freaks, but it really focuses on conjoined twins. Through a historical study on subjects like Chang and Eng, the original Siamese twins, disastrous attempts at separating twins, plus accounts from existing paired humans, Dreger is trying to say that we shouldn't try to fix what isn't broken. All these people say that they wouldn't separate if they had the choice. The medical industry sees pathology where the "freaks" find normalcy.
It makes some very good points and I agree with the author. Except there's one part where it really loses me. Where, if it was cut, it would have improved my rating/review. She tries to compare pregnancy to having a conjoined twin. She uses lines like "this entity is dependent on the other for food and oxygen supply. Eventually, through societal pressure and the dominant's personal desires for independence, she decides to make the separation." This, I feel, is deceitful, manipulating the reader through withholding information.
I don't think anyone can deny that pregnancy is a natural part of life, with the end goal being TO SEPARATE and become an independent entity, capable of making more offspring. Conjoined twins, while it may be natural, isn't the typical end state, and doesn't behoove propagation of the species. The fact that it often results in biological and reproductive problems for both parties emphasizes this fact. This attempt at melodramatic appeal, by saying that reproduction is just as normal as conjoinment, is misrepresentation to prove a point.
But if you can get past that fact, it's one of the better non-fiction books I've read. If you've got to do some kind of high school research project you could do worse than this source.
It makes some very good points and I agree with the author. Except there's one part where it really loses me. Where, if it was cut, it would have improved my rating/review. She tries to compare pregnancy to having a conjoined twin. She uses lines like "this entity is dependent on the other for food and oxygen supply. Eventually, through societal pressure and the dominant's personal desires for independence, she decides to make the separation." This, I feel, is deceitful, manipulating the reader through withholding information.
I don't think anyone can deny that pregnancy is a natural part of life, with the end goal being TO SEPARATE and become an independent entity, capable of making more offspring. Conjoined twins, while it may be natural, isn't the typical end state, and doesn't behoove propagation of the species. The fact that it often results in biological and reproductive problems for both parties emphasizes this fact. This attempt at melodramatic appeal, by saying that reproduction is just as normal as conjoinment, is misrepresentation to prove a point.
But if you can get past that fact, it's one of the better non-fiction books I've read. If you've got to do some kind of high school research project you could do worse than this source.
jesscinco's review against another edition
5.0
This book is written in an academic style and tone, but is still accessible for the average nonfiction reader.
elderwoodreads's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
4.0
Incredibly informative, it has been many years since I have read this but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Conjoined twins are not often spoken about and this book gives a great deep dive into the history and stories of conjoined twins. This book challenged and changed my previously conceived notion that being a conjoined twin is something to be corrected.
finesilkflower's review against another edition
4.0
I read this shortly after [b:Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity|13547504|Far from the Tree Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity|Andrew Solomon|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1363008433s/13547504.jpg|19112644], and it makes an excellent companion piece: both deal with conditions, often congenital, which fundamentally change a person's experience of life and make it different from their families of origin, and which raise questions like: under what circumstances should and shouldn't parents choose surgical options that "correct" the child's condition? To what extent is such correction actually helpful, and to what extent does it simply make the family/others more comfortable, as the person with the condition fits more simply into the idea of normal constructed by society? Dreger points out that most conjoined twins overwhelming choose not to be separated. She presents a mixture of scientific study, personal anecdote, journalism, and analysis.
bookishuniverse's review against another edition
3.0
Took me literally 5 years to finish this book, which was loaned to me by a colleague. Reading it off and on actually was fine because the book is naturally full of anecdotes and interesting history. The author does have some contradictory perspectives about how society should treat people with "socially problematic bodies" (their words), and this weakens and muddles the messaging.
msteinhaus's review against another edition
5.0
Fascinating and well-argued, this book documents the current medical practices surrounding separation of conjoined twins. Reviewing medical history, specific case studies, and interviews with living conjoined twins, Dreger constructs a counter-narrative to the predominate view that conjoined twins face a biomedical problem that is best addressed through corrective surgery.
Made me feel like disability rights are the next frontier for human rights advocacy and change in the modern world.
Made me feel like disability rights are the next frontier for human rights advocacy and change in the modern world.
hannahsatreat's review against another edition
4.0
This novel does well in educating readers in issues on what most of us think of as normal or abnormal. Too often we think of only one type of body as being fully functioning and acceptable. I like the awareness it raises that people born with conjoined siblings or intersex conditions, for that matter, can be perfectly happy with their bodies since they were born that way. Surgery is often seen as the only solution even when a fulfilling and "normal" life is possible without it. Dreger has a clear writing style and gives many stories about different twins throughout the years. A quick and educational read I would recommend to anyone.
jennybento's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book, but I felt there were two issues. Though I agree with her that we should respect people with unusual anatomies to make their own decisions, I felt like I was being hit over the head with the message. Okay! I GET IT! Enough already!
Secondarily, her specialty is in intersex medical history, and that's interesting, but I didn't choose to read those books. Yet it comes up over and over again. Again, I get the similarities, but it's kind of like "this one time a band camp...."
Secondarily, her specialty is in intersex medical history, and that's interesting, but I didn't choose to read those books. Yet it comes up over and over again. Again, I get the similarities, but it's kind of like "this one time a band camp...."