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"Identical Strangers," the nonfiction book she co-wrote with Paula Bernstein, was published by Random House in 2007. ]]> female New York City 1968/10/09 266687 1020312 1400064961 9781400064960 193 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180288948m/1020312.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180288948s/1020312.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1020312.Identical_Strangers_A_Memoir_of_Twins_Separated_and_Reunited 3.48 601
Paula Bernstein, a married writer and mother living in New York, also knew she was adopted, but had no inclination to find her birth mother. When she answered a call from the adoption agency one spring afternoon, Paula’s life suddenly divided into two starkly different periods: the time before and the time after she learned the truth.

As they reunite and take their tentative first steps from strangers to sisters, Paula and Elyse are also left with haunting questions surrounding their origins and their separation. They learn that the study was conducted by a pair of influential psychiatrists associated with a prestigious adoption agency. As they investigate their birth mother’s past, Paula and Elyse move closer toward solving the puzzle of their lives.

In alternating voices, Paula and Elyse write with emotional honesty about the immediate intimacy they share as twins and the wide chasm that divides them as two complete strangers. Interweaving eye-opening studies and statistics on twin science into their narrative, they offer an intelligent and heartfelt glimpse into human nature.

Identical Strangers is the amazing story of two women coming to terms with the strange and unbelievable hand fate has dealt them, an account that broadens the definition of family and provides insight into our own DNA and the singularly exceptional imprint it leaves on our lives.

Imagine a slightly different version of you walks across the room, looks you in the eye and says “hello” in your voice. You discover that she has the same birthday, the same allergies, the same tics, and the same way of laughing. Looking at this person, you are able to gaze into your own eyes and see yourself from the outside. This identical individual has the exact same DNA as you and is essentially your clone.
We don’t have to imagine.
–from Identical Strangers]]> 510653 3.49 624 202 510652 3.49 624 202 2007 7069653 1588366448 9781588366443 0 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7069653-identical-strangers 0.0 0 510653 3.49 624 202 510652 3.49 624 202 2007