add that when Christina realized that effort was futile, she killed Joan off—in her book. The twins recalled that indeed Joan was “strict—she believed in discipline,” as Cathy recalled, but she insisted that they were “the luckiest [children] in the world—I wouldn’t have chosen any other mother, because I had the best one anyone could ever have. She gave me backbone, courage and wonderful memories to last all through my life.” According to Betty Barker, who worked for Joan for forty years, Joan was “never out of control. I never saw her do anything wrong with her children—I would swear to
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