Normal Family: On Truth, Love, and How I Met My 35 Siblings
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- Create Date：2022-07-11 11:21:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Chrysta Bilton
- ISBN：1549153730
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Summary
A riveting， nuanced portrait of unforgettable characters thrown together by chance and DNA， this is a story of nature， nurture， and coming to terms with one's true inheritance。
What is a normal family， and how do you go about making one？ Chrysta Bilton's magnetic， larger-than-life mother， Debra， yearned to have a child， but as a single gay woman in 1980s California， she had few options。 Until one day， while getting her hair done in a Beverly Hills salon， she met a man and instantly knew he was the one she'd been looking for。 Beautiful， athletic， artistic， and from a well-to-do family， Jeffrey Harrison appeared to be Debra's ideal sperm donor。 A verbal agreement， a couple of thousand in cash， and a few squirts of a turkey baster later， and Chrysta was conceived。 Over the years， Jeffrey would make regular appearances at the family home， which grew to include Chrysta's baby sister。 But how much did Debra really know about the man she'd chosen to father her daughters？ And as a single mother torn between ferocious independence and abject dependence--on other women， alcohol， drugs， and the adrenaline of get-rich-quick schemes--what secrets of her own was she keeping？ It wasn't until Chrysta was a young adult that she discovered just how much her parents had hidden from their daughters--and each other--including a shocking revelation with far-reaching consequences not only for Debra， Chrysta， and her sister， but for dozens and possibly hundreds of unsuspecting families across the country。 After a lifetime of longing for a normal family， can Chrysta face the reality of her own， in all its complexity？ Bringing us into the fold of a deeply dysfunctional yet fiercely loving clan that is anything but normal， this emotional roller coaster of a memoir will make you cry， laugh， and rethink the meaning of family。
What is a normal family， and how do you go about making one？ Chrysta Bilton's magnetic， larger-than-life mother， Debra， yearned to have a child， but as a single gay woman in 1980s California， she had few options。 Until one day， while getting her hair done in a Beverly Hills salon， she met a man and instantly knew he was the one she'd been looking for。 Beautiful， athletic， artistic， and from a well-to-do family， Jeffrey Harrison appeared to be Debra's ideal sperm donor。 A verbal agreement， a couple of thousand in cash， and a few squirts of a turkey baster later， and Chrysta was conceived。 Over the years， Jeffrey would make regular appearances at the family home， which grew to include Chrysta's baby sister。 But how much did Debra really know about the man she'd chosen to father her daughters？ And as a single mother torn between ferocious independence and abject dependence--on other women， alcohol， drugs， and the adrenaline of get-rich-quick schemes--what secrets of her own was she keeping？ It wasn't until Chrysta was a young adult that she discovered just how much her parents had hidden from their daughters--and each other--including a shocking revelation with far-reaching consequences not only for Debra， Chrysta， and her sister， but for dozens and possibly hundreds of unsuspecting families across the country。 After a lifetime of longing for a normal family， can Chrysta face the reality of her own， in all its complexity？ Bringing us into the fold of a deeply dysfunctional yet fiercely loving clan that is anything but normal， this emotional roller coaster of a memoir will make you cry， laugh， and rethink the meaning of family。
Reviews
Hannah Powell
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The quote on the back says "Absolutely riveting from beginning to end" and I completely agree。 This is a memoir about chaos， addiction and two little girls brought up in an unconventional household。 Chrysta's father was a sperm donor， and she discovers that she has more than 35 siblings。 It's her astonishing childhood which really gripped me from the beginning。 Her mother is unlike anyone I have ever come across or read about。 She even asked Warren Beatty to father her children！ In the first cou The quote on the back says "Absolutely riveting from beginning to end" and I completely agree。 This is a memoir about chaos， addiction and two little girls brought up in an unconventional household。 Chrysta's father was a sperm donor， and she discovers that she has more than 35 siblings。 It's her astonishing childhood which really gripped me from the beginning。 Her mother is unlike anyone I have ever come across or read about。 She even asked Warren Beatty to father her children！ In the first couple of chapters I struggled to keep up with events but realised this is intentional。 It gave me a glimpse into the lives of Chrysta and Kaitlin as children， their mother pulling the carpet from under them on numerous occasions， all in a bid to stay loved， sober， solvent and alive。 It's amusing， shocking and heartfelt。 It could have all ended badly， and nearly did on several occasions。 It's my book of the year so far and is a truly wonderful read。 。。。more
H
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Wow。 This book， this story， are quite interesting！ Highly recommend this memoir。
Roxanne
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This lady has had the most bizarre childhood I have ever seen。 I could relate to the book since I grew up in Calif。 Her mother being a lesbian really wanted children but used Jeffrey as a sperm donor。 He was not supposed to be donating sperm but he did anyway and fathered over 100 children。 The mother of this lady is a flaky airy type of person making any childhood challegening。 Towards the end of the book she starts meeting her sibling。 This is a very unique and personal story。
Alexis
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Normal Family by Chrysta Bilton is the best memoir I've read in a long time。 It was an absolute page turner。 At times， many times， humorous， heartbreaking and most of all felt very honest and authentic。 I finished the book wanting very much to give Chrysta a hug and go have coffee with her。 Chrysta shares stories about her childhood， family life and growing up to learn that her father was one of， if not， the most used sperm donor's in CA。 Resulting in learning about dozens of half siblings。 Chry Normal Family by Chrysta Bilton is the best memoir I've read in a long time。 It was an absolute page turner。 At times， many times， humorous， heartbreaking and most of all felt very honest and authentic。 I finished the book wanting very much to give Chrysta a hug and go have coffee with her。 Chrysta shares stories about her childhood， family life and growing up to learn that her father was one of， if not， the most used sperm donor's in CA。 Resulting in learning about dozens of half siblings。 Chrysta's story is captivating and everyone should read this book！ Highly recommend。 。。。more
Katie Crabill
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Normal Family is a beautifully written memoir by Chrysta Bilton， who has finally come to terms with the unconventional and sometimes chaotic upbringing that she experienced。 Born to a lesbian mother who convinced a man to give him her sperm so that she could have children。 This man then went on to donate sperm hundreds more times in an effort to obtain some cash flow。 The novel follows Chyrsta's life through so many trials and tribulations， including her mothers alcoholism and drug addiction whi Normal Family is a beautifully written memoir by Chrysta Bilton， who has finally come to terms with the unconventional and sometimes chaotic upbringing that she experienced。 Born to a lesbian mother who convinced a man to give him her sperm so that she could have children。 This man then went on to donate sperm hundreds more times in an effort to obtain some cash flow。 The novel follows Chyrsta's life through so many trials and tribulations， including her mothers alcoholism and drug addiction which caused her childhood to be littered with seemingly toxic situations。 While Chrysta's father came in and out of her life intermittently， she found a new family in finding the half siblings she had no idea that she even had from the sperm donations that her father provided likely in an effort to keep himself afloat financially。 Bilton is a fantastic writer， and as a reader I felt like I learned so much about how her upbringing influenced the person she is today。 I truly was astounded at all the hurdles her mother faced and sometimes did not successfully jump over， but finally at the end her family came out on top。 What a triumphant story， I'm glad to have gotten the opportunity to read this novel。 I received a review copy from Little， Brown and Company via NetGalley and I voluntarily provided an honest review。 This does not affect the opinion of the book or the content of the review。 。。。more
Mollie
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A page turner chronicling the author’s coming of age in a deeply moving and surprisingly funny series of chapters I didn’t want to end。 She captures the complexity of human families and the depth of the characters who are often hilarious， sometimes shocking， and ultimately endearing。We get to see what it’s like for a strong young girl to grow up parenting her younger sister and mother through wild family events and explore things like…cults， lesbian moms， sperm donors， surprise siblings， mental A page turner chronicling the author’s coming of age in a deeply moving and surprisingly funny series of chapters I didn’t want to end。 She captures the complexity of human families and the depth of the characters who are often hilarious， sometimes shocking， and ultimately endearing。We get to see what it’s like for a strong young girl to grow up parenting her younger sister and mother through wild family events and explore things like…cults， lesbian moms， sperm donors， surprise siblings， mental illness， addiction， celebrity， poverty and wealth， intergenerational trauma， and redemption。 A worthwhile and meaningful read for any family members of addicts， those exploring what family means—including in the age of 23andMe， children of gay parents—or anyone looking to understand what it was like for pioneering gay parents of previous generations， and people who want to laugh。 。。。more
Nicole
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This is truly one of the best books I have ever read。 While Normal Family is a nonfiction story， it reads like a fictional novel， and I couldn't put it down。Chrysta impeccably takes us on her journey of self-discovery， writing in such a way that you feel like you are living her life along with her。 From challenges with substance abuse， an eating disorder， dealing with mentally unstable parents， and the difficulties of growing up in wealthy Los Angeles， Chrysta's strength shines through。 That alo This is truly one of the best books I have ever read。 While Normal Family is a nonfiction story， it reads like a fictional novel， and I couldn't put it down。Chrysta impeccably takes us on her journey of self-discovery， writing in such a way that you feel like you are living her life along with her。 From challenges with substance abuse， an eating disorder， dealing with mentally unstable parents， and the difficulties of growing up in wealthy Los Angeles， Chrysta's strength shines through。 That alone would have made an incredible book， but when you add that her father donated sperm resulting in over 100 half siblings， it's almost too much to comprehend。 Deb， Chrysta's mother， is one of the most colorful characters I've ever encountered。 I would compare her to the Forest Gump of Hollywood。 From politicians， gurus， and famous musicians， she has seen， met， and lived it all。Set aside time because once you start this book， you won't be able to put it down。 。。。more
Ashley Bush
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A beautiful， unexpected， and completely moving memoir。 Related to the familial emotional rollercoaster - the comedy， the sadness and ultimately - the complete tenderness of it all。 Chrysta's mom， a single gay woman in the 80s and desperate for kids， forged her own version of family - it didn't come without its hardships and bizarre twists and turns。 A beautiful， unexpected， and completely moving memoir。 Related to the familial emotional rollercoaster - the comedy， the sadness and ultimately - the complete tenderness of it all。 Chrysta's mom， a single gay woman in the 80s and desperate for kids， forged her own version of family - it didn't come without its hardships and bizarre twists and turns。 。。。more
Shelby
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Stranger than fiction。 Wild Game: My Mother， Her Lover and Me meets Educated in Bilton's memoir about her conception and its aftermath。 We only meet Bilton's 35 （and counting） sperm-donor siblings in the last couple of chapters; rather， the book is about Bilton growing up with a lesbian mom， how her mother coerced a man into sperm donation， and the erratic， toxic， addictive， and culty behaviors of these parents that wreaked havoc in Chrysta's home life。 I recommend this book to anyone who has ha Stranger than fiction。 Wild Game: My Mother， Her Lover and Me meets Educated in Bilton's memoir about her conception and its aftermath。 We only meet Bilton's 35 （and counting） sperm-donor siblings in the last couple of chapters; rather， the book is about Bilton growing up with a lesbian mom， how her mother coerced a man into sperm donation， and the erratic， toxic， addictive， and culty behaviors of these parents that wreaked havoc in Chrysta's home life。 I recommend this book to anyone who has had to parent their own parents， especially parents who create chaos around every corner。RIYL: California， memoir， lesbian moms， （light） cults， Stray 。。。more
Kirby
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Thanks to Libro。fm for the ALC。 I loved this narrative memoir-- it reads like fiction and Bilton does a beautiful job narrating the audiobook。 I didn't want it to end， and I couldn't put it down （I've never experienced that with nonfiction before！）。 This story is both so heartbreaking and so heartwarming。 Bilton's writing style was compulsively readable， without unnecessary flourish yet still painted the entire picture。 And， as she states in the book， Bilton's mother is one of the world's great Thanks to Libro。fm for the ALC。 I loved this narrative memoir-- it reads like fiction and Bilton does a beautiful job narrating the audiobook。 I didn't want it to end， and I couldn't put it down （I've never experienced that with nonfiction before！）。 This story is both so heartbreaking and so heartwarming。 Bilton's writing style was compulsively readable， without unnecessary flourish yet still painted the entire picture。 And， as she states in the book， Bilton's mother is one of the world's great characters。 Recommended for fans of Malibu Rising， Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine， and memoirs of those on the outskirts of Hollywood。 。。。more
Chesney Snyder
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✨ARC BOOK REVIEW✨⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️•Release date: 07/12/2022•📖 Normal Family by Chrysta Bilton••Reading the description of this book before I requested it， I felt like I could resonate with aspects of this book。 Chrysta is born to an eclectic mom and a dad her mom met at the beauty shop。 Both of her parents have mental health and substance abuse issues which lead to traumatic events Chrysta and her sister experience。 She later finds out that her dad had became a sperm donor and has a bunch of new half sib ✨ARC BOOK REVIEW✨⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️•Release date: 07/12/2022•📖 Normal Family by Chrysta Bilton••Reading the description of this book before I requested it， I felt like I could resonate with aspects of this book。 Chrysta is born to an eclectic mom and a dad her mom met at the beauty shop。 Both of her parents have mental health and substance abuse issues which lead to traumatic events Chrysta and her sister experience。 She later finds out that her dad had became a sperm donor and has a bunch of new half siblings。 We follow Chrysta’s life from childhood， watching her overcome struggles and traumas I myself have had to overcome。 Being raised by addicts is not a choice any child chooses， but most of the time we come out with life skills that stop us from repeating history。 And this story is just that！Great first book by Chrysta Bilton！ 🤍 。。。more
Ruth
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