Normal family : on truth, love, and how I met my 35 siblings

“Hilarious, wrenching, and achingly tender”memoir of one wildly unconventional family that gains new meaning with each newly discovered member (Susan Orlean). PEOPLE Magazine’s “Book of the Week” 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. This riveting, nuanced memoir about unforgettable individuals thrown together by chance and DNA tells 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. Named a 'Best Book of the Summer' by LA Times, People, USA Today, Vanity Fair, The Hollywood Reporter , Amazon, Apple, Cup of Jo, Kirkus, Parade, & Today A riveting, nuanced memoir 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. "Bilton's warts-and-all depiction is sometimes hilarious, sometimes horrifying, always grounded in extraordinary forgiveness and resilience... A wholly absorbing page-turner that everyone will want to read. You should probably buy two." - Kirkus ReviewsWhat 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? "...shines a much-needed light on the impact of the secretive, unregulated world of sperm donations... Bilton’s deeply human narratives so aptly convey[s]... no one should ever be in the dark about his or her own origins.” - Gabrielle Glaser, The New York Times Book ReviewAfter 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. The story of one wildly unconventional family that gains new meaning with each new member For most of her life, Chrysta Bilton was part of a small, if dysfunctional, family. Her larger-than-life gay mother, Debra, had yearned for parenthood. But in the 1980s, single lesbians had few options. Until one day, when--while getting her hair done in a Beverly Hills salon--Debra met the man who would become Chrysta's dad. Beautiful, athletic, and from a well-to-do family, Jeffrey Harrison appeared to be Debra's ideal sperm donor. What Debra could not have known was that there was more to Jeffrey than he let on. A Playgirl centerfold hippie who struggled with drugs and eventual homelessness, Jeffrey would make only occasional appearances at the family home, which grew to include a baby sister for Chrysta. While Debra did not lean on Jeffrey to raise her daughters, she did come to depend on other women, alcohol, and the boom-and-bust economy of '80s and '90s California to keep her family afloat. It wasn't until Chrysta and her sister were young adults that they discovered just how many secrets their parents had carefully kept from them, and each other, including that Jeffrey had made his primary living for almost a decade as a donor to the largest sperm bank in the world. Eventually, they would meet nearly forty siblings--with a new brother or sister appearing every few months--each with their own questions about themselves, their past, and the father they all shared. Normal Family is the story of embracing the family we have, in all its varied forms