The Sibling Effect

The Sibling Effect: What the Bonds Among Brothers and Sisters Reveal About Us by Jeffrey Kluger         Audiobook:  8hrs, 56 mins    Hardback Book:  320 pages     

A really in-depth, good book discussing the genetic make-up and psychological ties and tendencies within sibling relationships.    Gives interesting findings on studies identifying physical features that statistically have been proven to identify personal factors about a person’s gender predisposition,  how siblings even when they do not grow up together have like habits, how that psychic connection actually has been proven to exist between mothers and children, close siblings, twins, etc.    Shows features such as the child that will wear glasses/contacts in their lifetime likely starting in childhood.  Shows that siblings are the true soul mates and how that works out.   Kluger brings in points, studies, statistics from the fields of Psychology,  Science and Medicine, autobiographically sighting examples from his own life with his 3 brothers then later his half- sister and brother and how the bonds of family were there even though they didn’t meet until the half sibs. Were grown.    Talks a lot about the factors pertaining to where we are born in the birthorder of our families.     He talks about genetics and the encoding we all bear.    He talks about the effects of alcoholics, drug addicts, abuse, physical, sexual and verbal and other disorders on the siblings in families, traits that emerge and why sometimes the birth order can affect our responses to traumatic situations we find ourselves in.   He discusses incest innocent and intentional, he discusses esteem issues within families, emotional disorders and more.    Very heavy information delivered in a very down to earth, often funny but always witty and respectful on every topic covered.     Good book.    You will learn so much here you will be regaling the family at every get together with all you will learn.    Really interesting stuff here.  I do recommend this book probably no younger that teendom unless a younger person is mature, but certainly highschool up, maybe Middleschool up to infinity.   Good job, Jeffrey Kluger.

 - Shirley J.