Mobility Mom Book Shelf: Twice the Family by Julie Ryan McGue(Audio Review)

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

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Book Description

In this coming-of-age memoir, set in Chicago's western suburbs between the 1960s and '80s, adopted twins Julie and Jenny provide their parents with an instant family. Their sisterly bond holds tight as the two strive for identity, individuality, and belonging. But as Julie's parents continue adding children to the family, some painful and tragic experiences test family values, parental relationships, and sibling bonds.

Faced with these hurdles, Julie questions everything—who she is, how she fits in, her adoption circumstances, her faith, and her idea of family. But the life her parents have constructed is not one she wants for herself—and as she matures, she recognizes how the experiences that formed her have provided her a road map for the person and mother she wants to be.

About Julie Ryan McGue

Julie Ryan McGue is an award-winning American writer. Her most recent novel, Belonging Matters, a collection that explores the pursuit of identity and the boundaries of family and kinship, is a Silver Winner in the Non Fiction Book Awards, an Honorable Mention in the Books Shelf Nonfiction Writing Contest, a Literary Titan Book Award Winner, a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards, and a Firebird Book Award Winner. Julie was born in Chicago, Illinois. She and her identical twin sister were adopted together. Julie's debut memoir, Twice a Daughter, is about the search for birth relatives. She writes about finding out who you are, where you belong, and making sense of it. Her weekly blogs focus on identity, family, and life's quirky moments. If she's not at her computer writing, she's out exploring with her camera, or on the tennis court. She is the mother of four adult children, a grandmother, and splits her time between NW Indiana and Sarasota.

My Thoughts

This memoir is a moving and heartfelt tapestry of identity, adoption, and the enduring bond of sisterhood, brilliantly narrated by Katie Hagaman. Twice the Family by Julie Ryan McGue takes the reader on her journey growing up in Chicago's western suburbs between the 1960s and '80s as one of identical twins who were immediately placed for adoption. McGue intricately charts her path through a bustling adoptive Catholic family, charting her lifelong search for individuality and belonging.

This captivating memoir fills in the story of McGue’s formative years, college experiences, and early career as a young professional in the 80s, serving as an equally powerful read to her first book about finding her biological origins. The book is thoughtfully structured into sections—Identity, Belonging, and Becoming—each reflecting a stage in her emotional growth. McGue writes with raw honesty, shining a light on the complexities of love and loss while exploring what it means to be "chosen."

The narrative is incredibly touching, particularly in its portrayal of the struggles the twins faced as their parents continued to add children to the family, sometimes making them question their own place. McGue’s close relationship with her twin sister, Jenny, shines through every chapter, underscoring the unbreakable ties of shared experience, even as they sought separate identities. Her candid prose captures the visceral pain of their early separation alongside the warmth and humor of her adoptive family, like her father’s endearing corny jokes about "womb mates."

However, McGue does not shy away from the darker and more uncertain aspects of her life. She tackles the silent pressure many adoptees feel to be "perfect" and the heartbreaking moments where tragedy and loss test the family’s values and sibling bonds. Her ability to balance the joyful noise of a large family with the quiet emotional toll of adoption creates an authenticity that pulls the reader in.

McGue’s journey toward independence and her own concept of family is both inspiring and humbling. By the end, Twice the Family left me feeling hopeful, celebrating the resilience found in family bonds, whether biological or constructed. This memoir is a beautiful story and a highly recommended read for anyone interested in honest, insightful memoirs about self-acceptance, emotional growth, and uncovering where we truly belong.