Sister to Sister: Women Write About the Unbreakable Bond

by Patricia Foster

Overview

From Joy Williams and Mona Simpson to Lucy Grealy and Joy Harjo, women writers share their stories of sisterhood in this dazzling collection.

“Forget the sugar-coated, over-sentimental portrayal of sibling bonding. Through essays and short stories written by nineteen female authors, Patricia Foster has put together an honest account of the ups and downs of sisterhood.” —Indianapolis Star

“Sensitive, thoughtful, provocative, and beautifully written. . . . Underneath all these highly individualized tales there is a seamless web of shared sisterhood.” —Daily Press

Includes essays and fiction by:

Meena Alexander, Robin Behn, Louise DeSalvo, Erika Duncan, Maria Flook, Patricia Foster, Bonnie Friedman, Donna Gordo, Lucy Grealy, Joy Harjo, Bell Hooks, Pam Houston, Jesse Lee Kercheval, Lori Hope Norris, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Mona Simpson, Debra Spark, Joan Wickersham, and Joy Williams.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780385471299
Publisher:	Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Publication date:	12/01/1996
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	5.56(w) x 8.56(h) x 0.88(d)

Editorial Reviews

Collection of stories and essays exploring the relationships between sisters. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Although both of these books are about sibling relationships, the similarity ends there. Foster, who teaches nonfiction writing at the University of Iowa, has pulled together 20 diverse essays from some of today's best-known female writers. Contributors to this volume include bell hooks, Robin Behn, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, and Joy Williams. The essays, while all centering on the themes of sisterly relationships, run the literary gamut. Fanciful fiction pieces are included, as are straightforward autobiographical anecdotes and a couple of critical essays. Any library with a demand for contemporary women's literature should have this collection. Merrell's book, on the other hand, is a journalist's psychoanalytic look at the dynamics of all sibling relationships. Based on in-depth interviews, this work tries to explain the hidden forces that bring siblings together and push them apart. The case studies showcase a variety of familial situations, including relationships between twins and half-siblings and the special bond between a special-needs brother and his caretaker sister. The book suffers from too many diversions; Merrell's long asides interrupt her narrative flow. Despite this organizational flaw, her book is a worthwhile addition to most public and undergraduate libraries because of the author's extensive and enlightening research.-Pamela A. Matthews, Missouri Western State Coll., St. Joseph

Library Journal