Sisters Book Club June 2014: The Sibling Effect

As we’re wrapping up our month of Middlemarch, it seems like a good time to start thinking about next month’s book.

For June, my sister and I decided to go back to some nonfiction, but try to stick with something of a sibling theme for our Sisters Book Club. We’ve picked…

Jeffrey Kluger’s The Sibling Effect.

Synopsis (from the Goodreads page for this book):

A senior writer at Time magazine explores what scientists and researchers are discovering about sibling bonds, the longest- lasting relationships we have in our lives.

Nobody affects us as deeply as our brothers and sisters-not parents, not children, not friends. From the time we-and they-are born, our siblings are our collaborators and co-conspirators, our role models and cautionary tales. They teach us how to resolve conflicts and how not to, how to conduct friendships and when to walk away. Our siblings are the only people we know who truly qualify as partners for life.

In this groundbreaking book, renowned science writer Jeffrey Kluger explores the complex world of siblings in a way that is equal parts science, psychology, sociology, and memoir. Based heavily on new and emerging research, The Sibling Effect examines birth order, twin studies, genetic encoding of behavioral traits, emotional disorders and their effects on-and effects from-sibling relationships, and much more.

With his signature insight and humor, Kluger takes big ideas about siblings and turns them into smart, accessible writing that will help anyone understand the importance of siblings in our lives.

This choice was inspired by the TED Radio Hour and Jeff Kluger’s accompanying TEDTalk.

I’ve located a copy at my local library and will pick it up this week, hopefully when I’m finished (or nearly finished) with Middlemarch! (And my spouse says I’m not an optimist.)

Will you be joining us for The Sibling Effect in June? Drop a note in the comments and/or visit the Sisters Book Club Goodreads Group. Remember, you need neither be nor have a sister to read with the Sisters Book Club.