Chapter 1. Just So Stories
Competition is the mother of all sibling relationships, and it can divide or be conquered.
Stephanie and her sister competed for friends and fought. They haven’t made up yet.
Adam and his annoying little brother were different enough to bond as they grew up.
Laura’s older sister “beat me into the woman I am.” Now they are best friends.
Chapter 2. The Circus Tent
What goes on between the adults is often the clue to sibling interactions—but kids can’t know this.
Raymond’s older brother went away to college and abandoned him. The seven years between them created a heartbreaking barrier.
Connie was her mother’s favorite. Maybe that’s why her older sister still hates her.
Evelyn and her five siblings were “army brats,” forced to move every 18 months. Uprooted together, they stay connected.
Millie, Jerry, and Doris are blessed with warmth and closeness. They credit their wonderful mom.
Chapter 3. Why Can’t You Just Get Along?
Sibling relationships start with mixed feelings and can go either way.
Katie was always mean to her little sister, and her guilt keeps them apart.
Gloria struggles with her temperamental sister and hates it when her grown children fight.
Renee, 65, still corrects and judges her younger sister; they yearn for harmony.
Chapter 4. Looking for Love in All the Right Places
The natural history of loving siblings.
Kenneth and his little brother bonded in childhood and remain close.
Amanda was mean to her little sister, but they changed places and bonded for life.
Gina looked after her brother all his life. Men with sisters like her are lucky guys.
Rosie was a little mother. Orphaned at 17 she raised her four little sisters. Their powerful bonds kept them alive and at odds forever.
Chapter 5. Gravity Shifts
When siblings marry, everything changes—for good or ill.
Wendy struggles to like her darling brother’s wife; she is determined to make it work.
Sally never got along with her brother’s wife, and eventually lost the battle for her brother.
Keith’s older brother had a wife who hated his family; his younger brother’s wife is a different story.
Christina kept her brother in the family by telling him what he was doing wrong.
Robin’s sisters-in-law give her the acceptance she never got from her own brothers.
Chapter 6. When Difference Leads to Distance
We grow up to be different from our brothers and sisters, and then we resent the choices they make. What’s going on?
Lori and her older sister became enemies over politics. Can they make peace?
Donna and her sister fell apart over money. Her sister’s good fortune was their downfall.
Kelly is a lawyer and her sister was a felon. They are very close now. How come?
Chapter 7. Thick and Thin
When trouble comes, brothers and sisters can make all the difference.
Emily’s disabled little brother taught the family about love and patience.
An accident turned Elizabeth into her older brother’s keeper.
Tony made up with his brother just in time.
When the Kinsons’ brother committed suicide, they stood together in grief and comfort.
Chapter 8. Trading Places
When siblings care for elderly parents.
Lois’s dad beat her little sister, and she can’t understand why she won’t share in his care.
Wayne’s difficult twin brother provides for their mom—in his fashion.
Debra’s sister, the favorite, refuses to help and earns the lifelong enmity of her sisters.
Janice and her sisters made a promise to their mother and kept it for eight years. Their closeness endures.
Chapter 9. Message in a Bottle
The last will and testament may consolidate or destroy a family.
Danny’s brothers and sisters never spoke again after hearing their father’s will.
Jamal’s mother left her sons a loving legacy from thousands of miles away.
Roger and his eight siblings understood the difference between material goods and enduring relationships.
Chapter 10. Building Together
Even the most unlikely siblings can choose to reconcile.
Carolyn makes up with her sister by recognizing her own contribution to their troubles.
Joyce’s brother abused her. She forgave him and together they built a relationship.
A woman and her brother reconcile after decades, to their mutual relief.
