{"title":"Chrysta Bilton","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"normal-family-book-chrysta-bilton-9781913183134","title":"A Normal Family","description":"ONE OF PEOPLE MAGAZINE'S BEST SUMMER READS 2022  5* 'A jaw-dropping memoir' - THE TELEGRAPH  'One of the maddest memoirs you'll read this year... a beautiful, warm, funny book.' -The Times  'Extraordinary' -The Guardian  'A wholly absorbing page-turner that everyone will want to read. You should probably buy two.' -Kirkus Starred Review  'A riveting debut.' -People Magazine  'By turns hilarious, wrenching, and achingly tender.' -Susan Orlean, New York Times bestselling author  'A remarkable and wise book, two memoirs braided together with such tendresse that readers will come to believe the ironic title in earnest' -LA TIMES  'Riveting and hilariously funny' - The Times  For most of her life, Chrysta Bilton was one member of a small, if dysfunctional, family of four. There was her sister, Kaitlyn, her hedonistic, glamorous, gay mum Debra, and Jeffrey, who Debra hand-picked, in an LA hairdressers, to be the father of her children. During Chrysta's unstable childhood, Debra struggled to keep the family afloat and Jeffrey wandered in and out of their lives.  Then, in her twenties, Chrysta discovered that her father had secretly donated his sperm over 500 times - and that she had at least 35 other siblings.  A Normal Family is a captivating coming-of-age memoir about Chrysta's reckoning with the secrets both parents had carefully kept from her. Heartfelt, warm and funny, it's a story of embracing the family we have, in all the forms we find it.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49518427406609,"sku":"GOR012717154","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49737970843921,"sku":"NGR9781913183134","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52109586825489,"sku":"GOR012462454","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53438341775633,"sku":"GOR014920528","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1913183130.jpg?v=1751282060"},{"product_id":"normal-family-book-chrysta-bilton-9781913183158","title":"A Normal Family","description":"ONE OF PEOPLE MAGAZINE'S BEST SUMMER READS 2022  5* 'A jaw-dropping memoir' - THE TELEGRAPH  'One of the maddest memoirs you'll read this year... a beautiful, warm, funny book.' -The Times  'A wholly absorbing page-turner that everyone will want to read. You should probably buy two.' -Kirkus Starred Review  'A riveting debut.' -People Magazine  'By turns hilarious, wrenching, and achingly tender.' -Susan Orlean, New York Times bestselling author  'A remarkable and wise book, two memoirs braided together with such tendresse that readers will come to believe the ironic title in earnest' -LA TIMES  'Riveting and hilariously funny' - The Times  For most of her life, Chrysta Bilton was one member of a small, if dysfunctional, family of four. There was her sister, Kaitlyn, her hedonistic, glamorous, gay mum Debra, and Jeffrey, who Debra hand-picked, in an LA hairdressers, to be the father of her children. During Chrysta's unstable childhood, Debra struggled to keep the family afloat and Jeffrey wandered in and out of their lives.  Then, in her twenties, Chrysta discovered that her father had secretly donated his sperm over 500 times - and that she had at least 35 other siblings.  A Normal Family is a captivating coming-of-age memoir about Chrysta's reckoning with the secrets both parents had carefully kept from her. Heartfelt, warm and funny, it's a story of embracing the family we have, in all the forms we find it.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49575612711185,"sku":"GOR013236809","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49737976316177,"sku":"NGR9781913183158","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51412421148945,"sku":"GOR014264366","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1913183157.jpg?v=1751423007"},{"product_id":"normal-family-book-chrysta-bilton-9781800961111","title":"A Normal Family","description":"'I thought my family was complicated until I read Chrysta Bilton's wonderful memoir about the unique collection of irresistible characters in her life. Bilton has a big heart, gentle wisdom, keen eye and lovely wit. She's a gifted writer with an astonishing story to tell.' -David Sheff, author of Beautiful Boy  'By turns hilarious, wrenching, and achingly tender... Bilton writes beautifully, with sharp insight and a light touch, about her harrowing, astonishing journey into understanding her parents, her (very) extended family, and herself.' - Susan Orlean, New York Times bestselling author of On Animals and Rin Tin Tin   For most of her life, Chrysta Bilton was one member of a small, if dysfunctional, family of four. There was her sister, Kaitlyn, her hedonistic, glamorous, gay mum Debra, and Jeffrey, who Debra hand-picked, in an LA hairdressers, to be the father of her children. During Chrysta's unstable childhood, Debra struggled to keep the family afloat and Jeffrey wandered in and out of their lives.  Then, in her twenties, Chrysta discovered that her father had secretly donated his sperm over 500 times - and that she had at least 35 other siblings.  A Normal Family is a captivating coming-of-age memoir about Chrysta's reckoning with the secrets both parents had carefully kept from her. Heartfelt, warm and funny, it's a story of embracing the family we have, in all the forms we find it.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49611948163345,"sku":"GOR013488801","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1800961111.jpg?v=1750929672"},{"product_id":"normal-family-book-chrysta-bilton-9780316536547","title":"Normal Family","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis riveting, nuanced memoir about unforgettable individuals thrown together by chance and DNA tells a story of nature, nurture, and coming to terms with one's true inheritance.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhat is a \"normal family,\" and how do you go about making one? Chrysta Bilton's magnetic, larger-than-life mother, Debra, yearned to have a child, but as a single gay woman in 1980s California, she had few options. Until one day, while getting her hair done in a Beverly Hills salon, she met a man and instantly knew he was the one she'd been looking for. Beautiful, athletic, artistic, and from a well-to-do family, Jeffrey Harrison appeared to be Debra's ideal sperm donor.   \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA verbal agreement, a couple of thousand in cash, and a few squirts of a turkey baster later, and Chrysta was conceived. Over the years, Jeffrey would make regular appearances at the family home, which grew to include Chrysta's baby sister. But how much did Debra really know about the man she'd chosen to father her daughters? And as a single mother torn between ferocious independence and abject dependence--on other women, alcohol, drugs, and the adrenaline of get-rich-quick schemes--what secrets of her own was she keeping?  \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt wasn't until Chrysta was a young adult that she discovered just how much her parents had hidden from their daughters--and each other--including a shocking revelation with far-reaching consequences not only for Debra, Chrysta, and her sister, but for dozens and possibly hundreds of unsuspecting families across the country. After a lifetime of longing for a \"normal family,\" can Chrysta face the reality of her own, in all its complexity?  Bringing us into the fold of a deeply dysfunctional yet fiercely loving clan that is anything but \"normal,\" this emotional roller coaster of a memoir will make you cry, laugh, and rethink the meaning of family.  \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNamed a 'Best Book of the Summer' by \u003ci\u003eLA Times, People, USA Today, Vanity Fair, The Hollywood Reporter\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAmazon, Apple, Cup of Jo, Kirkus, Parade, \u0026amp; Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49877696512273,"sku":"CIN0316536547VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49933282279697,"sku":"CIN0316536547G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ LIKE_NEW \/ SBYB","offer_id":50236793454865,"sku":"CIN0316536547LN","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":50238587601169,"sku":"CIN0316536547A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51878865240337,"sku":"GOR014441418","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0316536547.jpg?v=1751133579"},{"product_id":"normal-family-book-chrysta-bilton-9780316536530","title":"Normal Family","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis riveting, nuanced memoir about unforgettable individuals thrown together by chance and DNA tells a story of nature, nurture, and coming to terms with one's true inheritance.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhat is a \"normal family,\" and how do you go about making one? Chrysta Bilton's magnetic, larger-than-life mother, Debra, yearned to have a child, but as a single gay woman in 1980s California, she had few options. Until one day, while getting her hair done in a Beverly Hills salon, she met a man and instantly knew he was the one she'd been looking for. Beautiful, athletic, artistic, and from a well-to-do family, Jeffrey Harrison appeared to be Debra's ideal sperm donor.   \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA verbal agreement, a couple of thousand in cash, and a few squirts of a turkey baster later, and Chrysta was conceived. Over the years, Jeffrey would make regular appearances at the family home, which grew to include Chrysta's baby sister. But how much did Debra really know about the man she'd chosen to father her daughters? And as a single mother torn between ferocious independence and abject dependence--on other women, alcohol, drugs, and the adrenaline of get-rich-quick schemes--what secrets of her own was she keeping?  \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt wasn't until Chrysta was a young adult that she discovered just how much her parents had hidden from their daughters--and each other--including a shocking revelation with far-reaching consequences not only for Debra, Chrysta, and her sister, but for dozens and possibly hundreds of unsuspecting families across the country. After a lifetime of longing for a \"normal family,\" can Chrysta face the reality of her own, in all its complexity?  Bringing us into the fold of a deeply dysfunctional yet fiercely loving clan that is anything but \"normal,\" this emotional roller coaster of a memoir will make you cry, laugh, and rethink the meaning of family.  \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNamed a 'Best Book of the Summer' by \u003ci\u003eLA Times, People, USA Today, Vanity Fair, The Hollywood Reporter\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAmazon, Apple, Cup of Jo, Kirkus, Parade, \u0026amp; Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49888785858833,"sku":"CIN0316536539G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50348111954193,"sku":"CIN0316536539VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51383185441041,"sku":"NIN9780316536530","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0316536539.jpg?v=1773312495"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-chrysta-bilton.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}