Entwined Lives: Twins and What They Tell Us About Human Behavior

by Nancy L. Segal

Twins are nature's living laboratories. Through them we are able to uncover new information concerning the genetic and environmental factors affecting who we are. Studies using identical and fraternal twins hold the keys to understanding our intellectual abilities, personality traits, social attitudes, and behavior. In Entwined Lives, Dr. Nancy Segal brings together cutting-edge information with illustrative case histories of twins and their families. In addition to the fascinating stories of identical twins reared apart and reunited as adults, Dr. Segal provides insights into the unusual language patterns of twins, how twin studies affect legal decisions, the role of fertility treatments in twin and "twinlike" conceptions, and more. This groundbreaking book explores the ways in which twins enhance our knowledge of human behavioral and physical development, while shedding new light on the nature/nurture debate and on the burgeoning field of evolutionary psychology.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Science, Parenting

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

I am a Psychology Professor at California State University, Fullerton, with a special interest in twin studies--I am a fraternal twin myself! I have always been fascinated with the differences between my sister and myself, as well as the similarities and differences between identical twins. My career has been informative, and so much fun! And I am very excited about my recent books.

When I am not being an academic you can find me swing dancing or watching old films.

Reviews

[A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative book about twins. I have read a lot of books on twins but this one is one of the best. I learned more about twins from this book than others. The author is a twin and she has devoted her ENTIRE life to studying twins. She does a great job giving examples of her theories and making it interesting. Enjoyed the book.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic about more than twins. It's also nature versus nurture, the origin of personality, and what makes us who we are.

[Cherise Wolas]

No rating because when I read for research purposes, I'm reading in a different way. But it was interesting.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have found this book to be especially fascinating because I have 3 year old g/b fraternal twins. Not only are research studies discussed in detail, but we get the “behind” the scenes details surrounding past and current research and how it applies to twin and non-twin perspectives.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I have identical twins and find everything about multiples fascinating. this is a great explanation of multiple birth and how they can differ/be similar.

[dejah_thoris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely another mixed review with serious adoption trigger warnings.

Pros: This is a highly detailed book about everything related to twins Segal could find. It's dense, but parts of it are really interesting. I definitely understand the relationship between different kinds of twins and their siblings much better now. The research was also well-explained and fleshed out with case studies, etc.

Cons: I had to stop many times while reading it to ask my spouse what is wrong with humanity. I expected some issues, like Mengele's research, but I did not expect to read about twins being placed in similar homes but reared apart and subjected to testing throughout their lives. I did not expect to read about parents of multiples created through in vitro fertlization giving away some of their children like they were spares. I also did not expect Segal to take such a cavalier attitude towards such research or adoptee needs in general.

For example: "The majority of reared apart twins were adoptees and, while many enjoyed warm, loving relationships with adoptive parents and siblings, they lack the luxury of learning the source of their interests and talents." (page 130) No, Segal, knowing your origin story should NOT be considered a luxury.

On the plus side, her research "...revealed that reunited twins resent their years alone, and that separate adoptions were often made simply for agencies' convenience. This is not right; every effort should be made to place twins together." (page 287) Unfortunately, she rescinds this opinion in a particular case when a pair of twins that were reared apart were placed back in those homes due to their young age. Apparently, being geographically close and in contact with each other suffices.

Last flagged, but certainly not least, Segal sides against a handicapped twin. She describes a family where the healthy twin dislikes spending time with her handicapped sibling because of their physical and mental differences. The handicapped twin's "...presence restricted family activities, impairing interactions between [healthy twin] Ellen and her mother. I believed supportive relations between handicap-discordant twins should be encouraged, but not at the expense of healthy twins." (page 289) Excuse me, but discomfort and embarrassment is no reason to shun someone, especially family. Instead, Segal should be encouraging families to embrace these differences because exploring them brings a greater understanding and appreciation of what it means to be human.

Long review short, if densely typed pages and absolutely disgusting adoption stories don't bother you, this one may be worth reading. I recommend, however, trying her more layperson-friendly book, Indivisible by Two, first.

[William Hubbartt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author is a twin who's occupation involves studying twin relationships. Twins will find the information to be interesting.
I received this book from my brother; he has an interest in reading about this topic. To lay all the cards on the table, he and I are twins. He has collected a library of similar books and recently asked permission to pass along a few and to get my reaction. He and I grew up as a pair, and then after our ways parted due to life's challenges and differing paths relating to colleges, military service, and settling into life-career interests. Recent years have brought about more frequent interaction while being separated by half a continent.

[Radek · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kept trying to get into this book but it was so hard to keep reading. Some of the concepts sounded very interesting but the studies it explained were inconclusive so the data was vaguely described or the theories were posited but never backed by data. An idea would be presented and then the rest of the theory would be explained with a phrase like "some research showed this conclusion but other research showed the opposite." There wasn't enough data to back many things up and it just presented some guesses. It was hard to follow, for this reason.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little dated but a good synopsis about twins

[Moving to Storygraph zoieo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provided densely packed summaries of twin studies interwoven with anecdotes about the author's experiences in the field and sprinkled with a small amount of experience as a twin. While it proves the value of twin research for all of us, multiples and singletons, in our behavior as genetically and environmentally motivated, I can't imagine it being intensely interesting for those not directly affected by twinship. As a parent of (most likely) identical twins (and some singletons), I found it easy to motivate my way through the information, which leaves little space between results for reflection within the text.

I can't say it wasn't as promised, but I left it wishing for more from the author to tie it together more. I understand that there is a large breadth of material to cover, and this was done well, but it needed to finish as strongly as it began, with greater clarity of why the book was written beyond bringing together the studies. I'm not saying the author needed to put a bow on it, but I left needing a little something more from her expert researcher's voice.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to believe that everyone, not just psych majors, is sick to death of the whole nonsensical nature/nurture argument so I can understand why a lot of people would pass this book over. It totally looks like that's what it should be about. But it's not really. As a twin herself, Segal spends a lot of time exploring "twin-ness" – from the alleged "connections" between twins, to people who find out late in life they have a twin or, heartbreakingly, lost a twin at birth, and even what it means to families and the twins themselves to be identical vs. fraternal. Some parts got dull and I did jump around a bit – but overall this was a really fascinating book. Best takehome tidbit? Isabella Rossellini is a twin.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This also took me forever to get through, but its one of the only books on twins, and it is THOROUGH. It talks about fraternal twins separated at birth finding each other and marrying unknowingly, because like genes seek like, and what that might mean for people who have donated eggs for artificial insemination. It talks about how cloning shouldn't be scary because environment triggers genes, so no two people end up alike.

It defines twins as 2 conceived at the same time who share a womb, leaving out a bunch of new and wacky examples.

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not finish this book and ordinarily I wouldn't review a book I didn't finish, but I have some things to say about this book. It is terribly written. The author basically summarizes all research ever done on twins. The information could be interesting, but it reads like a literature review that no one edited. That said, the studies are really interesting, but it was like reading hundreds of pages of scholarly articles. The author would have done much better using the research to support themes instead of just listing them. I couldn't take get through it.

[Julie Vacko]

I bought this book through Double Blessings at an IOMOTC convention, maybe the National Mothers of Twins Club Convention, Nancy Segal signed it for me. I read most of it many years ago and picked it back up now that my twins are in middle school. Great read!

[Beanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good information, but dry presentation of it. The book itself is interesting, but could have been made much more so if the writing had been a bit better. This is a good book to page through for facts and information, but overall didn't make much of an impression on me.

[Bernadette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book. Full of fascinating information, if a bit redundant at times. More intrigued than ever by twins and genetics in general

[Phoebe]

Interesting subject matter, but not as accessible as I would like. It's long, my copy had tiny print, and the prose isn't very engaging. Snooze.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Packed with information the author has studied her entire life.

[Joy H.]

Added 6/28/11

[Ju · Rating 4 out of 5]

But it second hand if you can. Worth a read for more insight, though I more read each chapter as it interested me. Nevertheless worth purchaising.

[University of Chicago Magazine]

Nancy L. Segal, AM'74, PhD'82
Author

From the Core, Summer 2014:
"Multiple Choice: Seems like a lot of UChicago students these days look just alike."

[smokeandsong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very thorough and wide-ranging. A bit dry, though, and would have been significantly more convincing without the utterly speculative evo psych sprinkled throughout.