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How to Be a Sister by Eileen Garvin
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How to Be a Sister

A Love Story with a Twist of Autism

$26.24

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Narrator Eileen Garvin

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Length 6 hours 4 minutes
Language English
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Eileen Garvin’s older sister, Margaret, was diagnosed with severe autism at age three. Growing up alongside Margaret wasn’t easy: Eileen often found herself in situations that were simultaneously awkward, hilarious, and heartbreaking. For example, losing a blue plastic hairbrush could leave Margaret inconsolable for hours, and a quiet Sunday Mass might provoke an outburst of laughter, swearing, or dancing. How to Be a Sister begins when Eileen, after several years in New Mexico, has just moved back to the Pacific Northwest, where she grew up. Being 1,600 miles away allowed Eileen to avoid the question that has dogged her since birth: What is she going to do about Margaret? Now, Eileen must grapple with this question once again as she tentatively tries to reconnect with Margaret. How can she have a relationship with someone who can’t drive, send an email, or use a telephone? What role will Eileen play in Margaret’s life as their parents age, and after they die? Will she remain in Margaret’s life, or will she walk away? A deeply felt, impeccably written memoir, How to Be a Sister will speak to siblings, parents, friends, and teachers of people with autism—and to anyone who sometimes struggles to connect with someone difficult or different.

Eileen Garvin is a writer of fiction, memoir, personal essay, and creative nonfiction. Her debut novel, The Music of Bees, was selected as a Good Morning America Buzz Pick, a Good Housekeeping Book Club Pick, an IndieNext Pick, and a LibraryReads Pick. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, she completed her B.A. in English at Seattle University and her M.A. in English at the University of New Mexico. She writes from her home in Hood River, Oregon, where she lives with her husband.

Eileen Garvin is a writer of fiction, memoir, personal essay, and creative nonfiction. Her debut novel, The Music of Bees, was selected as a Good Morning America Buzz Pick, a Good Housekeeping Book Club Pick, an IndieNext Pick, and a LibraryReads Pick. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, she completed her B.A. in English at Seattle University and her M.A. in English at the University of New Mexico. She writes from her home in Hood River, Oregon, where she lives with her husband.

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Phone showing make the switch message

Limited-time offer

Get two free audiobooks!

Now’s a great time to shop indie. When you start a new one credit per month membership supporting local bookstores with promo code SWITCH, we’ll give you two bonus audiobook credits at sign-up.

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