Stranger than fiction. Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover and Me meets Educated in Bilton's memoir about her conception and its aftermath.

We only meet Bilton's 35 (and counting) sperm-donor siblings in the last couple of chapters; rather, the book is about Bilton growing up with a lesbian mom, how her mother coerced a man into sperm donation, and the erratic, toxic, addictive, and culty behaviors of these parents that wreaked havoc in Chrysta's home life.

I recommend this book to anyone who has had to parent their own parents, especially parents who create chaos around every corner.

Wonderful life story of Chysta Bilton, who grew up in the 80's with her charming, over-the-top lesbian mother, whose fortunes when up and down along with her substance abuse. She paints her peripatetic live in vivid terms, along with all the colorful character people her mother befriends. It's also the story of Bilton discovering her numerous half siblings from the innumerable sperm donations her father gave to the Califorian Cryobank.. Compelling reading.

✨ARC BOOK REVIEW✨
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•Release date: 07/12/2022•
📖 Normal Family by Chrysta Bilton
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Reading the description of this book before I requested it, I felt like I could resonate with aspects of this book.

Chrysta is born to an eclectic mom and a dad her mom met at the beauty shop. Both of her parents have mental health and substance abuse issues which lead to traumatic events Chrysta and her sister experience.

She later finds out that her dad had became a sperm donor and has a bunch of new half siblings.

We follow Chrysta’s life from childhood, watching her overcome struggles and traumas I myself have had to overcome. Being raised by addicts is not a choice any child chooses, but most of the time we come out with life skills that stop us from repeating history. And this story is just that!

Great first book by Chrysta Bilton! 🤍

This is an extremely interesting story of a very unconventional family. There are a lot of details to keep straight, but it is fascinating. I found myself wondering how I would feel if this were my family.

I urge anyone who is donor conceived or adopted to read this book.

Chrysta grew up with a lesbian mother who had a few different lovers during her childhood, and her dad was a sperm donor her mother met in a hair salon. During the brief platonic relationship between the mother and donor dad, there was a verbal agreement he would not donate sperm to anyone else.

He broke that contract, and went on to donate sperm at the California sperm back many dozens of times, "fathering' over 100 children. Neither Chrysta , her sister, or their mother knew this until well into the sisters' adulthood when a NY Times article published an article about their father and his many offspring.

From there much drama ensues. The donor father becomes a Venice street person, and has mental illness that goes untreated. The daughters lose touch with him so many times that he becomes a walk-in in their lives. The mother's girlfriends, temporary jobs, and her own mental illness cause much insecurity for Chrysta and her sister.

It's through both sisters' resiliency that they are both able to attend college and forge healthy, independent lives for themselves.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.