Millie-Christine : Fearfully And Wonderfully Made Paperback – January 1, 2000

This book is a wonderful documenting of this unique woman. Talk about making lemonade with lemons!

Met the author. the book is as interesting as she is! good price

As a Spiritualist I felt this book was extremely powerful not only because of Millie-Christine's unbelievably harsh life but how she, "the twins", rose above it all to become powerful self sufficient women, transcending the opinion of others of what "normal" is by their intelligence, charm and positive refusal to see themselves as anything but "Fearfully and Wonderfully perfect." If she can do it, why can't we?

"Millie-Christine" is the story of black conjoined twins who were born (1851) into Southern slavery [SPOILER ALERT] -- toured the country as an exhibit; were kidnapped as toddlers, brought to England and then Europe; were returned to America and their family; and after Emancipation, continued touring by choice, and later financially rescued their white former master's family, who had educated and cared for them. They were a favorite of several traveling circuses, and P.T. Barnum; and they handled their own contracts and affairs with skill and aplomb, creating a more-than-comfortable life and home for themselves and their family (both black and white). I so admire their positivity and proactive approach; they could have held some awful grudges, yet did not. An example to us all! They enjoyed their unusual life, and reports indicated that everyone who met them enjoyed and respected their "liveliness and intelligence." They continued to inform and educate themselves, reportedly learning to converse in seven languages. Returning to England, they met the Queen and royal family more than once (and held their own!). Interestingly, the book often referred to the twins as "she" -- which is how they outspokenly thought of themselves, in the singular. "She organized a school for African-American children in 1880, and supported it until her death." ...I'd never heard of these twins, so I could have wished for the book to include more personal detail (their own thoughts, feelings, etc.), where it often focused on the twins' surroundings; but it also gave insights into circus folk, like Tom Thumb, the married sideshow giant & giantess, and others. I did, however, enjoy this book and found it extremely interesting.For a book about conjoined twins that IS written with the desired personal depth of detail, I recommend "The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton."

I learned for the first time about the lives of these conjoined twins. Interesting!

Too much focus on background; not enough on the girls themselves. Completed this book only because I had never heard of Millie-Christine and wanted to learn about them from the "Black History" viewpoint not because the book was exciting.

I'm so glad that this book was written! I read another book years ago about the freak show circuit in which that author dismissed Millie-Christine as an obscure act about which very little was known. Wrong!Joanne Martel has found a rich trove of information about the conjoined twins, and she presents it in an interesting way. Photographs show the twins at different stages of their development. There are exerpts from newspaper accounts,handbills from their performances, family letters, etc. This author really did her homework to produce this solid work.While exhibiting "human oddities" is distasteful to us today, this book shows how Millie-Christine's life was not entirely horrific. The twins led a dignified life in the show business world. Born as slaves in 1851, they were lifted up from that life and were educated and taught to perform pretty songs and light amusements for the benefit of their audience. They were adept in social chatter, and were able to converse with adults and children in all walks of life. They traveled through Europe at an early age and met famous people and nobility. They were able to contribute to their family's support immediately after th Civil War, when the entire family found themselves free. Without the income provided by his twins, their father would not have been able to buy his parcels of land in North Carolina.Their specialness did cause unfortunate events in their lives. When young children, they were removed from their mother's care and sold to a showman who later lost custody. They passed through several hands, and ended up the wards of a kind and generous man who cared for them and their entire family.The constant prodding and poking of physicians, especially trying to the young girls as they approached womanhood, was a source of sorrow and embarassment.This is a good, readable account of two girls born into an interesting situation during interesting times. Recommended!