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Twins in the World: The Legends They Inspire and the Lives They Lead PDF

266 Pages·2008·1.89 MB·English
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Twins in the World 9780230605978ts01.indd i 8/7/2008 5:44:31 PM This page intentionally left blank Twins in the World The Legends They Inspire and the Lives They Lead ALESSANDRA PIONTELLI, M.D. 9780230605978ts01.indd i 8/7/2008 5:44:32 PM TWINS IN THE WORLD Copyright © Alessandra Piontelli, 2008. All rights reserved. First published in 2008 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN® in the US—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN-13: 978–0–230–60597–8 paperback ISBN-10: 0–230–60597–4 paperback ISBN-13: 978–0–230–60596–1 hardcover ISBN-10: 0–230–60596–6 hardcover Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Piontelli, Alessandra, 1945– Twins in the world : the legends they inspire and the lives they lead / Alessandra Piontelli. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0–230–60596–6—ISBN 0–230–60597–4 1. Twins—Psychology. I. Title. HQ777.35P56 2008 306.875—dc22 2008005347 A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India. First edition: October 2008 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America. 9780230605978ts01.indd iv 9780230605978ts01.indd iv 8/7/2008 5:44:32 PM 8/7/2008 5:44:32 PM In fondest memory of my beloved father. 9780230605978ts01.indd v 8/7/2008 5:44:32 PM This page intentionally left blank Contents List of Figures ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction: A Personal Journey 1 1 Our Twins 11 2 Voodoo Twins 25 3 Stone Idols 41 4 The Big Shock 53 5 Keepers and Outcasts 67 6 Forced Adoption and the Sex Trade 83 7 Let Nature Take Its Course 99 8 The Hold of Superstition 117 9 Heart of Darkness 137 10 One Gender and One Only 159 11 Abuse and Neglect 173 12 Till Death Us Do Part 185 Conclusion: Bringing It All Back Home 203 Notes 221 Bibliography 235 Index 247 9780230605978ts01.indd vi 8/7/2008 5:44:32 PM This page intentionally left blank List of Figures 2.1 G irl carrying an effigy of her dead co-twin on a waistband. 31 5.1 A proud mother with her young twins. 73 6.1 W oman from the Lake Turkana region of Kenya hugs her newborn twin girls. 92 7.1 N omadic woman carrying twins, one on her front and one on her back. 102 7.2 Proud Papuan father tenderly holding his young twins. 112 8.1 A bandoned Malagasy woman banned from her village for delivering twins. 122 8.2 A village of “outcasts.” 123 8.3 T wins being brought up by their grandmother. 130 9.1 I ndios twins living in utter poverty and in appalling conditions. 139 12.1 O ld Javan temple carving illustrating ancient beliefs. 189 12.2 West African twins with a temporary wife and their twin girls. 197 12.3 A n old Papuan man severed off two fingers when his co-twin died. 200 9780230605978ts01.indd ix 8/7/2008 5:44:32 PM

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