Columbia, 1988. Due to an oversight in a hospital nursery, one twin in each pair of idential twin brothers was switched with a twin in the other pair. Jorge and Carlos were raised in the city of Bogotá; William and Wilber were raised in the rural village of La Paz, 150 miles away. Their parents and siblings were aware of the physical and behavioral differences between the members of each set, but never doubted that the two belonged in their biological families-- until the truth was discovered in 2013. Segal and Montoya examine the power of nature and nurture, and its consequences on our lives. -- adapted from jacket

"A unique window into human behavior and development." —Steven Pinker The riveting story of two sets of identical twins separated at birth and improbably reunited as adults, a dream case for exploring nature and nurture. Accidental Brothers tells the unique story of two sets of identical Colombian twin brothers who discovered at age 25 that they were mistakenly raised as fraternal twins—when they were not even biological brothers. Due to an oversight that presumably occurred in the hospital nursery, one twin in each pair was switched with a twin in the other pair. The result was two sets of unrelated “fraternal” twins—Jorge and Carlos, who were raised in the lively city of Bogotá; and William and Wilber, who were raised in the remote rural village of La Paz, 150 miles away. Their parents and siblings were aware of the enormous physical and behavioral differences between the members of each set, but never doubted that the two belonged in their biological families. Everyone’s life unraveled when one of the twins—William—was mistaken by a young woman for his real identical twin, Jorge. Her “discovery” led to the truth—that the alleged twins were not twins at all, but rather unrelated individuals who ended up with the wrong families. Blending great science and human interest, Accidental Brothers by Nancy L. Segal and Yesika S. Montoya will inform and entertain anyone interested in how twin studies illuminate the origins of human behavior, as well as mother-infant identification and the chance events that can have profound consequences on our lives.

City girl in Montana looking for her Romeo... Sounds like the start of a Hallmark movie, right? Well, it would if they had movies about idiot women flying across the country to marry a man they'd never met. Yup, that's what I did. I responded to an ad in a random newspaper that I found on the train. And now I'm trying to find Horseshoe Ranch so that I can marry some cowboy I've never even seen. And no, this isn't the 1800's. I'm just desperate. To make matters worse, the cowboy doesn't even know I'm coming. His mom and dad arranged it all. I'm going is because I have $100 to my name and an old mafia boyfriend after me. I figured life couldn't get any worse in Montana. I was wrong. In my excitement, I left the address and phone number for the ranch at home, so now I'm here in Montana and I have no idea where I'm supposed to go. So I took a rented a car and stopped at a local bar to ask for directions. And that's when my problems really started.

It's not every day you wake up to a stranger getting into your bed. Only, he isn’t a stranger at all, he’s my best friend’s hot older brother...and apparently my new roommate. Having him in my space, driving me crazy, isn’t a problem at all. Nope. All I need to do is keep control of the situation... But that's easier said than done. Shawn Lassiter is the kind of distraction I don't need. Those muscles and tattoos, wearing nothing but a towel, making me coffee in the morning. It’s more than any girl can resist. Right? But Shawn is off-limits, even if his eyes are saying differently. Years ago, back when I still had my crush, he destroyed friendships with his reckless playboy antics. There’s no way I’m touching those perfectly formed abs now. I don’t care how nice and responsible he’s acting. I’m the smart girl—the glasses-wearing, book-reading workaholic. I can totally do this. After all, it’s only for two and a half months. I'll be on my best behavior...even if Shawn isn’t. Each book in the Accidental Love series is STANDALONE: * Wrong Bed, Right Roommate * Wrong Bed, Right Girl * Wrong Bed, Right Man * Wrong Bed, Right Brother

A leading expert on twins delves into the stories behind her research to reveal the profound joys and real-life traumas of 12 remarkable sets of twins, triplets, and quadruplets. Segal unravels these moving stories with an eye for the challenges that life as a twin (or triplet or quadruplet) can pose to parents, friends, and spouses, as well as the twins themselves.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the beloved Pulitzer Prize–winning author—an irresistible novel exploring the slippery alchemy of attracting opposites, and the struggle to rebuild one’s life after unspeakable tragedy Travel writer Macon Leary hates travel, adventure, surprises, and anything outside of his routine. Immobilized by grief, Macon is becoming increasingly prickly and alone, anchored by his solitude and an unwillingness to compromise his creature comforts. Then he meets Muriel, an eccentric dog trainer too optimistic to let Macon disappear into himself. Despite Macon’s best efforts to remain insulated, Muriel up-ends his solitary, systemized life, catapulting him into the center of a messy, beautiful love story he never imagined. A fresh and timeless tale of unexpected bliss, The Accidental Tourist showcases Tyler’s talents for making characters—and their relationships—feel both real and magical. “Incandescent, heartbreaking, exhilarating…One cannot reasonably expect fiction to be much better than this.” —The Washington Post

A groundbreaking study of twins brings together the latest scientific research and case studies to explore the complexities of human behavior and development as it examines such topics as twins separated at birth, pseudotwins, the loss of a twin, the implications of new fertility drugs, and more. 10,000 first printing. Tour.

Eleven-year-old twins Oliver and Celia Navel could care less about adventure and they really do not like excitement. They’d rather be watching television. Unfortunately for them, their thrill-seeking parents have dragged them from continent to continent their entire lives. But when their mother goes missing and their father makes a bet with the devious explorer Sir Edmund, the twins are forced into action. They head to Tibet where they fall out of airplanes, battle Yetis, poison witches, and encounter one very large yak. If they can unravel the mysteries and outwit Sir Edmund, they might just make the discovery of a lifetime . . . and get cable television!

The combination of a riveting true story and cutting-edge twin research makes this book an irresistible page-turner. Identical twins Begoña and Delia were born thirty-eight years ago in Spain’s Canary Islands. Due to chaotic conditions at the hospital or simple human error, the unthinkable happened: Delia was unintentionally switched with another infant in the baby nursery. This fascinating story describes in vivid detail the consequences of this unintentional separation of identical twin sisters. The author considers not only the effects on these particular sisters, but the important implications of this and similar cases for questions concerning identity, familial bonds, nature-nurture, and the law.

The Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart startled scientists by demonstrating that twins reared apart are as alike, across a number of personality traits and other measures, as those raised together, suggesting that genetic influence is pervasive. Segal offers an overview of the study’s scientific contributions and effect on public consciousness.