How to Be Multiple

The Philosophy of Twins

By: Helena de Bres, Julia de Bres - illustrator

Narrated by: Kirsty Gillmore

Bloomsbury presents How to Be Multiple by Helena de Bres, read by Kirsty Gillmore.

Philosopher Helena de Bres uses the curious experience of being a twin as a lens for reconsidering our place in the world.

Wait, are you you or the other one? Which is the evil twin? Have you ever switched partners? Can you read each other’s mind? Twins get asked the weirdest questions by strangers, loved ones, even themselves. For Helena de Bres, a twin and philosophy professor, these questions are closely tied to some of philosophy’s most unnerving unknowns. What makes someone themself rather than someone else? Can one person be housed in two bodies? What does perfect love look like? Can we really act freely? At what point does wonder morph into objectification?

Helena uses twinhood to rethink the limits of personhood, consciousness, love, freedom, and justice. With her inimitably candid, wry voice, she explores the long tradition of twin representations in art, myth, and popular culture; twins’ peculiar social standing; and what it’s really like to be one of two. With insight, hope, and humor, she argues that our reactions to twins reveal our broader desires and fears about selfhood, fate, and human connection, and that reflecting on twinhood can help each of us—twins and singletons alike—recognize our own multiplicity, and approach life with greater curiosity, imagination, and courage.©2023 Helena de Bres (P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

The Philosophy of Twins

This book is excellent. If you’re a twin or a philosophy nerd, or both in my case, it is a must read!!

Fantastic, funny and deep

A fun, funny, intellectually engaging book. Debres pulls of an amazing feat. The narrator is excellent too!

Interesting, but…

Interesting, but not as much info on twins as I was hoping. There are a lot of “off topic” agendas that the author weaves into a book about twins.

Not really about twins too much

This book is really more about the authors world view and experiences, I was expecting a bit more, but it turned out to be about how the author had issues and felt she was a victim in many circumstances.