A review by haldoor
Chang And Eng by Darin Strauss
4.0
An interesting fictionalisation of the life of Chang & Eng, the 'Siamese twins' that conjoined twins are named for. Certain true aspects of their life have been used to make a story told from Eng's point of view from the time they were born in Siam (modern-day Thailand) through to their death in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
Eng is a learned man, more interested in books than his brother Chang, who descends into alcoholism later in life, but together they are as close as brothers can be for their whole life. They face numerous hardships from being imprisoned by the King of Siam, through to being taken advantage of and being held hostage in America by unscrupulous entrepreneurs willing to make money from them, as well as being stared at, laughed at, and then living through the American civil war.
The twins married American sisters and between them fathered 21 children. They also owned slaves in the tumultuous American South at a difficult time in history, not to mention unusual for men of colour at that time.
This is a fascinating study which, while not 100% factual, certainly gives some idea of what it must be like to live permanently attached to another person and dependent on each other for so many things, least of all co-operation simply to move.
Eng is a learned man, more interested in books than his brother Chang, who descends into alcoholism later in life, but together they are as close as brothers can be for their whole life. They face numerous hardships from being imprisoned by the King of Siam, through to being taken advantage of and being held hostage in America by unscrupulous entrepreneurs willing to make money from them, as well as being stared at, laughed at, and then living through the American civil war.
The twins married American sisters and between them fathered 21 children. They also owned slaves in the tumultuous American South at a difficult time in history, not to mention unusual for men of colour at that time.
This is a fascinating study which, while not 100% factual, certainly gives some idea of what it must be like to live permanently attached to another person and dependent on each other for so many things, least of all co-operation simply to move.