Chosen Family, Second Edition - Ellen M. Levy

Chosen Family follows the maturing relationship of Deborah and Miriam, the lesbian couple who weathered rejection and isolation after falling in love in 1910. We watched them struggle as they learned to balance their relationship with each other and their families as they faced intense experiences of loss and jealousy.

They enter 1915, at ages 22 and 23, dealing with multiple challenges in their world. They create a family of choice by bringing those in their inner circle closer. As each person in their lives impacts Deborah and Miriam, they expand their ability to cope with and learn from new experiences, enriching them as individuals and as a couple.

Deborah's enthusiasm in this book centers around her developing skills as a businesswoman, a writer, a friend, and a lover. Her maturity is welcome, as she becomes more confident and less impulsive. Deborah learns balance and to express her desires clearly, with less demand. Will she be able to put aside her practical temperament to meet Miriam's desperate hopes?

Miriam's focus is on her family. Their chosen child Sylvia, her sister Hannah, and her best friend Marjorie are of upmost importance to her. Also paramount is her growing ability to express herself and stand firm for her needs, setting aside her natural compulsion to care for others. Her awareness of ways to live a life bigger than the protected one for which she was destined, brings her into conflict, an unfamiliar experience for this sweet young woman.

In this book, you will learn the importance of parenting for these two women, understanding their conflicted needs. You will watch their differing styles and desires, wondering whose demands will be respected and rise to the top. They face their demons separately yet come together when their equilibrium is challenged. Their relationship has stabilized, yet the demands on this young couple are enormous. You will root them on as they walk the unstable path towards adulthood.