Author(s): Paul Little

New Zealand Biography & Memoirs

The Lawson quins were a medical miracle and a national obsession. Samuel, Lisa, Deborah, Shirlene and Selina turn 50 on 27 July 2015. Their early childhood was idyllic, but when their parents' marriage broke up, their mother married a man who terrorised them for eight years before killing her and himself when they were just 16. After that, the nation's darlings were thrown into nightmare years of abuse and heartache, gangs and drugs, beatings and betrayals, from which they have slowly fought their way back. Based on unprecedented access to the quins themselves, and featuring many never before seen family photos, this is a story about the strength of love and family and their ability, in the face of horrendous obstacles, not just to survive but to triumph.