Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33316 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 448 pages

Synopsis
A portrait of a tortured young man, arrested for a series of kidnappings and rapes, explores the world of a multiple personality, whose traumatic childhood shattered his mind into twenty-four distinct personalities. Reissue.

Customer Reviews

HOW FRAGILE THE HUMAN MIND CAN TRULY BE
Meet Billy Milligan. But who is he? The man with 24 distinct personalities. Meet Arthur the Englishman, Ragen the keeper of hate, and ultimately The Teacher - the "fusion" of all Billy's personalities. All these personalities began to be discovered after Billy was arrested for the kidnap and rape of 3 women, crimes for which he was acquitted by reason of insanity caused by the mulitple personalities. It is a heart-rendering exploration of the fragileness of the human mind.

A clever liar or a young man with 24 personalities
From the moment I opened the first page, I was gripped by the life of Billy Milligan. This book fantistically captures the experience and emotion in Billys life. From the abuse he encountered from his step father, to the crimes committed by his personalities, which led to his amazing trial and subsequent treatment. The author writes in a way which helps you understand and learn about each of Billys personalities from the wonderful boy Danny, to the "undesirables" bansished by Arthur. Each personality having its own name, weight and characteristics, from men to women, to adults to small children. It seems that this illness still brings out a lot of ignorance in people (as shown by Billys time in Lima Hospital)but with the help of books like this, maybe we all can learn to understand a little more. This book brought out many emotions, from tears, anger and frustration in me (and I wasn't even there!). This was my first real insight into multiple personality and how it affects not only the individual, but everybody around them. My only dissapointment in this book was that as soon as I finished it, I went on the net to find out more about Billy, to find out that a sequel has been written called the Milligan Wars (published in Japan) but not due to be published in America until the film The Crowded Room (based on the Mind of Billy Milligan) was released. Sadly after some investigation it looks like the film script has been left on a shelve to collect dust, and perhaps none of us will ever learn what happened next (unless we learn to speak Japanese. Still with this dissapointment I have to say that this book is amazing and highly recommended to anybody. Just be warned - its difficult to put down.

unputadownable!!!
I had read Sybil and wanted to read some other 'autobiographical' books on DID. When i read the synopsis and discovered Billy was trialed for rape, i admit, i was uneasy about begining this book.

However, my suspicions soon vanished and i became embroiled in Billy's world.

This is superbly written, appears factual yet conveys real emotion. At times, i would be reading and wiping the tears from my cheeks, or quietly muttering at the unfairness of people who pull the financial strings in hospital/judicial settings.

No doubt there are people out there who will say the book and its writings are a ruse to deflect the seriousness of the sex offence, but I for one, believe what is written.

It is thought provoking, powerful and a must for anyone who is interested in DID.