Customer Reviews

I'm Eve

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Chris Costner Sizemore was born in 1927 North Carolina to a large, loving, but generally uneducated farming family who assumed that her childhood difficulties were willful. When an abusive marriage at last drove her into psychiatric care, she was diagnoised with what is commonly known as "split personality" or "multiple personality disorder." Her therapist of the time, Dr. Thigpen, noted three distinct personalities and his documentation of her case in lectures and films of his patient created a sensation in the medical community. Thigpen later wrote the book THE THREE FACES OF EVE; an instant bestseller, it was transformed into an Academy Award-winning film starring Joanne Woodward in 1957. Both book and film concluded with the patient's cure. Unfortunately for the real "Eve," nothing could have been further from the truth.

According to Sizemore, Thigpen repeatedly discouraged her from stating that she was "Eve," and when she did at last publish her own account of her illness the text was significantly edited by Thigpen himself. It was not until 1978 that she, working with family member and author Elen Sain Pittillo, wrote I'M EVE--a no-holds-barred account of her life and her illness. It proved a major best seller and prompted renewed interest in this relatively rare condition.

Written in the third person by Pittillo from Sizemore's notes, I'M EVE paints a picture of an intelligent, creative child whose awkwardness, sensitive nature was early impacted by a series of tragedies that both she and her subsequent therapists believe caused her "splinter" into multiple personalities. Each time she was called upon to face something frightening or unpleasant, or found herself excessively frustrated, Chris Sizemore brought forth a personality specifically enabled to do what she herself could not: deal with the fear, act on the anger, express the frustration.

While there is some wobble to the wheel, in a general sense these personalities tended to arise in sets of two and three, and as time passed the "core" personality, Sizemore herself, became increasingly lost in the shuffle. Although she seemed to reach a cure under Thigpen, she actually continued to give rise to other personalities for many years after--and found herself frustrated in future treatment by Thigpen's refusal to believe that such was indeed the case. She did eventually find effective treatment, but this account leaves the reader with the distinct impression that Sizemore's cognative abilities matured more or less on their own, and that when she was at last able to recognize that she herself was the source of the personalities she reached an equilibrium.

I'M EVE is not loaded with psychiatric jargon; it is instead Sizemore's own account of her life, what she believes may have prompted and perpetuated the cycles of personalities, and how she came to a point at which she realized she herself bore ultimately responsibility for ending these cycles. The first half of the book is something of an uphill read, heavy handed in style and perhaps more detailed than necessary in its seemingly endless description of Sizemore's family and her place in it. At mid-point, however, it begins to crackle with power, and by the time the work concludes one is left to ponder all that Sizemore and her family endured with a sense of shock and an admiration for all concerned.

Sizemore does not offer any easy answers. She herself is not entirely sure how the condition came into being, continued, or indeed came to an end. Many may feel that this gives the work an unacceptable vagueness--but real life is seldom as cut and dried as a psychiatric text, and I'M EVE is reflective of that. While it is flawed in style, and while it may not be ultimate literary statement on multiple personality disorder, it is a powerful story and strongly recommended to all those interested in the subject.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

This is absolutely the best book I have ever read. Many people would ridicule the whole idea of fragmented personalities, but we know so little about the mind. This book takes the reader into the mind of Chris Sizemore, and also gives a view from her cousin, who saw strange things happening, but did not know what it was about. I saw the movie, "The Three Faces of Eve", years ago, and even then I was facinated by the idea of personality disorders. I have tried to find out if Chris Sizemore and Elen Pittillo are still living, but so far have found no information. I am so glad that this book was written, and I recommend it to everyone.

Excellent story of all that really happened to Chris Costner. Get her most recent update, A Mind of My Own.

After reading this book, and reflecting back on the 1950's Joanne Woodward film "The Three Faces of Eve," one realizes Hollywood only tapped the surface. The true story would make for twice the screenplay we saw from the movie. What a way to experience life, not being able to control your true personality. And very well written too.

I like books better than the movies they make from them and this is no exception. If you like the Joanne Woodward movie, you will LOVE this book about the Real Eve White

Tho the writing is a little stilted and some of the 'horrors' Chris Costner had to endure were a little lame, I can understand that they were not, for her, of no consequence. The book gave a lot of understanding into how women were treated in the time period - and how poorly understood mental problems have been in the past, the very real dangers of admitting to mental problems, and having them treated by people who are more interested in publishing and ego pumping than in curing the afflicted.

While the book did not grip my interest firmly, it was an enjoyable book, informative and with things I did not know and found to be educational.

This is another autobiography from the woman who was the subject of *Three Faces of Eve* and later wrote *Final Face of Eve* as "Evelyn Lancaster". She lived for many years with multiple personalities and much of the book is about this. I don't take repressed memories or "cult abuse" seriously, but her weird story is a lifelong personal favorite of mine. My father met Sizemore during a personal appearance she made in the 1970s; she lived in my hometown of Greenwood SC at that time. (I was a small child and was not invited). Since that time she has gotten involved with people claiming to be survivors of cult abuse and even written part of a book on this topic. Definitely recommended for Eve fans or anyone loving insane tales of...insanity. (Chris, more power to ya! When's your next book coming out?)

I believe Sizemore's story; I do. I'm multiple myself, after all. However, I'd like to hope that I could construct a better written version of my own life than this. The style is truly ghastly, so much so that couldn't finish it at all. I got about 50 pages in before *I* started to dissociate just to get away from this book. UGH.

My daughter has a similar problem as EVE. Please if Eve is reading this. Contact us. We live in Marion County and we are desperate.