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.
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Daniel Keyes was born in Brooklyn, New York, and received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Brooklyn College. He has worked as a merchant seaman, fiction editor, high school teacher, and university professor. The author of eight books, he lives in Boca Raton, Florida.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
52 of 54 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I am a psychiatrist who subspecializes in working with patients with dissociative disorders. I read this book several years ago gave my copy to a colleague -- never to see it again. When I tried to replace it, it was out of print. I was crushed.
I loved it the first time and I love it even more this time. The author does such a fine job of using all of his skills to bring out the experience of multiplicity. It is a tremendous contribution to both professionals and the public. Just as in the story there were many people who didn't "believe" in the diagnosis -- even now, over 20 years later, there are still psychiatrists who are saying the same thing. It is a disgrace that people are so ignorant.
I couldn't help wondering at the end of the very sad story, "where is Billy Milligan today?" Dr. David Caul has died -- may he rest in peace. What an incredibly courageous soul he was to accept the challenge of steadfastly standing by Billy against harassment which would have brought almost anyone else down.
This book is so educational that no one should miss it.
39 of 42 people found the following review helpful
By Katie
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Wow! I just finished reading this book, and I am completely blown away!
"The Minds of Billy Milligan" is about a young man with multiple personality disorder, the crimes a few of his personalities committed, and the mostly horrendous treatment he endured while trying to find help for his mental disability.
One of the crimes committed was that of rape, the other was stealing. Although I must admit that the crime of rape is horrific, it seems as if neither the court, politicians, nor the media cared about the reasons it happened. All that was focused on was punishment, at the expense of trying to help this man get better, and to learn to be a functioning person is society. It is really quite sad!!!
Unfortunately, I think that if the same thing happened today, the results would be similar. We, as a society, are so worried about making sure that everyone receives their just punishment, that we don't stop to see if there is a reason for the disconnect - a reason for why people in our society do these things. Maybe if we would focus our attention on the "whys", and how to provide EFFECTIVE treatment, we would find ourselves in a much better place.
Overall, I found this book to be both sad & thought provoking. I found myself getting angry at the reporters who sought to bring him down every time he was starting to show progress, as well as toward the politicians who used him as a bargaining chip to gain more votes - quite unhonestly, I found this to be disgusting behavior as well!
I would recommend this book to anyone intersted in psychology - specifically multiple personality disorder - it is a real eye opener!
"The Minds of Billy Milligan" is about a young man with multiple personality disorder, the crimes a few of his personalities committed, and the mostly horrendous treatment he endured while trying to find help for his mental disability.
One of the crimes committed was that of rape, the other was stealing. Although I must admit that the crime of rape is horrific, it seems as if neither the court, politicians, nor the media cared about the reasons it happened. All that was focused on was punishment, at the expense of trying to help this man get better, and to learn to be a functioning person is society. It is really quite sad!!!
Unfortunately, I think that if the same thing happened today, the results would be similar. We, as a society, are so worried about making sure that everyone receives their just punishment, that we don't stop to see if there is a reason for the disconnect - a reason for why people in our society do these things. Maybe if we would focus our attention on the "whys", and how to provide EFFECTIVE treatment, we would find ourselves in a much better place.
Overall, I found this book to be both sad & thought provoking. I found myself getting angry at the reporters who sought to bring him down every time he was starting to show progress, as well as toward the politicians who used him as a bargaining chip to gain more votes - quite unhonestly, I found this to be disgusting behavior as well!
I would recommend this book to anyone intersted in psychology - specifically multiple personality disorder - it is a real eye opener!
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By Bluewater
Format:Mass Market Paperback
As with any work of non-fiction, we should allow ourselves to believe as much or as little as we wish to what the author(s) has to reveal in the story. I found this book to be an extraordinary account of the life of a young man living with MPD and the struggles he faced both personally and in society.
Although the crimes Billy committed while under alter peronalities are unexcusable, it's both sad and appalling to know that the justice system in this country can be so cruel.
The conclusion left me wanting to know more of what Billy's life may be like today. Unlike other books about MPD where the so-called victims receive a great deal of therapy to mesh their different personalities into one, this book offers a different end to perhaps becoming whole.
For anyone interested in MPD, this is a great read to add to his/her library.
Although the crimes Billy committed while under alter peronalities are unexcusable, it's both sad and appalling to know that the justice system in this country can be so cruel.
The conclusion left me wanting to know more of what Billy's life may be like today. Unlike other books about MPD where the so-called victims receive a great deal of therapy to mesh their different personalities into one, this book offers a different end to perhaps becoming whole.
For anyone interested in MPD, this is a great read to add to his/her library.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
If multiple personality is something that stirs up your curiosity this...
This book follows the life of Billy Milligan a Multiple Personality patient who is at first unaware of this condition. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Andriy
3.0 out of 5 stars
Unbelievable
and I can't believe it. Multiple personality disorder? We all present different faces to different people. It's not an excuse to commit a crime. So I couldn't recommend this book. Read more
Published 3 months ago by B. Ryan
3.0 out of 5 stars
No cover?
Nowhere in the description did it say that this book was missing it's dust jacket. Nevertheless, I am pleased with the purchase.
Published 3 months ago by Jonathan Evans
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Book I've Ever Read
I read this book many years ago and to this day, it is one I vividly remember. Over the years, I have recommended this book to others and even bought it for a few. Read more
Published 5 months ago by SJW
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very interesting!!
Very engaging--kept me interested to the very end and then inspired me to do some snooping on the internet. What is Billy Milligan's situation now?
Published 5 months ago by andree
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Read
Very interesting book, true life, and that poor mans life must have been hell in and out of mental asylums and prison, and really not understanding his own life, one minute in the... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Sarah T
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Highly Engaging Account of a Victim of Multiple Personalities
I would not rave over this book; however, given my strong interest in multiple personalities, as well as my interest in human psychopathology, I found "The Minds of Billy Milligan"... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Joseph A. Schrock
4.0 out of 5 stars
Completely Hooked
I heard about this book when I was doing some research, and watching a popular tv show about a woman with DID. I read the reviews on here, and decided it was worth my time. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Shay
1.0 out of 5 stars
Misleading, uninformative, and useless to any interested in MPD
The first and last chapters of this book are the only few worth any serious consideration. The 250 pages between them are Billy Milligan's own account of his life and therefore, if... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Terrence
5.0 out of 5 stars
Frank Tibbetts
Author Daniel Keyes has presented a very riveting description of the human condition if it is pushed too far. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Frank Tibbetts
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