Status
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Description
Biography & Autobiography. Psychology. Nonfiction. HTML: Billy Milligan can be anyone he wants to be ... except himself. Out of control of his actions, Billy Milligan was a man tormented by twenty-four distinct personalities battling for supremacy over his body�??a battle that culminated when he awoke in jail, arrested for the kidnap and rape of three women. In a landmark trial, Billy was acquitted of his crimes by reason of insanity caused by multiple personality�??the first such court decision in history�??bringing to public light the most remarkable and harrowing case of multiple personality ever recorded. Twenty-four people live inside Billy Milligan. Philip, a petty criminal; Kevin, who dealt drugs and masterminded a drugstore robbery; April, whose only ambition was to kill Billy's stepfather; Adalana, the shy, lonely, affection-starved lesbian who "used" Billy's body in the rapes that led to his arrest; David, the eight-year-old "keeper of pain"; and all of the others, including men, women, several children, and the teacher, the only one who can put them all together. You will meet each in this often shocking true story. And you will be drawn deeply into the mind of this tortured young man and his splintered, terrifying wo… (more)
User reviews
The book can get somewhat confusing as it traces Billy's history through all of his personalities, but I believe that this actually helps the reader truly understand Billy by giving him/her a small taste of Billy's confusion. If you are fascinated by psychology and trying to better understand mental disorders, you should give this book a read.
This book also provides an interesting glimpse into how media can affect society's perception of persons with mental illnesses and how that can affect their treatment. I found myself becoming very sympathetic to Billy's plight and the end of the book provided some frustration for me as it detailed his struggles with the media and the justice system, which was unfairly biased by the media. This book will challenge you to accept multiple personality disorder as a real diagnosis (if you don't already) and to feel sympathy for a convicted rapist. I highly recommend this book.
In prison, it becomes immediately evident to his attorneys that something is not right. Psychologists uncover the truth, and Billy is found not guilty by reason of insanity. Billy is shuffled from hospital to hospital, where doctors and staff doubt his condition and describe a series of harmful treatments.
Hard to put down, this book is an intriguing look into Billy’s mind. It is well written and the cast of characters come to life to the reader. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in psychology or multiple personality disorder.