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The Minds of Billy Milligan

The Minds of Billy Milligan

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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: From one who knows
Review: The book "The Minds of Billy Milligan" was terrific! I have Multiple Personality Disorder (DID) myself and the book was a tremendous help in gaining some type of control in my head. Billy was an amazing person and I admire him greatly. Another book that has helped me that should also be on your list is "First Person Plural" by Dr. Cameron West Ph. D. It was an auto biography from a person with the Disorder.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Fascinating look into a remarkable mind
Review: The Minds of Billy Milligan
Daniel Keyes, Random House, 1981 (reissued by Bantam as mass market paperback, 1999)

In 1977 a series of abductions and rapes in Ohio were followed by the arrest of William Stanley Milligan, who was assigned a public defender by the court. Milligan, who had previously been convicted of rape and armed robbery, was given a routine psychological evaluation by prosecution-friendly psychiatrists who quickly concluded that something was seriously wrong - that Milligan, in fact, had multiple personality disorder. Milligan eventually became the first multiple to receive a not guilty by reason of insanity verdict in a criminal trial.

I read this book originally as an adolescent, and recently picked it up again, curious if the book would hold the same power as an adult. I was pleasantly surprised. Daniel Keyes - author of the classic Flowers for Algernon - wrote this book in a fashion that takes the reader inside the mind of a remarkable, fascinating human being.

Each of Billy Milligan's 23 distinct personalities had their own voice, their own histories, their own character (or lack thereof) - they were different people, quite literally. Keyes captures this well, making it possible to clearly envision all of these people running around inside the body of one man. His further account of attempts to treat Milligan and "fuse" his personalities was even more fascinating.

Keyes is a solid novelist with a very good grasp of what happens inside people's hearts and minds. Applying those skills to a non-fiction, "true-crime" book, he has produced a masterpiece.

I was very disappointed to learn that the "sequel," the Milligan Wars, has only been published in Japanese and will not be available in North America until the movie based on the first book comes out. This book apparently covers what happened to Milligan after 1981 and the end of the first book. Based on what I could find on the web, no one really knows when or if the movie will actually be made, which means no one knows when or if the second book will be published.

A fascinating read and highly recommended.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: milligan
Review: this book was one of the only books ive ever finished in my life! And im 18. This book was so good. I couldnt put the book down. The Minds of Billy Milligan realy turned me on to reading. Ive read 2 books sence then and i only finished it 2 weeks ago. I wish that Milligan Wars would come out. I would be the first one at the door money in hand.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wow!
Review: This is one heck of an eye-opener of a book! The only thing I've read that was more intense than this was Jackson McCrae's "The Bark of the Dogwood." And to think, "Minds" has been out for quite a while. Where was I? This well-written and complex book will shake every notion you've had about multiples and put a new face (if not several) on this illness. Highly recommended.


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