Sickened : The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood

Rating:
Summary: Tragic
Review: This wonderfully written memoir details Munchausen by Proxy Disorder from the experiences of the author as a little girl. My book club is currently reading Sickened and each of us have prematurely contacted eachother, having finished the book in record time, to discuss our horror and deepfelt pain for Julie and the other children in the past and presently who suffer under the mother Sandy. We have extended our discussion time by double in anticipation of some emotional input and feedback from the members. We have already discovered some of our members were abused as children and this book has deeply affected those members as well as the rest of us who weren't. This book brings to light the face behind the whispers and myths of Munchausen by Proxy and child abuse in general. In terms of the quality of writing, it is obvious the author is a born writer and will no doubt be a best seller for decades to come. Our book club waits in anticipation for more of her work. Five stars from my husband and I.

Rating:
Summary: So well written...
Review: This book is so well written it was as if I was the little girl Julie who was suffering. I feel so sad for Tina and Paul and every child who is subjected to Sandy. I looked at the authors website and was shocked to see the children were returned to her abusive mother. I hope something can be done for them. I keep this book on my coffee table for all to read when they come over. My online book club and prayer group are currently reading this book and I know several members have already left reviews. I can't wait for the discussions and to hear everyone's impressions. I am sure it will be a prayer filled and heartfelt meeting.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book
Review: Julie Gregory's Memoirs of child abuse by her mother are powerful and poignant. Many questions I had about Munchausen Disorder have been answered. I was given a glimpse into the painful existence of a child who suffers this abuse and it was chilling to say the least. I cannot imagine what it took for the author to survive to become the excellent writer she has become but I appluad her for her work in Sickened. This book should be mandatory reading for all physicians, child abuse specialists and children. I know I will be buying several copies to be given to friends and family for Christmas. It may seem an odd gift but life changing and beautiful, it reminded me what matters and what is important in this world. Touched in my soul I give this book 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: Sickened
Review: I bought this book and was astounded by the experiences of this little girl. I cannot imagine how Julie Gregory was able to write about these deeply disturbing events of her childhood. This book is so beautifully written it brought me to tears often, smiles to my face and filled my heart with hope and strength. I was drawn into her story and powerfully felt as though I was the one experiencing the abuse. What is most amazing is the survival into success the author has accomplished. I cannot imagine enduring much less overcoming such abuse to the extent the author has. She was born a gifted writer who endured deep pain at the hands of her mother and went on to write a story which touches the soul of the reader on a profound level. I give Sickened five stars for content, skill and impact on the reader.

Rating:
Summary: No Doubt
Review: There is no doubt this is the most powerful story about child abuse I have ever read. I am an avid reader of child abuse books having been abused as a child myself. These memoirs are so well written and powerful that I was literally in her story with her, feeling what she felt, seeing what she saw. I understand much of what other readers may not in terms of being repeatedly drawn to the abusive parent or remembering some things verbatim and others just out of reach, Somatic disassociation. I see, as would any child abuse professional, what is so clear but invisible to those who don't have a clue, how the abuse has filtered into Julie's thinking, writing and spirit of survival. Her will to overcome and stand up to her memories and own them through these deeply touching memoirs impacts the reader leaving them feeling scourged while filled with hope and a sense of tangible peace.

Rating:
Summary: Deeply Moved
Review: What can I say? I read Sickened aloud, the whole thing, to my family over a period of two weeks. We are all sitting here as I am leaving this review wanting to express our deepest gratitude to the author, Julie Gregory, for having the strength to overcome and succeed. We will be praying for Tina and Paul. We looked at the case update on Julie's site and saw that the children had been returned to her abusive mother. Today, we are thankful to have eachother and truly saddened for Tina and Paul. Our family will be forever changed by these memoirs of pain and survival. Julie, you write so well about things that no one should ever struggle to find words for. Don't give up and don't stop praying, we are praying with you and I am sure many others are too. It must have been very difficult to reveal such a deeply painful part of you for the whole world to see but know that the beautiy in your spirit shines through so clearly. One can't help but to fall in love with the child you were and the woman you are today. be strong, you will make it through. I hope you continue to write, you are so talented as a writer.

Rating:
Summary: Five Stars
Review: I have recommended this book to all of my collegues, family and friends. I have given it out as a gift and made sure my library and the schools my children attended have this book on their shelves. I think it is a great piece of american literature. Firstly because Julie Gregory has amazing talent as a story teller and writer. A very professionally written memoir which brings tears to the eyes along with an overwhelming sense of surviving hope to every reader. Secondly, Julie's life, her story of her childhood, deserves to be examined and debated. Nothing like what she endured should ever happen to a child and yet our news broadcasts and papers are filled with such grotesque child abuse stories. The fact that there is a name for what her mother was suffering from is disgusting. The fact that it is not an isolated situation and the fact that it is becomign so well-known among the mental health and physical healthcare communities because of its prevalence, is disturbing. I doubt you will find a better guide through such abuse than from the child who suffered through it. This should be mandatory reading for all parents and children.

Rating:
Summary: Deeply Touched
Review: I am lost for words. Julie Gregory's memoirs of childhood abuse belong in our worst nightmares, only she was forced to endure every waking moment of pain and suffering handed to her by her own mother. The truly amazing aspect of her memoirs is that she survived to write them. I would expect to see her dead or in a mental institution after enduring such trauma in her childhood. It makes my skin cold to think of her poor innocent face as a child desperately wanting to be loved by the one person who was unable to love anyone, even herself. What was most inspiring about this book was the apparent gift and skill in which it was expertly written. I can only imagine the journey to write it (which is probably a good story in itself) but to articulate such pain and deeply disturbing memories, reality for Julie, in such a touchingly gifted way proves she is an author to be contended with. I await her future publications eagerly. I am hopeful that Julie Gregory pursue the writing career she is so clearly fitted for. A tear and a smile for you Julie, you suffered and you endured and you survived to tell your story, powerfully, to help others and to find peace ultimately.

Rating:
Summary: Emotional Experience
Review: Both horrific and fascinating, "Sickened" is an emotional book that delivers a powerful punch. Like "Nightmares Echo" and "My Fractured Life", it puts a strong light on not just the clinical details of abuse but the lifetime psychological after-effects.

Rating:
Summary: Sickened...and a bit disappointed too.
Review: I was very anxious to read this book as I find this syndrome quite fasinating and it's difficult to find personal accounts of it. I was a disappointed though. The writing seems scrambled, and it seems like she leaves out parts of her childhood or discribes them so vaguely you can't really get a good feel for them. And there seemed to be alot of other horrible abuses a bit more shocking than the MSP. She should have titled it: "A Crappy Childhood." I guess the MSP wasn't as focused on or fleshed out as much as I'd hoped. And so many things left unsaid! What were the pills her mother fed her all the time? Did she really get her mother in trouble at the end? I agree with some other reviewers that it was a bit annoying to see her continually go back to her mother over and over and never report or say anything to anyone, even when she was standing there on the courthouse steps with every opportunity. Julie's mother does make you sick, you just want to beat the hell out of her; her husbands too. So while it was a nasty story of child abuse, it wasn't exactly the one I was expecting.