First Person Plural: My Life As a Mutilple

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Summary: A novel like story of the wonders of the human mind.
Review: I read this book because I saw it on Oprah and couldn't put it down. It is truely insperational and amaizing how the human mind takes over to protect itselfe. This book also expailns the disorder in such a way that you finnish the book with understanding of how and why.

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Summary: Could've been better
Review: This book would have been good if you are into that type of thing. I personally didn't like it.

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Summary: A REVIEW WORTH READING
Review: First, I would like to say that I have never before taken the time to actually read reviews of a book, until now. Nor have I ever videotaped Oprah while being at work, until now. All I saw was a 15 second, "Here's what's going to be on Oprah tomorrow²; a shot of Cameron West; and a brief description of the content of the show, and I knew that this was going to be a show worth taping. I was right. Cam West seemed a perplexing man, even before I read the book! I have done extensive reading on DID/MPD, and the subject alone seems to keep me enthralled. Cam's strength was visible throughout the show, and made me want to know more about the man, and not just the disease. The mere mention of a book telling the story of his life in more detail gave me chills, and sent me running to the bookstore. From the moment I opened this book, I felt completely absorbed in the happenings of this family and it¹s dealings with this horrible disease. I felt as though I was Rikki; trying to understand the horrific effects this abuse would have on a person; then wondering how I would have dealt with it. After learning his childhood realities and going through a long period of time with DID, I cannot fathom how Cam could have come to these amazing conclusions---marriage and family intact; self-esteem preserved; his health in good shape. I feel sorry for the kind of people that would have the gall to say that he made this story up, and his only vision of an outcome was the profit. They need to learn to think and speak with an open mind, and become more knowledgeable about the goings-on in our minds, our bodies and in the world. This personal story has affected me. Not only because of the intense story of the West¹s lives, but Cam¹s writing style is wonderful! Other reviews have stated that he gives too much detail about the unimportant things in the book, but it is the detail that makes this book worth reading, and gives it so much character. It¹s incredible how a person with a DID can be so charismatic and humorous! Cheers to Cam, Rikki, Kyle, and all the guys for contributing to the work put into this book, and for making me feel honored to have shared in this family¹s experiences.

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Summary: Very Powerful reading and truly educational
Review: After watching Cam on the Oprah show I knew I had to get this book and when finished write this review. I have lived with a DID child since she was four years old and have been in therapy with her since she was five. She is now twelve, in and out of Psychiatric facilities when she can no longer "keep herself together" and only now, after watching Cam on Oprah and reading this book have I been able to get the information I need to have her admitted for consultation at Timberlawn Mental Health Facility in Dallas, TX. I recently purchased Dr Colin Ross's book and have hope that this child can receive the proper treatment for this horrible disorder. Living in a small rural area in Upstate NY is not the place to be to find the right psychiatric help you need. We have been fortunate though in having a therapist that believes this child is DID and has given myself and my husband great support through these very trying years. I knew at age 5 and discovering through her own details that she was abused and neglected that she had more than one persona. She had different voices, facial expressions,and very severe mood changes,happening rapidly. She is very intelligent and expresses openly to us and through her artistic work that she is "different". Our goal is to find the right psychiatrist that can offer his expertise to our area and help not only this child but others that I am sure are out there. Cam's book opened up a whole new world for me and my husband. We now feel validated in our own diagnosis. We have lost family members through this ordeal since we will not give her up. I now realize that the reason they want us to give her up is their inability to accept the fact that this happened within our family. This little girl is my great-niece. It is very hard for family to accept that something as horrible as sexual abuse could have happened in your very own family. We were in denial for a very long time ourselves. We have tremendous support from our two grown daughters and I think this has made us even stronger as a family unit. I think unless you can actually live with someone who has an illness such as DID you can never really believe that this is real. Even though we have not been treated by a specialist for DID, we have been able to talk to her alters and actually have conversations. We have been able to keep the "angry one" at bay in our home. We have discovered that now that she knows they can come out and speak to us, she feels safer in our home. She truly is a beautiful child and we want her to live as normal a life as possible. We will not give up on her and am looking forward to going to Dallas,TX for our consultation. If I had not seen Cam on Oprah that day,I don't think I would be this far today. Keep writing Cam and never give up. Our hearts and thoughts and prayers are out to you and your family. If you are ever speaking in our region, we will be there. I would love to talk to you and Rikki. I know first hand what it is like to live with a DID and feel the pain every day. Thank you so much for your help.

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Summary: best book I hae read in a long time
Review: This was the best book I have read in a LONG time. Once I started it I could not put it down. I felt as if I was sitting right there talking to Cameron one on one. It Gave me a whole new persperctive on what it is like to be a multiple. And at the same time gave me information on the condition. It made me laugh it mademe cry and most of all it made me feel for his family, friend and most of all himself.

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Summary: Excellent book!
Review: This book gives hope to other people who have been abused. After reading the book I decided to go back to therapy and to try to solve my own problems and face my own demons. There are very painful memories and feelings for me to face -- and some long periods in my childhood that I don't really remember at all. I haven't had the guts to really face them before, even if I've tried to. Thank you for this book. It gave me much courage. I can do this. Thanks and good luck!

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Summary: The most un-put-down-able book I've read in years
Review: I too, purchased Dr. West's book after seeing his interview on Oprah, and expected to feel somewhat let down after reading it. I didn't. Not only did I come away with a bone-numbing sense of sadness for the little boy that endured such atrocities, but I also was somewhat awed by Rikki's strength and courage. (Stand by your man, indeed...). The book is a fine testimony to the absolute strength and courage of the human spirit - Bravo to you and your guys, Dr. West.

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Summary: Anyone interested in the power of the mind must read this!
Review: The most excellent book that I have read in a long time. It shows you how powerful your mind can really be. Cameron West takes you through his long journey of being diagnosed with DID also known as multiple personality disorder. It made me realize that he got through so much and is still dealing with it daily, so we can all learn from it and get through anything that life throws us. A true testimonial of the brilliance of the human brain. And the saying that "He wont give you anymore than you can handle" is definetly echoed throughout.

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Summary: Outstanding book....one of the best I've read
Review: When I saw him on Oprah, I was studying about DID and other psychological disorders, and was doing a clinical rotation at a psych facility for Nursing school. I wanted to read the book so bad, so I went to bookstore looking for it and was told it wouldn't be out until March, so I tried Amazon.com for the first time and ordered the book (cheaper I might add). When it came I started reading it right away, and finished it in 4 days. It was absolutely wonderful and well written. It kept my attention and made me keep turning the pages to read what was next. To read a book written by the person that actually suffers from DID and how it affects his family life was so interesting and gave me an insight to how it must feel for him. He's a wonderful writer, and I'm impressed at how he can get his life into just 319 pages. Absolutely wonderful job!!!!! Read it, I'll guarantee you'll be encaptured by it, and won't want to put it down!!!!

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Summary: Honest..Enlightening..The Human Spirit can Triumph ;-)
Review: I found this book informative and heart breaking! I cheered for "Cam" as he faced the "demons" from his childhood and for the real life love story that exists between Cameron his wife Rikki and their son Kyle. Life is what we make of it....Cameron West was handed a bowl of rotten lemons and he still managed to make himself a sweet glass of lemonade....Bravo to you and all of your guys!!!!!! Donna