Reviews
Sybil Exposed: The Extraordinary Story Behind the Famous Multiple Personality Case by Debbie Nathan
byashleylamar's review against another edition
4.0
Sybil. It is one of those names that seemingly can't be spoken aloud without everyone thinking of the young woman with the 16 multiple personalities who was the subject of a bestselling book and a television movie starring Sally Field. Every psychology student in America has read the book and/or seen the movie, analyzed the case and discussed it at great length. It is likely one of the most well-known psychological cases in American history...and it was very likely all a ruse.
The information brought to light in Debbie Nathan's book is both fascinating and morally reprehensible. Dr. Connie Wilbur, Sybil (real name Shirley Mason) was victim of unbelievably unethical and irresponsible practices including electroshock, drug abuse and over-prescription, hypnosis, injections of Pentothal (aka "truth serum) despite Dr. Wilbur knowing that they could lead to false memories, leading and suggestive questions, and implanted memories. Dr. Wilbur was so consumed by her own ambition and desires that she refused to see the obvious - Sybil was faking. As you read it becomes clear that the abuse she claimed to have suffered didn't happen. At one point Sybil even wrote a letter confirming her personalities were faked but Dr. Wilbur refused to accept the truth.
It's a well-researched book on a very polarizing topic - is MPD a legitimate condition and did Sybil really have 16 personalities? People will either love or hate this book.
The information brought to light in Debbie Nathan's book is both fascinating and morally reprehensible. Dr. Connie Wilbur, Sybil (real name Shirley Mason) was victim of unbelievably unethical and irresponsible practices including electroshock, drug abuse and over-prescription, hypnosis, injections of Pentothal (aka "truth serum) despite Dr. Wilbur knowing that they could lead to false memories, leading and suggestive questions, and implanted memories. Dr. Wilbur was so consumed by her own ambition and desires that she refused to see the obvious - Sybil was faking. As you read it becomes clear that the abuse she claimed to have suffered didn't happen. At one point Sybil even wrote a letter confirming her personalities were faked but Dr. Wilbur refused to accept the truth.
It's a well-researched book on a very polarizing topic - is MPD a legitimate condition and did Sybil really have 16 personalities? People will either love or hate this book.
radioactivebubbles's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Violence, and Child abuse
amy_da1sy's review against another edition
I actually don’t know how to rate this as I can’t tell what’s true and what’s not. I had never heard of Sybil before and just picked this book up from the library. It was an interesting read for sure.
dedasab's review
It didn't grab my attention and read many negative one star reviews, so I thought I've got many other books, so why should I waste my time reading something that doesn't interest me?!
bucklace27's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Death and Death of parent
cantordustbunnies's review against another edition
3.0
Nathan has an annoying habit of shoehorning in feminism to almost every point she makes in this book. She squeezes in references to Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedman, and just in general brings everything back to women whenever possible. I found this to be unwelcome in a book ostensibly about a very specific case and more broadly about a supposed disorder that regardless of its validity does affect both men and women. Besides feminism, the author has another axe to grind when it comes to defending the wrongfully accused which makes me wonder how objective her presentation as a whole is. However, this book provides a lot of useful perspective on current cultural phenomena such as people “identifying” as trees or as brand new genders. People clearly latch on to strange ideas which let them cry out for help or give expression to pain and this is not a new phenomenon. In the 90s it was multiple personalities. Despite the author interpreting everything through feminist social critique I did enjoy this book and it is useful in gaining understanding of this “condition.”
dajna's review against another edition
I read [b:The Minds of Billy Milligan|1391817|The Minds of Billy Milligan|Daniel Keyes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1360229756l/1391817._SX50_.jpg|2946399] and I'm now down the rabbit hole.
The 3 women in the book fuelled each other to a pathological frenzy. The problem is, Dr. Cornelia Wilbur madness spread worldwide, ruining thousands of life, withdrawing cures from patiences, fabricating lies, sending parents and educators to jail (satanic panic, anyone?).
I'm speachless.
The 3 women in the book fuelled each other to a pathological frenzy. The problem is, Dr. Cornelia Wilbur madness spread worldwide, ruining thousands of life, withdrawing cures from patiences, fabricating lies, sending parents and educators to jail (satanic panic, anyone?).
I'm speachless.
elizaeliza's review against another edition
5.0
4.5
When I first started reading this book I was put off by the author's anger. I thought, she so critical of the everyone and everything, how is she going to be thoughtful about as complex a topic as MPD/DID? But as the story unfolded I got angry too. Wow, the deliberate fabrication. Wow, the ruined lives. Wow, power in the wrong hands.
So the book ends up being a kind of cautionary tale. It's simultaneously about the evils of money-driven ambition and the horror of financial dependence. It's about how difficult it was to be a professional woman in post WW2 America. It's about unusual women in an unusual and highly unethical friendship. It's about the uses and misuses of science and power ceded to "experts". It's a hymn to investigative journalism and ethical standards.
I've always avoided reading Sybil because I didn't want to expose myself to graphic descriptions of child sexual torture. I feel I should warn potential readers of this book that it does quote from Sybil though mostly in the short chapters titled "The Edit" and "The Book" and the quotes are clearly italicised so I was able to skim or skip those bits.
I still have lots of questions about hysteria and dissociation and trauma. But this was a very worthwhile read on the topic.
When I first started reading this book I was put off by the author's anger. I thought, she so critical of the everyone and everything, how is she going to be thoughtful about as complex a topic as MPD/DID? But as the story unfolded I got angry too. Wow, the deliberate fabrication. Wow, the ruined lives. Wow, power in the wrong hands.
So the book ends up being a kind of cautionary tale. It's simultaneously about the evils of money-driven ambition and the horror of financial dependence. It's about how difficult it was to be a professional woman in post WW2 America. It's about unusual women in an unusual and highly unethical friendship. It's about the uses and misuses of science and power ceded to "experts". It's a hymn to investigative journalism and ethical standards.
I've always avoided reading Sybil because I didn't want to expose myself to graphic descriptions of child sexual torture. I feel I should warn potential readers of this book that it does quote from Sybil though mostly in the short chapters titled "The Edit" and "The Book" and the quotes are clearly italicised so I was able to skim or skip those bits.
I still have lots of questions about hysteria and dissociation and trauma. But this was a very worthwhile read on the topic.