Sybil Exposed: The Extraordinary Story Behind the Famous Multiple Personality Case by Debbie Nathan
Even those who have not heard of the book and movie Sybil, have likely been influenced by it. Multiple personality disorder or, later, dissociative identity disorder has played a role in major films, TV shows, and books. However, Sybil remains a touchstone for this condition. But, what do we really know about the women behind Sybil? There was Shirley, the patient who was given the pseudonym Sybil, Connie, the doctor who treated Shirley, and Flora, the journalist who wrote the book. As Debbie Nathan discovered while expertly writing Sybil Exposed, much of Sybil was fabricated by at least one of these three women.
Yet Sybil Exposed is more than just a look at this fabrication. Nathan deftly contextualizes Sybil and the lives of the women behind this influential work in current events of the day, the state of psychology at the time, and the history of feminism. Nathan skillfully weaves together the lives of these women, vital context, and clear prose to create Sybil Exposed, which is a book necessary for understanding an important watershed, although fraudulent, work.
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