This was a fascinating memoir. It sucked me in almost immediately, and I got through it in just a few days, one of which was pretty busy.

What's good:

It contains a fair bit of information on the sessions and work with his therapist. Also, there's a lot description of his inner world, how it's organized, and how the personalities interact. This was the primary reason I read this, so I appreciated it. Finally, Oxnam writes well (but see below for more on his writing).

What's not so good:

I would've appreciated more information about the therapy. Though, he writes well, Oxnam doesn't succeed in injecting much emotion; much of the writing felt pretty flat to me. I could've done without the extensive descriptions of his lavish wedding and hanging out/working with various famous people. He acknowledges that he's a name-dropper (or at least the personality who did most of the writing is), but that self-knowledge didn't seem to lead to excising these superfluous parts of the book. Though, in his defense, he tends to use these to illustrate how the various personalities help and hinder him in the situations. ( )

I couldn't get through it. I gave up. ( )

This guy is friggin' crazy! He has 11 different personalities in the "castle" within his head ... if he weren't such an educated scholar, I would think he was a complete lunatic. I probably should mention that I read mostly memoirs and nonfiction. ( )

This guy is friggin' crazy! He has 11 different personalities in the "castle" within his head ... if he weren't such an educated scholar, I would think he was a complete lunatic. I probably should mention that I read mostly memoirs and nonfiction. ( )

This book was utterly fascinating. I listened to the audiobook while commuting to grad school, and at first I didn't realize that it was narrated by the author---he's a fabulous reader! He could definitely be a professional audiobook voice actor ^_^ And why not? He's done about everything else!

One last thing: I'm amazed by Oxnam's courage in writing this book. Kudos to him and the other hims (and hers) within his psyche, especially since he is such a political and academic figure who had a lot to lose when his disorder came to the public.

I recommend this to anyone with an interest in psychiatric disorders, and, if possible, listen to the audiobook and hear the words in the author's own voices! ( )