A review by liseyp
The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

The true life story of Billy Milligan, the first man to be found not guilty by reason of insanity because of dissociative identity or multiple personality disorder.

 

I love Flowers for Algernon, but I’ve never considered looking for other books by the same author. But, when I saw Daniel Keyes’s name associated with Tom Holland’s new series The Crowded Room, I was immediately intrigued.

 

This is a relatively easy to understand book in that it doesn’t labour the technical explanations of Billy’s condition or sentencing, but it’s not as easy read. The way the author write about Billy’s life makes him very sympathetic. A survivor or domestic abuse and childhood sexual assault Billy’s psyche creates personas over which he has no conscious control or awareness, but who are able to deal or suffer different aspects of Billy’s life. However, ultimately this traumatised young man in turn traumatised three women by raping and robbing them at gunpoint.

 

I don’t think the author intentionally tries to minimise this, but as his focus is on Billy’s story the impact he has on others is lost. Not that the politicians and journalists who later argue for harsher control and punishment really have those women in mind either. They just seem to like riling up hatred. Just goes to show that refusing to consider the whole story isn’t just a 21st century thing.

 

What it does show though is how horrendous the mental health system can be where it prioritises punishment and control over people who don’t follow societal norms.

 

As an insight into DID it’s hard to know if how the personas in Billy’s system (or family as they refer to it) experiences the condition is typical. I suspect there is little that is typical about a mental illness largely associated with trauma. But, it is a fascinating read.