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The Sum Of My Parts: A Survivor's Story Of Dissociative Identity Disorder (2011)

by Olga Trujillo(Favorite Author)

4.35 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1572249919 (ISBN13: 9781572249912)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

New Harbinger Publications

review 1: This was a very difficult book to read. I have never known anyone that have been abused but I can imagine it must be devastating. The first six chapters telling the hell that Olga went through was horrible. Here and there, I had to skip a paragraph as it just seemed unbearable, even for an outsider. It is a miracle that Olga survived, physically as well as mentally. Her mind protected her, making different rooms where some of the bad could hidden. But this wonderful self preservation also caused her to “forget” the abuse, giving her parents the opportunity to sell her again and again. It was heartbreaking reading about her excitement for a special date with her parents, knowing what was really in store for her. After the first chapters, we learn about the long road tha... moret Olga had to walk to become the woman she is today. She had developed a multiple personality disorder and has a few identities, only identified by her age at the time that they were formed. Three was the first personality that entered her consciousness when she started her sessions with her doctor. Three described the “first” rape by her father. Olga was devastated. How could she continue, knowing what the past held? Even with all her success (both professionally and personally) there is still some days that she does not pick up the warning signs. Some days are just too much. Some days she falls back into the awful self destructive routines. I understand that this type of book will never have a “happy ending” but it was hard to know that Olga struggles, even today. She is a very brave woman and I take off my hat to her . . .
review 2: Name: The Sum of My Parts: A Survivor’s Story of Dissociative Identity Disorder Author: Olga Trujillo ISBN: 9781572249912 Genre: Biography/Memoir Publisher: New Harbinger Publications Publication/Expected Publication: October 1, 2011[TRIGGER WARNING: Spousal abuse, child abuse, sexual abuse, child prostitution]This is an amazing book by an amazing woman. The first half of the book details the author’s struggle to endure through a graphically abusive childhood. The second half addresses the author’s attempts to come to terms with that childhood and the coping methods she developed in order to survive it.It is a very challenging book to read. The author describes her book’s setup in the preface and advises those who might be triggered by her descriptions to skip ahead to Chapter 7. (Side note: as someone who knows survivors of abuse, I found this preface to be extremely thoughtful and in no way off-putting.) But even those who may not be triggered will find the descriptions of her treatment as a child revolting and (almost literally) sickening.In order to cope with the tragic circumstances she lived in - sexually abused by her father, brothers, and their friends with a mother who looked the other way - with each attack, the author created what she called different “parts” or “rooms” in her psyche. These parts/rooms were locked away so the child would not have to immediately deal with the pain that came with the experience. Similarly, the small bright spots that shed some hope into her life - a friendly neighbor, a caring teacher, true friends - were also encapsulated in a part to be retrieved when needed.When the author reached the age of 31, she began working with a therapist who was able to gain her trust and reach out to these different parts (usually identified by their age) in an attempt to achieve complete integration. Although this led to difficulties with her job, her friends, her marriage, and even her own self-confidence, the author’s perseverance in getting and maintaining treatment for her Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID - formerly know as Multiple Personality Disorder) is something to be admired. **Please note that I did receive a free copy of this book via Netgalley.** less

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