Non-fiction annotation

 Author: Debbie Nathan

Title: Sybli Exposed: The Extraordinary Story Behind the Famous Multiple Personality Disorder 

Genre: Non-fiction

Publication Date: 2011

Number of Pages: 297

Geographic Setting: New York 

Time Period: 1950's 

Series: N/A

Plot Summary: Research  is done to uncover the facts of Shirley Mason (Sybil) and her multiple personalities. John Jay College had an archive of Flora Shreiber's papers (the author of the book Sybil).  Nathan reviews those and then tracked down friends and relatives of Sybil, her psychiatrist, and the author of Sybil. Between multiple interviews, photos, records, tapes and diaries, Nathan discovers that the story is false. Sybil's psychiatrist "made extravagant, sadistic use of habit forming, mind bending drugs." According to the records, she used everything from psychedelics to Pentothal, even electroshock therapy to induce the personalities. 

Subject headings: Multiple Personality Disorder, Adventist, Psychiatry

Appeal: 

Characterization. We learn about the trio of women involved: Sybil, Dr. Wilbur, and Flora Shreiber. The reader learns of their ambitions, motivations,  and lack of morals.

Frame/Setting: Sybil was raised in an Adventist family. Details are provided that show that she was discouraged from anything creative: no reading, drawing, art, or even writing stories. 

Story line: The reader empathizes with Sybil as she struggles to find herself. She is desperately lonely as a child. She is frail and has unexplainable medical issues. She turns to a psychiatrist for help, only to have her take advantage of her. 

3 terms to describe this book: Disturbing, religious, compelling. 

Three Similar non-fiction works: 

Sybil by Flora Schrieber was originally written as a non-fiction book, telling of her 16 different personalities. Ranging from a whimpering toddler, to a suicidal girl, to a depressed grandma, the reader is intrigued. 

The Flock: The Autobiography of a Multiple Personality by Joan Frances Casey. Casey blanks out days at a time and decides to seek help with a psychiatrist. Physical and emotional abuse are some of the causes of her MPD. 

The Three Faces of Eve by Corbett H Thigpen. In this case, it was two psychiatrists and one patient.  There was Eve White, who was a mom and wife, Eve Black who liked to have a good time, and Jane, a adult. 

Three Similar Fiction Works: 

Surviving the Merge by C.P. Harris. A romance where the main character has MPD and his partner must learn to love the alter as well. 

Possession by Katie Lowe. This is a murder mystery. A man is brutally  murdered and the wife conveniently has memory loss and can't remember any events of that time. 

A Feigned Madness by Tonya Mitchell. The main character goes undercover impersonating a lunatic in order to expose troubles at an insane asylum. 


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