Title: The Minds of Billy Milligan
Author: Daniel Keyes
First published October 1, 1981
374 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9780394519432 (ISBN10: 0394519434)
Rating: 4.3
Overview
The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes is a gripping true story that delves into the complex and troubled life of Billy Milligan. Billy was a man with twenty-four distinct personalities, each battling for control over his body.
As he struggled to come to terms with his condition, he found himself facing the most harrowing battle of all when he was arrested for the kidnap and rape of three women. In a landmark trial, he was acquitted of his crimes by reason of insanity, paving the way for one of the most fascinating cases of multiple personality ever recorded.
In this shocking tale, you will meet each of Billy’s personalities, from the violent criminal to the shy and lonely lesbian. Through their eyes, you will be drawn into the mind of this tortured young man and his splintered, terrifying world.
About the Author
Daniel Keyes was a famous American author, best remembered for his remarkable work, Flowers for Algernon, which won him both the Hugo and Nebula awards. In 2000, he was honored with the Author Emeritus title by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
Keyes was born in Brooklyn, New York City, and joined the U.S. Maritime Service as a ship’s purser at the age of 17. He went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Brooklyn College, and later a Master’s Degree in English and American Literature while teaching English in New York City public schools during the day and pursuing his passion for writing on weekends.
In the early 1950s, Keyes was the editor of a pulp magazine for publisher Martin Goodman. Later, he contributed to several science fiction comics, including Weird Science and Tales from the Crypt, under different pen names.
The story of Flowers for Algernon revolves around a mentally disabled man named Charlie, who undergoes experimental surgery and briefly becomes a genius before the effects tragically wear off. Initially published as a short story in 1959, it was later expanded into a novel in 1966.
The book has been adapted into various media, including the 1968 film, which won an Academy Award for Best Actor.
Keyes also taught creative writing at Wayne State University and later became an English and creative writing professor at Ohio University, where he was awarded the title of professor emeritus in 2000. Among his other works are The Touch, The Fifth Sally, and the memoir Algernon, Charlie, and I.
Editoral Review
The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes is a gripping true crime book published on October 1, 1981, that explores the fascinating case of Billy Milligan, a young man with dissociative identity disorder, also known as multiple personalities. This book is rich in historical content and significant in understanding how the law and science are inextricably linked.
This compelling story has been lauded by critics and readers alike and has won several prestigious awards. Daniel Keyes was an American author and professor who is best known for his award-winning science fiction novel, Flowers for Algernon.
However, in this book, Keyes masterfully delves into the real-life case of Billy Milligan, who was arrested for three rapes, but as a result of his dissociative identity disorder, 24 different personalities developed in his mind, each with its unique behaviors and characteristics. The story takes place in the late 1970s when Billy Milligan is admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Ohio, and Keyes tells his story through first-hand accounts and interviews with people who knew him.
The Minds of Billy Milligan is a non-fiction book that reads like a novel, and it has all the elements of a great true-crime story. It is packed with suspense, drama, and thrilling twists that keep the reader glued to the pages.
Keyes has done an exceptional job of bringing the characters to life, and his descriptions of the psychiatric hospital and the legal system are vivid and terrifying. He has also managed to highlight the complex themes of identity, trauma, and mental illness with sensitivity and empathy.
Keyes challenges the reader to question the nature of identity and the implications of mental illness on the legal system. One of the significant strengths of this book is the level of detail and research that went into its writing.
Keyes has thoroughly researched the case and has gone to great lengths to interview the people involved. He gives the reader a sense of what it was like to live with dissociative identity disorder, and the difficulties that Billy faced in getting people to believe that his condition was real.
However, one of the drawbacks of the book is that it spends too much time on the legal system and the trial. The book focuses mostly on the legal battle to determine whether Billy Milligan’s alternate personalities should be held responsible for the crimes he committed.
As a result, the book tends to drag in places, and the pacing suffers. In conclusion, The Minds of Billy Milligan is a well-written, thoroughly researched, and engaging true-crime book that offers a unique insight into the legal system and the nature of identity.
Daniel Keyes has done a fantastic job of bringing Billy Milligan’s story to life and highlighting the complexities of mental illness. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in true crime, psychology, or the legal system.
I give this book a rating of four out of five stars.
