Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood - Softcover

Julie Gregory

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0099557622 ISBN 13: 9780099557623

Publisher: Arrow, 2011

Synopsis

A young girl is perched on the cold chrome of yet another doctor's examining table, missing yet another day of school. Just twelve, she's tall, skinny, and weak. It's four o'clock, and she hasn't been allowed to eat anything all day. Her mother, on the other hand, seems curiously excited. She's about to suggest open-heart surgery on her child to 'get to the bottom of this'. She checks her teeth for lipstick and, as the doctor enters, shoots the girl a warning glance. This child will not ruin her plans. From early childhood, Julie Gregory was continually X-rayed, medicated, and operated on in the vain pursuit of an illness that was created in her mother's mind: Munchausen by Proxy, the world's most hidden and dangerous form of child abuse. Sickened is her story.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"A painful but wonderfully written memoir that should create greater awareness of a bizarre disorder... Keen self-awareness, a sharp eye for details, and an original, poetic voice."
--Kirkus Reviews

"This story of unfathomable child abuse is told with remarkable wit, compassion, and courage. It's a work of beauty from a beast of a childhood."
--Augusten Burroughs, author of Running with Scissors and Dry

"Like some Diane Arbus photograph come to life, Julie Gregory's Sickened offers us a portrait of quintessential American Disturbos in all their tender, heinous can't-look-and-can't-look-away glory. A miraculous book by a woman whose very survival is itself a miracle."
--Jerry Stahl, author of Permanent Midnight

"Set in a southern-culture-on-the-skids world reminiscent of J.T. Leroy, Sickened is written with a lyrical directness that is both riveting and horrific. Julie Gregory reminds us that those who find the courage to slay the dragons of their past and stop the cycle of abuse are the true heroes of the world."
--Ann Magnuson, actress, singer, writer

"A stunning account by a courageous woman who journeyed from the depths of hell to reclaim her own power and worth. Julie Gregory casts an extraordinary beacon of healing. You will be hearing a lot about this one."
--Alan Cohen, author of I Had It All the Time

"A born storyteller with perfect pitch, Julie Gregory guides the reader through this surreal form of cruelty, in which the ultimate weapon is the scalpel, with originality, gusto and heart-stopping courage."
--Sylvia Fraser, author of My Father's House: A Memoir of Incest and of Healing

"Gripping self-disclosure by a remarkable young woman . . . Sickened will surely and finally impact the proper diagnosis and treatment of children caught in the terror of MBP."
--Chris Monaco, Ph.D., Director, Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline

"This searing and beautiful memoir represents a genuine triumph
of the human spirit."
--Marc D. Feldman, M.D.
From the Hardcover edition.

About the Author:

Julie Gregory grew up in southern Ohio. She is the author of the bestselling Sickened, Memoir of a Lost Childhood and My Father's Keeper. Sickened appeared in over 20 countries and was named Book Of The Year by the Sunday Times, and editor's pick in Entertainment Weekly, as well as being a top ten book of the year in their December issue. She is now an expert writer and spokesperson on Munchausen by proxy and an advocate in MBP (Munchausen by Proxy) cases.

About this edition

• Publisher: Arrow
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0099557622
• ISBN 13: 9780099557623
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336