Customer Reviews

The Minds of Billy Milligan

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I worked at a hotel long ago, and I found "The Minds of Billy Milligan" in unclaimed properties. Parts of the book were very unsettling, but I couldn't put the book down. I almost felt guilty for intruding into the mind of a person so viciously abused that he became what he is.

The book ends in the year 1981. Since then, Milligan has had a failed marriage and more legal problems. He is also reportedly unfused. A sequel to "The Minds of Billy Milligan" called "The Milligan Wars" was released, but only in Japan. Unless the film is produced and released here, according to the author, Daniel Keyes, the book probably won't be released here.

A film of his life has been in the works for many years, and it appears to be an on again/off again project. Milligan himself helped Leonardo DiCaprio in preparing for the role in an adaptation called "The Crowded Room".

Disturbing and engrossing. What else is the mind is capable of? If Billy Milligan and Sybil are any indication, the answer to that is truly frightening.

this book was one of the only books ive ever finished in my life! And im 18. This book was so good. I couldnt put the book down. The Minds of Billy Milligan realy turned me on to reading. Ive read 2 books sence then and i only finished it 2 weeks ago. I wish that Milligan Wars would come out. I would be the first one at the door money in hand.

I first picked up this book because the author wrote "Flowers for Algernon." I figured it couldn't be bad. And I was right. This is one of the few books that I can actually call, "fascinating." Milligan, who was the victim of severe child abuse, shattered and became a multiple in order to deal with his unbearable emotional pain (multiples are actually very, very rare, contrary to what the media portrays today). What he went through is just astonishing. I can't recommend this book

highly enough. Read it! You'll enjoy it, I promise.

One of the most amazing books I've ever read.
Billy's life story is remarkable, and the way his illnes is described is illuminating.
I can't stop wondering what happened with him since then.

The Minds of Billy Milligan
Daniel Keyes, Random House, 1981 (reissued by Bantam as mass market paperback, 1999)

In 1977 a series of abductions and rapes in Ohio were followed by the arrest of William Stanley Milligan, who was assigned a public defender by the court. Milligan, who had previously been convicted of rape and armed robbery, was given a routine psychological evaluation by prosecution-friendly psychiatrists who quickly concluded that something was seriously wrong - that Milligan, in fact, had multiple personality disorder. Milligan eventually became the first multiple to receive a not guilty by reason of insanity verdict in a criminal trial.

I read this book originally as an adolescent, and recently picked it up again, curious if the book would hold the same power as an adult. I was pleasantly surprised. Daniel Keyes - author of the classic Flowers for Algernon - wrote this book in a fashion that takes the reader inside the mind of a remarkable, fascinating human being.

Each of Billy Milligan's 23 distinct personalities had their own voice, their own histories, their own character (or lack thereof) - they were different people, quite literally. Keyes captures this well, making it possible to clearly envision all of these people running around inside the body of one man. His further account of attempts to treat Milligan and "fuse" his personalities was even more fascinating.

Keyes is a solid novelist with a very good grasp of what happens inside people's hearts and minds. Applying those skills to a non-fiction, "true-crime" book, he has produced a masterpiece.

I was very disappointed to learn that the "sequel," the Milligan Wars, has only been published in Japanese and will not be available in North America until the movie based on the first book comes out. This book apparently covers what happened to Milligan after 1981 and the end of the first book. Based on what I could find on the web, no one really knows when or if the movie will actually be made, which means no one knows when or if the second book will be published.

A fascinating read and highly recommended.

Simply because this is about a male--a subsection of multiples rarely given any attention to--it is worth reading. While not written in novel-style, it still manages to tell the story in a gripping way. However, this book does not promote a great image of multiplicity to the world. It lumps us in with common criminals or those too ill to regulate their own actions. And this is NOT the norm. A good story on its own, but not a great moment for the community. One has to wonder, though... what happened to Milligan since?

Aside from being one enthralling piece of non-fiction, this book is also as scary as hell! (That's because it's all true!) I had the creeps for days after reading it...and I'm usually the type to fall asleep while watching horror movies.

Aside from being one enthralling piece of non-fiction, this book is also as scary as hell! (That's because it's all true!) I had the creeps for days after reading it...and I'm usually the type to fall asleep while watching horror movies.

What a shame that this wonderful book ever went out of print. Set largely in Athens, Ohio, where I went to college, it was written by one of my former instructors, Daniel Keyes. Keyes is most famous for having written "Flowers For Algnernon." Keyes made the most of working with what was right under his nose with this book. Billy Milligan, you see, was assigned to the Athens mental asylum, after his trial on multiple rape in Columbus, Ohio. There, Milligan was able to work with an extraordinary psychiatrist who was able to diagnose and treat him for having multiple personalities inside himself, many of them not knowing what the other "person" was doing. Milligan was also discovered as a big artistic talent while being treated at the asylum and sold many of the paintings he did there as an Outsider artist. The book is absolutely gripping. You won't be able to put it down. Although it is non-fiction, it reads like the best of fiction because Keyes is a fiction writer.

I just finished the book. I've had it laying around for years and finally picked it up to read. Once started I had to finish. What an education I got. I can't wait for the movie and the sequel. The story of Billy changed my views on MPD. Before, I was convinced that this problem was faked. I am glad to get some documented insight. This story is both tragic and educational.