Julie Gregory

What an absolutely horrible way to grow up. This book was so scary and horrifying. Even today, this would be so hard to diagnose, who doesn't want to help a sick child get better? But to the point of wanting open heart surgery to heal something that isn't broken? Disgusting. The only thing I wonder about is that at the end of the book, she says she is suing her mom. I got curious and went to her website to see how that turned out......no mention of a court case, no mention of any of that. show more There was so little on her website that I kind of wondered if any of the book was true. Even if it's not, I wasn't able to put it down. show less

Well this was...brutal. This is not Munchausen by proxy as a genteel, invisible kind of child abuse; this is Munchausen by proxy as part of a whole slate of abuses, physical and mental, not only by a monther but also by a father, an incapable child welfare system, and the medical establishment. It's rough to read - I read the book in one sitting mostly because I didn't want to keep it around - but the passages about Julie's coming to terms with herself as an adult are gorgeous. I'm show more immeasurably glad she was able to build a meaningful life for herself, and I hope she was able to make a difference for her siblings as well. show less

This book was fascinating read. Gregory in very plain language explains her childhood, from the point of view of a child. Others have criticized that the ways in which Gregory's parents have abused her are not made explicitly clear by the book, but what makes Sickened such a powerful memoir is that it is written from Gregory's point of view, and therefore all along the reader is left equally in the dark as Gregory herself as to what is actually wrong with her, versus what is inflicted upon show more her by her parents. Gregory's slow realization that she is, indeed being abused is both the turning point and the most poignant part of the book. show less

This was an intriguing read and I applaud the author for trying to raise awareness of Munchausen by Proxy and how unrecognized it is as a form of child abuse.

The book itself was okay. There is a lot of excellent description in here; the copies of medical records and photos of the author really drove home that this was real and added a lot to this memoir. This memoir touches on a lot more than just the main topic of Munchausen by Proxy; there are many other forms of abuse in here. This is not show more a comfortable and happy read; it is a disturbing read. However, it was a pretty quick read.

The author jumps around in time a bit, so at points it was hard to figure out how old she was during certain incidents. The ending seemed rushed and unfinished; I do understand this is a memoir and isn't a complete story, but I wish the lessons and themes had been brought together a bit better at the end.

I did learn a lot about Munchausen by Proxy; I knew some about this mental illness going in. However, it was an eye opener how the offending parent draws the affected child into complacency. I never fully realized how much kids will try to please their parents even though what their parents are doing is incredibly damaging to them. It also really drove home the helplessness of children in our society as a whole.

Overall this was an intriguing read and I applaud the author for writing this. The book itself is mediocre in writing quality and organization but it does paint an eye-opening picture and educate about Munchausen by Proxy. show less