[Book Review] The Minds of Billy Milligan (24 Wajah Billy - Indonesian edition)

24 Wajah Billy : Dua Puluh Empat Orang Hidup dalam Diri Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For the first time after been so long not reading a thick book, I can finish this one in only less than a week. The first night I got this novel, I didn't sleep at all. My eyes were so sleepy, yet Billy's personalities journey for seven years kept me up.

So, what's the good in this book? I don't know myself, though. Based on true story. The first part of the novel tells of Billy Milligan who being caught due to allegations of rape by three female students from Ohio State University. When visited by police at his apartment and questioned, Billy confessed that his name is not Billy. The police certainly do not believe and finally brought Milligan to jail. It was determined that Billy's personality, style of speech, accent, and his behavior always changing from time to time. Sometimes he spoke fluent English with an accent and haughty attitude, then seconds later turned into Serbo-Croatian accent with a defensive stance like a fighter, and then changed again into an anti-social person who hate others. When finally he was treated by a psychiatrist, only then William Stanley Milligan was diagnosed with multiple personalities. And it turns out, there are twenty-four different personalities, who live in Milligan's body.

Twenty-four!! Can you imagine?! o.O

These twenty four personalities were in turn controlled Billy's body, taking his consciousness, while the core personality kept asleep for seven years. This book presents the life experience of Billy Milligan during controlled by the twenty-four personalities that full of horrible stories.

To be honest I rarely read a psychological novel based on true stories like this. My sister, who was a psychologist university student, recommend it to me because she knew I was working on a project of novel writing with the theme of split personality. I initially thought I would not finish it, look at the thickness of this novel. But it was only in less than a week I have finished. Daniel Keyes has presented the facts in a very flowing style of storytelling and firm, with no eliminating the reports, hospital diagnosis, letters, and interviews from around the Billy relatives who can help this novel. Everything was presented very neatly. Very interesting, very thrilling, and deserves five-star rating from me. ^ ^

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