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11 reviews for:
All of Me: How I Learned to Live with the Many Personalities Sharing My Body
Kim Noble
4.01 AVERAGE
11 reviews for:
All of Me: How I Learned to Live with the Many Personalities Sharing My Body
Kim Noble
4.01 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I couldn't finish this book -- I got a little over 60% through -- because honestly, Patricia is just irritating. I can't tell if it's bad writing or if I genuinely just don't like her as a person.
I don't want to be an asshole, especially not towards a person that has obviously had a terrible life, but I took issues with several things throughout the book. I struggle with mental illness, although of course not to the extent that the body of Kim Noble does, and when I was a child, I functioned like Patricia did. I thought everyone was mentally like me and that I just was worse at coping with it. However, when I was a teenager and started forming deeper connections with people, it became crystal clear that I was very different from a lot of my loved ones. I get wanting to deny such a severe mental illness, but Patricia makes it sound like she didn't so much as question her reality until she was in her early thirties. Surely at some point she thought it was strange that she was being kept for years in mental institutions when other teenagers didn't have to? She had to have realized at least once that other people didn't have such terrible memories (although of course her memory wasn't the real issue).
I also take issue with the way Patricia talks about mental health and medication. She paints other mentally ill people in a very negative light and speaks about them as if from an outside perspective, yet she struggles with arguably one of the most severe mental illnesses in the world. She also acts like all medication is evil and turns you into this bumbling, shambling zombie. As someone who relies on daily prescription medication just to live a normal life, I obviously take issue with this. Sure, some people are overly or incorrectly medicated, but medication isn't evil. It's essential to lots of mental health journeys.
The main part of the book that bothered me was when Patricia -- or, I suppose, the body of Kim Noble as a whole -- was diagnosed with dissociation and Patricia just...ignores it? Again, I totally understand wanting to deny that there's something so very wrong with you, but having a dissociation disorder explains so many of her problems. It would explain her terrible memory, her differences from her peers, and the difficulties she has in her life and relationships. I would have thought that she would be desperate for an explanation as to what the hell was going on with her -- but again, she doesn't even question her way of life until her early to mid thirties! At some point, if everyone around you is constantly wrong and you're always right, you have to wonder if maybe you're perceiving things incorrectly.
A scene near the beginning of the book also sticks out to me as strange. She discusses how other people with DID have communication with their alters and she has none, but that she prefers it this way. I obviously didn't finish the book so maybe there's some big revelation as to why this is the case, but shouldn't her therapists have tried to help her connect with her other alters? One of my old friends struggles with DID so I did a ton of research over the last few years to be able to understand him better. During that research, I found that most therapists aim to either combine all the alters or create a sort of symbiotic relationship between all of them so they can all coexist. In that initial chapter, Patricia doesn't seem to even understand this is an option. She seems to believe that either it's radio silence between alters or it's a constant cacophony of alters shouting over one another. She also doesn't mention headspaces or inner worlds, and based on how terrible her life was for three decades, knowing about and existing in such a space could be hugely beneficial. Seriously, who are her therapists?
I absolutely believe the body of Kim Noble has Dissociative Identity Disorder. I was just very irritated with Patricia throughout the book. I would have preferred hearing the story from a less abrasive, combative alter.
I don't want to be an asshole, especially not towards a person that has obviously had a terrible life, but I took issues with several things throughout the book. I struggle with mental illness, although of course not to the extent that the body of Kim Noble does, and when I was a child, I functioned like Patricia did. I thought everyone was mentally like me and that I just was worse at coping with it. However, when I was a teenager and started forming deeper connections with people, it became crystal clear that I was very different from a lot of my loved ones. I get wanting to deny such a severe mental illness, but Patricia makes it sound like she didn't so much as question her reality until she was in her early thirties. Surely at some point she thought it was strange that she was being kept for years in mental institutions when other teenagers didn't have to? She had to have realized at least once that other people didn't have such terrible memories (although of course her memory wasn't the real issue).
I also take issue with the way Patricia talks about mental health and medication. She paints other mentally ill people in a very negative light and speaks about them as if from an outside perspective, yet she struggles with arguably one of the most severe mental illnesses in the world. She also acts like all medication is evil and turns you into this bumbling, shambling zombie. As someone who relies on daily prescription medication just to live a normal life, I obviously take issue with this. Sure, some people are overly or incorrectly medicated, but medication isn't evil. It's essential to lots of mental health journeys.
The main part of the book that bothered me was when Patricia -- or, I suppose, the body of Kim Noble as a whole -- was diagnosed with dissociation and Patricia just...ignores it? Again, I totally understand wanting to deny that there's something so very wrong with you, but having a dissociation disorder explains so many of her problems. It would explain her terrible memory, her differences from her peers, and the difficulties she has in her life and relationships. I would have thought that she would be desperate for an explanation as to what the hell was going on with her -- but again, she doesn't even question her way of life until her early to mid thirties! At some point, if everyone around you is constantly wrong and you're always right, you have to wonder if maybe you're perceiving things incorrectly.
A scene near the beginning of the book also sticks out to me as strange. She discusses how other people with DID have communication with their alters and she has none, but that she prefers it this way. I obviously didn't finish the book so maybe there's some big revelation as to why this is the case, but shouldn't her therapists have tried to help her connect with her other alters? One of my old friends struggles with DID so I did a ton of research over the last few years to be able to understand him better. During that research, I found that most therapists aim to either combine all the alters or create a sort of symbiotic relationship between all of them so they can all coexist. In that initial chapter, Patricia doesn't seem to even understand this is an option. She seems to believe that either it's radio silence between alters or it's a constant cacophony of alters shouting over one another. She also doesn't mention headspaces or inner worlds, and based on how terrible her life was for three decades, knowing about and existing in such a space could be hugely beneficial. Seriously, who are her therapists?
I absolutely believe the body of Kim Noble has Dissociative Identity Disorder. I was just very irritated with Patricia throughout the book. I would have preferred hearing the story from a less abrasive, combative alter.
Hearing the story of Kim Noble was so inspiring and eye opening. I have some sort of dissociative disorder and this taught me a lot about not only myself, but those close to me.
Hearing Patricia's side of the story was fascinating and makes me want to read the same book from all of her identities. It was horrific and terrible the things she went through, but I was enthralled. How could all these people not see it sooner? Obviously, because I knew the ending to this tale (I saw the Oprah documentary, which is referenced frequently) I knew that Patricia would step up as the main personality, I knew Aimee was going to be fine, I knew that the art helps the identities cope.
I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants to learn what it's like growing up with DID and the effects it can have on yourself and others.
Hearing Patricia's side of the story was fascinating and makes me want to read the same book from all of her identities. It was horrific and terrible the things she went through, but I was enthralled. How could all these people not see it sooner? Obviously, because I knew the ending to this tale (I saw the Oprah documentary, which is referenced frequently) I knew that Patricia would step up as the main personality, I knew Aimee was going to be fine, I knew that the art helps the identities cope.
I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants to learn what it's like growing up with DID and the effects it can have on yourself and others.
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
This was super interesting! I've been following someone with DID on IG for a bit and wanted to learn more. I found this book then realized I'd seen Kim interviewed online a while ago. Learning about the system's life with DID, especially as a rare case where she is not co-concious at all (as in no information passed between alters and they don't speak to each other) was super fascinating. I want to learn more!
This book was so eye-opening for me that it's left me mostly speechless. I do not believe D.I.D. is common, and so I've probably had no experience with anyone involved with something this invasive. However, as a teacher, I think I may have taught a student who disassociated. If anything, Kim/Patricia's experience with teachers has lead me to be a more empathetic teacher. I do not believe I've ever accused a student of lying and now I do not believe I ever will.
Reading about all of the personalities that inhabit the body of Kim Noble was fascinating. I want to see their interview and view more of their artwork. This book was simply fascinating and I am amazed with Patricia's ability to cope and piece together all the bits to the puzzle that is her life. She's inspiring.
Reading about all of the personalities that inhabit the body of Kim Noble was fascinating. I want to see their interview and view more of their artwork. This book was simply fascinating and I am amazed with Patricia's ability to cope and piece together all the bits to the puzzle that is her life. She's inspiring.
Courageous book with interesting artwork and a tragic life .
Dragged on
It was a long book for 360 some odd pages. Informative but just not what I was expecting out of it.
It was a long book for 360 some odd pages. Informative but just not what I was expecting out of it.