Broken Child

Marcia Cameron, a San Francisco native describes life with her psychotic, dangerously cruel mother. Marcia's mother beats her, starves her and on one memorable occasion, knocks the 9-year-old's front teeth out with a hammer. She threatens to give Marcia away to "the gypsies;" she enlists the aid of her sons to further demean their sister.Marcia masters the art of disassociating; she fragments herself into several distinct personalities to cope with her mother's special brand of torture. These personalities are different ages and some are even male. One personality, called Camille is blind. They each have specific roles to play and specific duties to fulfill. Like many persons suffering from DID/MPD, Marcia is artistically gifted. She makes an impressive showing despite her "loss of time" in school and even functions as a wife and mother. As her behavior becomes more erratic and time more elusive and questionable, Marcia finally seeks help. It is through her hard work and her therapist's dedication that she finally conquers the demons of her childhood. She is somewhat infantile during therapy; she envisions herself approximately half the doctor's height and turns him into a father figure. She becomes quite dependent upon her doctor and it is to his credit that he keeps the sessions on a professional level. One can speculate that Marcia is going through a symbolic "rebirth," or "renaissance" in treatment because her own real life was so horrendous.This is a book about hope, loving and healing. It is a Pandora's box that reveals HOPE tucked away at its very bottom.I highly recommend it.

I read this book and could hardly put it down. It has been a great inspiration for me. I think it is a true proof of how powerful and helpful psychotherapy can be. It sheds light on the psychological trauma endured due to child abuse. It is a book that touches you deep in the heart. I thank the author for sharing with us her experience that is and always will be of hope to so many people.

This book is an extremely vivid account of a child living under impossible circumstances. Some of the abuses she had to endure were so horrible I had to look away from the words and take a breath before I could continue. How the human soul can survive abuses this extreme is a question I would ponder as I read this and other books of child abuse. What must it be like to be a child of two or three and receive little to no nurturing and still fight to survive? This is a rivoting book. I