n  n   

"My body, sliced, diced, and probed away from me for nothing."

n  n

There are monsters everywhere in the world. They come in all shapes and sizes, all races and religions. Some are trusted, admired and respected. Some are called friend, colleague, neighbour.

Monsters should never, ever be called "Mum" or "Dad".

I really don't want to go into this too deeply because I found it to be a distressing read. The fact that Julie not only survived, but was able to tell her story is testament to her bravery.

Julie is a victim of Munchhausen By Proxy. A condition where a caregiver or spouse fabricates, exaggerates, or induces mental or physical health problems in those who are in their care, with the primary motive of gaining attention or sympathy from others. It is an extreme form of child abuse and many children do not survive.

As horrific as that is, there was also physical, verbal, and emotional abuse. Julie was beaten, starved, and subjected to situations no child should ever bear witness to. All because her mother wanted the attention.

I'm sorry, I have to cut this short. This book really distressed me. I'm glad I read it though, as horrific as it is, because I want to wing my mental love to Julie and tell her what a remarkable human being she is.

An easy read about a very serious subject. Got really touched by Julies story.

So damn boring.

The entire time I read this book, I was screaming in my head. Giving the riot act to the doctors to the father to the social workers that turned a blind eye. I was just as bewildered and pleading as Julie as, watching the doctors slice her open when nothing was wrong.

I understood Julie. I can remember countless times, my eyes screamed volumes that no one wanted to hear or understand. And how everyone turns away, or shakes their head in disagreement but not one single adult will stand up for you. I understand what it's like to be a child confronted the rage of an adult, having done nothing to cause it. How you try to make yourself small, to try to stay out of sight. I know what it's like to try to do as many after school activities as possible because home was the last place you wanted to go back to.

This is why this story spoke volumes to me- it was the desperation. Children go through this everyday. They spend their childhood afraid, and once they hit adulthood with all these hangups-that are there no matter how well hidden they are. They have to work years at undoing what was done. . It's just so unfair.

I picked up this book because I was super intrigued by it being about Munchausen by proxy, and because it was a memoir. This was a really depressing and disturbing book - Definitely look up trigger warnings for it. Even though the content was interesting, I still feel like it could have been written better to keep the reader more engaged. I also was turned off by the racist and homophobic full page comments and dialogue.
You can watch my spoiler vlog here, for more comments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWpX8...

An excellent book to read for those with a need to know and understand this complex illness. For others use your own judgement. This is a very disturbing illness that really created a lot of attention about 10 years ago in the mental health and medical field. 'Sickened' is a very well written page turner, but it is a true story...no fiction here.

Though Munchausen's by Proxy is a terrible disorder that causes parents to inflict grievous pain and suffering upon their trusting and powerless children, I simply was not impressed with this book. Just another "look how ****ed up my upbringing was, but by god I'm a SURVIVOR!"

There are so many survivors of so many diverse kinds of abuse, and it seems like everyone wants to write a tell-all now. Some are excellent -- e.g. "The Glass Castle" -- and some are so deliciously horrifying I couldn't stop reading --e.g. "Running with Scissors" -- but "Sickened" was redundant and padded with too many lame metaphors and not terribly compelling a read. I did read to the end because I was curious about the fate of the family, but could not identify with any of the characters. I found the experience vaguely disappointing.

Julie Gregory grew up in an abusive household. Her mother had Munchausen by Proxy, a mental disorder that causes someone to seek attention by inflicting medical symptoms on a dependent. Throughout her childhood, Julie was told that she was sick. She was starved, beaten, and taken out of school for doctor's visits and hospital stays. Her mother insisted that every possible test be done (including invasive ones), in order to "get to the bottom of this". Julie was punished if she didn't go along with the symptoms her mother told the doctors she had. This is Julie's story of her childhood and how she finally broke free.

Readalike suggestions: For more memoirs of child abuse or mental illness, suggest "A Child Called It" by Dave Pelzer, "Wasted" by Marya Hornbacher, or even "Prozac Nation" by Elizabeth Wurtzel. For books with a similar literary tone, try "Autobiography of a Face" by Lucy Grealy or "Truth and Beauty: A Friendship" by Ann Patchett.

READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED!!
A very disturbing story about one child's experience growing up under the care of her mothers affliction with Munchauser by proxy. I applaud the author for speaking out and sharing her explicit upbringing. I had trouble reading the details, and can only imagine the authors realities.

Bardzo ciekawa książka, sam temat szalenie interesujący. Ciężko mi było czytać niektóre sceny :(

Read this book in one of my BSW classes for an assignment. Reread it again to be able to take my time, worth it both times!! Heartbreaking story, but very well-written and very honest.