Sickened: The True Story of a Lost Childhood - Julie Gregory > Reviews

Advantages: Hope for Julie
Disadvantages: Violence

As I have been travelling around a lot for work, it has given me some quality time to be able and read the odd book or two. Ive become addicted to those stories that people have written about their childhoods. First came the Dave Pelzer trilogy and now ‘Sickened’ by Julie Gregory. (“,) Synopsis (“,) Julie Gregory is introduced to us as a young naïve four year old from Arizona who lives with her mum ‘Sandy and her dad ‘Dan Gregory the first’ ... Read review

Advantages: See below
Disadvantages: See below

After reading a review of Sickened by Julie Gregory on Ciao, I knew it was a book I had to read, luckily enough I still had some book tokens left from a birthday present, so off I trotted to WH Smith and they had it on offer for £9.99, so I purchased. Sickened is the story of Julie Gregory’s childhood, growing up in Arizona, USA in what would appear to the outside world as a normal happy everyday family, but Julie’s life was far from ... Read review

Advantages: It's hard to find an advantage, it is a harrowing and moving read
Disadvantages: Leaves you wondering cycles of abuse like this one can be broken

“Sickened” is author Julie Gregory’s memoires of a childhood of abuse at the hands of a Mother Sandy who clearly has emotional difficulties of her own. Sandy abuses Julie by seeking attention form the medical profession and making the child in and go through painful operations (Munchausen’s by Proxy). It has to be said that Sandy did not have the best start in life at all. She was married off at age 17 to a man named Smokey who was in his fifties. ... Read review

Advantages: Based on a true story, eye-opening, original
Disadvantages: shocking

The true story of the life of a child living with a mentally ill mother. Munchausen by proxy is a condition by which another person believes their child (in this case) is chronically ill, and may often make the child ill themselves in order to treat them. A little known condition that is extremely dangerous and frightening. Julie Gregory writes the story now as an adult having survived her mothers plight. Having been made sick or believed to be ... Read review

Advantages: Another in sight to a different form of child abuse
Disadvantages: A quick end

I read this book among my bout of reading alot of Real life stories. It took me a few weeks to read as i personally found it a bit of a bore after a while and took a long time to finish. However, it was an insight to another form of child abuse. You think of child abuse, you think of a parent or someone hitting and beating the child, however this book, although it contains regular beatings, has alot more things. It's a shame what happened to this ... Read review

Advantages: Explains this unknown disease
Disadvantages: Very hard to get into

I decided to read this book after seeing a sample from it in a magazine. It described a mother and her quest to find the cause of her daughter's illness. However, it is the mother who has the real illness, she suffers from Munchausen By Proxy (MBP), this is a very unheard of disease, where parents, usually mothers try to get others including doctors to believe their child has an illness, and in this case try to operate on her. This cruelty is inflicted ... Read review

Advantages: Informative, Compelling
Disadvantages: None

I read this book with no knowledge of Munchausen by Proxy - a disease which causes a person to deliberately make another ill or sick or ensures the other person believes they are ill. A disease which is the main focus in this book. A story of a young girl whose mother suffers Munchausen by Proxy and she is the victim. "Sickened" is Julie Gregory's true story - for she was the victim. This books details factual evidence of Julies harrowing ... Read review

Advantages: Paperback book
Disadvantages: small print

When I first picked up the book I had never even heard about Munchausen by proxy. It was and insite to what can go on between parents and their children without people like doctors, school teachers social services to name but a few picking up on someting like this. I have lent the book out to a couple of my friends who have children of there own and they have said the same as myself they had never heard of this illness which to be frank it is an illness ... Read review