My Final Thoughts

Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed reading my reflection pieces on The Sum of My Parts. As this is my first blog, I was not entirely sure what I was doing, but I think I managed to live up to the task. For this post, I wanted to share my overall opinion of the book and verdict as to whether or not I would recommend it to others. First of all, I want to begin by saying I loved this book. I found it to be so insightful and educational. Before reading, I had no clue what dissociative identity disorder entailed. From class lectures, I understood what it was and I believe the book depicts the disorder with utmost accuracy. In having some prior knowledge about the disorder, it was eye opening to read about how the disorder affects all aspects of a person’s life. After reading, I feel as though I have a greater understanding of the disorder and what someone living with it goes through. I found the writing style of the book to be easy to follow and its pace to be perfect. There never seemed to be a dull moment and the book progressed adequately. With that said, one thing I wish the author would have done differently would be to ease the reader into the abuse in the beginning of the book. The first chapter seemed to jump right into the abuse, which as a reader I was not ready for and was caught off guard by. I think a little more context and introduction leading up to the abuse would prepare the reader for what is coming. Furthermore, I don’t think the author could have done anything differently to enhance the characters because this book is based on the life of the author and it is non- fictional. I think altering the characters from her personal experience would take away from the reality and impact of the story. In recommending the book, I would not necessarily recommend it to everyone. People who have experienced sexual, physical, or verbal abuse may not want to read this book as it may be triggering due to the detailed accounts of these forms of abuse. In summary, I thought the book was excellent and I would suggest it to everyone, except those who may be triggered by some of the content mentioned above. As a Social Service Worker student, I will carry the knowledge I have learned from this book forward with me as I enter the field and strive to make a positive difference in peoples lives who are living with dissociative identity disorder.

Thanks for reading everyone! Take care and give The Sum of my Parts by Olga Trujillo a read if you are interested in learning about dissociative identity disorder.