The Book of Debby

The Book of Debby follows Emma Churchman's search for identity, through her upbringing as the eldest child of a woman with one of the most extreme cases of multiple personality disorder diagnosed in the 1980s. Churchman's memoir is a gripping account of the human desire to understand formation of self, through being raised by a mother who had no clear identity. Her plainspoken depictions capture our attention: a lineage of violence - leading to struggles with suicide, addiction, and mental illness over four generations - in a landscape where personalities keep changing. A toddler mysteriously dying. A mother locked in a padded room. A homeless father and son. A child asking for a bodyguard. Alters too young to parent. A daughter picking up the pieces. And hope throughout that transformation is possible. Each chapter reveals a character in the family, responding in their own way to the heredity of trauma. This beautifully crafted narrative gives voice to the long-term impact acute trauma has on character development. Is identity pre-determined - based on genetics and early childhood environment. Or can character and personality be born anew, through selective environments, choices and decisions?