Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. But the book mostly shows Pamela and Carolyn's life, and how their lives compare. Considering that she is a psychiatrist she seemed to have very little knowledge about schizophrenia an. Growing up in the fifties, Carolyn Spiro was always in the shadow of her more intellectually dominant and social outgoing twin, Pamela. after publication. But then I immediately realized that the book is not about curing schizophrenia but the recollection of memories and experiences of the twins sisters in dealing with Pamela's disease. Every time I read a memoir about someone with a mental health illness I always have this assumed hope that they will overcome/control their illness, find the meaning of their life, learn from their past, and they chose to write the book to show others that they can survive it too. Divided Minds provides some insight into schizophrenia, but its premise - that identical sisters, one with schizophrenia and one without, would give special insight into the disease - was frustrated by an undefined repetitive image (Gray Crinkled Paper) and the denial of Carolyn, the nonschizophrenic psychiatrist twin. Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2020. The twins were born in the early 1950s. The book Divided Minds, by Pamela Spiro Wagner and Carolyn S. Spiro, M.D., is an autobiographical account of these twins: they are identical twins but clearly different from birth.Their chapters are eloquently written, with each twin narrating her experience through significant life events, some parallel and others strikingly disparate. It is fascinating to see this from the inside. You can actually feel the mental confusion that she lives with. Carolyn is a psychiatrist, so her views are educational and emotional as well. Well, one of the sisters is a far better writer (the one who is a professional writer, go figure), so she writes most of the book. Divided Minds is a dual memoir of identical twins, one of whom faces a life sentence ⦠This dual 2005 memoir by two identical-twin sisters about one sister's (Pamela) schizophrenia is not for the faint of heart and there is no happy ending here. Free shipping for many products! It is, in turns, full of pain, love, despair, brilliance, hope and madness. Besides, the journal of her sister shows the difference betwen them. The segments from both sisters - one with schizophrenia. The authors are uncompromising in their honesty and thus gift us with a most amazing window ...actually more of a door...into the world of schizophrenia. Thanks to the authors for sharing their lives with their readers. Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2018. Very important journal of a schisofrenic woman that tells what has happend inside her mind since her childhood. Given the severity of Pamela's disease, I can't blame the rest of the family with not wanting to have much to do with Pamela, terrible though that is to say. Still, that does not take anything away from her insightful narrative. This book was very helpful to me. I just finished reading Divided Minds: Twin Sisters and Their Journey Through Schizophrenia and want to share my thoughts. Clearly, Pamela Wagner, the twin suffering from schizophrenia, is a substantial talent. August 8th 2006 I do think that Pamela's father, a professor of Medicine at Yale, should have been quicker to guess that the conflicts he and Pamela had during her adolescence was In 2003 Pamela underwent electroshock therapy, which seemed to be relatively successful in preventing suicide at the time the book was published. It was amazing that Pamela was able to chronicle her schizophrenia in such detail and from such a young age. Divided Minds: Twin Sisters and Their Journey Through Schizophrenia. Something went wrong. Divided Minds: Twin Sisters and Their Journey Through Schizophrenia . Recommended, but with a caution for language. A story of identical twins. I have had experience being around a couple of schizophrenics, but I have never seen the world from their perspective. Divided Minds does a remarkable job of interpreting [a] hellish realm.â âPeople, three starsâ[Divided Minds] successfully yields compelling insights on familial bonds and the ravaging effects of mental illness on family.â âLibrary JournalâThe combination of first-person narratives provides an unusually well-rounded portrait of schizophrenia.â âKirkus. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Divided Minds: Twin Sisters and Their Journey Through Schizophrenia. Scopri Divided Minds: Twin Sisters And Their Journey Through Schizophrenia di Wagner, Pamela Spiro, Spiro, Carolyn S., M.D. The author is in and out of psychiatric hospitals up until the end of the book and I just went on her blog and just last week she wrote. Please try again. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. The book is written chronologically with alternate sections by each sister. One has schizophrenia and one doesn't. Divided Minds: Twins Sisters and Their Journey Through Schizophrenia is a memoir by Pamela Spiro Wagner, now in her 50s, who began hearing voices in 6th grade. Here detailed information about, for reference. Divided Minds: Twin Sisters and Their Journey Through Schizophrenia 336. by Pamela Spiro Wagner, ... Told in the alternating voices of the sisters, Divided Minds is a heartbreaking account of the far reaches of madness, as well as the depths of ambivalence and love between twins. Like crazy and logical thinking. This was a disturbing book. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. Divided Minds: Twin Sisters and Their Journey Through Schizophrenia - Ebook written by Pamela Spiro Wagner, Carolyn Spiro. Heartbreakingly, Excruciatingly Real...An Invaluable Contribution to Anyone. I do wish the girls' relationships with their father had been more fleshed-out--it sounds like it is--or was--a very abusive relationship that affected Pamela's disease. 3.5 stars. Please try your request again later. 0:38. By Pamela Spiro Wagner and Carolyn Spiro Read by Kimberly Farr and Amanda Carlin This book is definitely different then what I have ever read it is interesting and gives you a new look on life and other people's lives. I couldn't finish this book. I really enjoy this book!! Slow but interesting depiction of schizophrenia, This dual 2005 memoir by two identical-twin sisters about one sister's (Pamela) schizophrenia is not for the faint of heart and there is no happy ending here. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! Her problems started early on in the the dark ages of psychotherapy so it wasn't viewed as humanely as today. But the book mostly shows Pamela and Carolyn's life, and how their lives compare. But Pamela's jealous suffering is clear in her short interjecting chapters, and she covers for her sister nicely in the climactic episode, by which point she definitely isn't jealous anymore. Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2021. Reading this book was an eye-opener. A riveting true story of sisters who were identical, until the voices began Growing up in the fifties, Carolyn Spiro was always in the shadow of her more intellectually dominant and socially outgoing twin, Pamela. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Overall, though, the book is brutally honest, and I look forward to reading Pamela's poetry. The torment that schizophrenics go through because of their inner demons, the medical establishment, public opinions, lack of social support, and family issues. Divided Minds: Twin Sisters and Their Journey Through Schizophrenia It is one of the most compelling histories of two such siblings in the canon of writing on mental illness. It is a true and unusually frank story of identical twins with very different identities and wildly different experiences of the world around them. Growing up in the fifties, Carolyn Spiro was always in the shadow of her more intellectually dominant and social outgoing twin, Pamela. Growing up in the fifties, Carolyn Spiro was always in the shadow of her more intellectually dominant and social outgoing twin, Pamela.