Sorority of Survival: Memoirs of a Multiple

by Katherine A. Newman

Sorority of Survival is about a woman who grew up in a small Wyoming town in a highly dysfunctional family. Her father was manic-depressive and an alcoholic. Her mother was domineering and ran on the manic side. Michele had an older brother and a younger sister that was born when she was a precocious 11-month old.
Early on, Michele's mother noticed that she was very quiet, hardly cried, and slept often, especially through the night. What was missed was that when Michele became more active and played, she was content playing quietly and alone. Little did her mother realize that her conversations during play were not directed toward her toys, but rather active conversations with voices in her mind.
Michele heard voices at a very early age. Voices that would guide, counsel and protect her in her lonely world inside the dysfunctional family of which she was born.
As Michele got older, these voices took on a new appearance. Rather than guide her, they assumed control of not only her mind and conversations, but her actions, allowing Michele the courage and skill to survive (though sometimes inappropriately) in the crazy and chaotic worlds she fell prey to.
Sorority of Survival takes you back through the loneliness and craziness of Michele's world and her countless hospitalizations and long journey to recovery. Michele spent 10 years in and out of hospitals and 6 years on disability, but endured those black years, and now leads a relatively sane and productive life as a writer and computer artist.

271 pages, Paperback

First published December 12, 1996