Robert B. Oxnam (1942–2024)

This was a fascinating memoir. It sucked me in almost immediately, and I got through it in just a few days, one of which was pretty busy.

What's good:

It contains a fair bit of information on the sessions and work with his therapist. Also, there's a lot description of his inner world, how it's organized, and how the personalities interact. This was the primary reason I read this, so I appreciated it. Finally, Oxnam writes well (but see below for more on his writing).

What's not so good:

I would've appreciated more information about the therapy. Though, he writes well, Oxnam doesn't succeed in injecting much emotion; much of the writing felt pretty flat to me. I could've done without the extensive descriptions of his lavish wedding and hanging out/working with various famous people. He acknowledges that he's a name-dropper (or at least the personality who did most of the writing is), but that self-knowledge didn't seem to lead to excising these superfluous parts of the book. Though, in his defense, he tends to use these to illustrate how the various personalities help and hinder him in the situations.… (meer)