My Lobotomy: A Memoir Review

Neurologist Walter Freeman invented and promoted the “ice pick lobotomy” in the mid-20th century. He reportedly performed this controversial procedure on over 10,000 patients who were stricken with all manner of mental illness.

In 1960, at the age of 12, Howard Dully was one of Dr. Freeman’s youngest patients. Dully’s stepmother insisted on the lobotomy, despite the 12-year-old not demonstrating any tendencies beyond that of a regular young boy. Dully’s father agreed, and the family paid $200 to Freeman.

My Lobotomy chronicles Dully’s life before and after his lobotomy. His childhood was cruel, and not just the normal amount of cruel a child of the ‘50s could expect. His stepmother was verbally and physically abusive; his siblings verify the treatment he received as the family’s whipping post.

Read my full review at Curled Up With a Good Book.