Book Review: Twenty Two Faces

Twenty Two Faces by Judy Byington

Biographies tend to get a bad rap. I think it mostly stems from all the ones we were forced to read in high school. But I can guarantee, you haven’t read anything like Judy Byington’s Twenty Two Faces.

Twenty Two Faces chronicles Jenny Hill as she struggles through a gruesome existence. The aforementioned faces refer to 22 distinct personalities residing in Jenny’s mind.

We begin with her as a 5 year old kindergartener. As Jenny’s alter egos begin to emerge, we get our first taste of how Jenny must cope. At the beginning, you’ll find a list of each personality’s name. You may need to reference it from time to time.

It is incredibly difficult to read most of the abuse this child endures. You wish you could reach through the pages & tell her it’s not her fault. It’s good to mention that if you have a weak stomach, this book is going to be tough for you. A lot of times, I pushed through for the sake of the review. I would have stopped reading about 70 pages into it.

It is truly astonishing that no one reached out to help her early on & that her mother was so oblivious to what was going on. But, she did survive & only God knows how. But I really must reaffirm that this book is not for the weak of heart. It is one thing to read fictional violence and quite another when it’s a true story-even if you know the person made it through.

I have chosen not to rate this book as I normally would. On one hand, it is well written. On the other hand, it’s horribly frightening.

You will have to draw your own conclusions. Whether you read it out of curiosity or in support of Jenny, you can choose your own rating. Honestly, this book disturbed me a great deal. I appreciate that Ms. Hill was so transparent with her story & willingness to break the stigma of sexual abuse survivors. Hopefully, her voice will strengthen others in their time of need.

You can find retailers & more information about Twenty Two Faces by visiting the publisher’s website.

I received one printed copy for review purposes. No other compensation was provided.