My Lobotomy
A memoir
📘 About This Book
Howard Dully was 12 years old when he was given a lobotomy. He was 56 years old when he found out why. The four decades in between tell a story of profound love and compassion. In 1960 Howard's father and stepmother delivered him into the hands of the man who had invented the 'ice pick' lobotomy. Expelled from the mainstream medical community, his once-popular procedure now a grisly medical relic, Dr Walter Freeman was eager to turn this temperamental 12-year-old into a submissive boy - especially after hearing the terrible lies his stepmother told about him. Howard, told he was going into the hospital for tests, was instead given electro-shock treatments and a transorbital lobotomy. It took him 40 years to recover. Howard Dully's escape from that dark place is a voyage of enormous hope and universal appeal.
📖 Summary
My Lobotomy is a deeply moving and haunting biographical work written by Charles Fleming in collaboration with Howard Dully, published in 2008 across 290 pages. The book chronicles one of the most chilling and tragic chapters in medical history through the personal lens of its youngest survivor. In 1960, twelve-year-old Howard Dully was subjected to a transorbital lobotomy—an infamous procedure invented by Dr. Walter Freeman using an ice pick. Delivered into the hands of the disgraced and desperate physician by his own father and stepmother, Howard was told he was merely entering the hospital for routine tests. Instead, he endured electro-shock treatments and brain surgery designed, at the behest of a manipulative stepmother who spread terrible lies about him, to transform a normal, temperamental child into a submissive boy. For four decades, Howard lived in the dark shadow of this trauma, struggling through the psychological and emotional aftermath without knowing the actual reasons behind the horrific act committed against him. It was not until he reached the age of fifty-six that he finally uncovered the truth of why he was mutilated. The narrative details this grueling journey of discovery, tracking a four-decade struggle to piece together a fragmented past, understand the betrayal of the people who were supposed to protect him, and ultimately find a way to heal. Rather than remaining purely a tale of horror, the book evolves into a powerful exploration of human resilience, survival, and the capacity for profound love and compassion. Howard Dully's escape from the psychological prison built by a rogue medical practitioner and a fractured family is a voyage of enormous hope. Through this memoir, readers are invited to witness the devastating consequences of unchecked medical authority, the dangers of familial cruelty, and the extraordinary strength required to reclaim one's life and identity after unimaginable adversity.
🎯 Key Lessons
⚖️ Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
Provides a rare, firsthand account of a dark historical medical practice from its youngest survivor.
Deals with harrowing subject matter with a profound sense of hope and ultimate redemption.
Offers a deeply emotional and engaging narrative structure that keeps readers captivated.
Sheds light on the psychological complexities of family dynamics and trauma recovery.
⚠️ Cons
Contains deeply disturbing and painful descriptions of medical abuse and familial betrayal.
May be emotionally heavy and triggering for sensitive readers.
❓ FAQ
Who wrote My Lobotomy? +
The book was written by Charles Fleming in collaboration with subject Howard Dully and published in 2008.
How old was Howard Dully when he received a lobotomy? +
Howard Dully was only twelve years old when he was subjected to the transorbital lobotomy.
Who performed the lobotomy on Howard Dully? +
The procedure was performed by Dr. Walter Freeman, the inventor of the ice pick lobotomy, who was by then expelled from the mainstream medical community.
Why was Howard given a lobotomy? +
His father and stepmother delivered him to Dr. Freeman, influenced by terrible lies told by his stepmother, in an attempt to make the temperamental twelve-year-old submissive.
How long did it take for Howard to find out why he was lobotomized? +
It took Howard forty years, until he was fifty-six years old, to discover the true reasons behind the procedure.
