MP3 Audios - Biography

In 1989, Robert B. Oxnam, the successful China scholar and president of the Asia Society, faced up to what he thought was his biggest personal challenge: alcoholism. But this dependency masked a problem far more serious: Multiple Personality Disorder.

At the peak of his professional career, after having led the Asia Society for nearly a decade, Oxnam was haunted by periodic blackouts and episodic rages. After his family and friends intervened, Oxnam received help from a psychiatrist, Dr. Jeffery Smith, and entered a rehab center. It wasn’t until 1990 during a session with Dr. Smith that the first of Oxnam’s eleven alternate personalities – an angry young boy named Tommy – suddenly emerged. With Dr. Smith’s help, Oxnam began the exhausting and fascinating process of uncovering his many personalities and the childhood trauma that caused his condition.

A Fractured Mind is the powerful and moving story of one person’s struggle with this terrifying illness. The audiobook includes an epilogue by Dr. Smith in which he describes Oxnam’s case, the treatment, and the nature of multiple personality disorder. Oxnam’s courage in facing his situation and overcoming his painful past makes for a dramatic and inspiring book.

AUTHOR
Robert B. Oxnam is internationally recognized as an outstanding Asia specialist and dynamic speaker. He often accompanies prominent Americans such as Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, former President George H. W. Bush, and Barbara Bush as they seek in-depth, firsthand knowledge of China. He was president of the Asia Society for over a decade, which has headquarters in New York, across the U.S., and throughout the Asia-Pacific region. He has hosted MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour specials on Asia. He lives in New York with his wife, Vishakha Desai.

NARRATOR
William Dufris began his audio career in London narrating for radio plays, film, animation and audiobooks. In addition, Dufris has acted on stage and television in the US, UK and Germany. His work has been nominated for three AUDIE Awards and has garnered thirteen Earphones Awards. He lives in Maine with his wife and three children.

REVIEWS
Time
"His book is a brave effort to explain how a troubled man found a way to get better."

Jane Pauley, journalist and TV talk show host
"A Fractured Mind is a story I urged him to tell."

Publishers Weekly
"This touching and powerful account of the 'inner world' of the disorder -- the power struggles and dialogues among the fractured parts of a person's mind -- provides valuable insight into a courageous man's struggle."