"The Truth I Found While Talking With My Selves: Monologues and Little Known Facts to Guide You to Your Truth"
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The Truth I Found While Talking With My Selves:
Monologues and Little Known Facts to Guide You to Your Truth by Tonya Burton Trafford Publishing
book review by Sheila M. Trask
Who are you today? Do you feel like the same person you were as a teenager? Probably not, since most people experience a shifting sense of self over time. In this concise memoir, Burton explores her personal shifts and offers facts and follow-ups for others wanting to do the same.
In the aftermath of a frightening medical mishap, Burton finds herself with a lot of time to think about her life. An analyst by nature and a profession, she investigates her own psychology and finds that four distinct personality types drive many of her decisions. She endows each with a unique name and character. Zenobia, for instance, is a high-maintenance workaholic with a weakness for beautiful men. Naomi, on the other hand, is thoughtful, sensitive and family-oriented. Laelia, a maternal sun-seeker type, and Chloe, a creative "girlfriend's girlfriend" fill out the roster of personae Burton acknowledges and ultimately embraces.
In her effort to integrate all sides of her personality, Burton collects facts, reading lists, and resources that she offers to readers wishing to do similar inner work. Variety reigns, with statistics on everything from glaucoma treatments to father-daughter relationships. She also includes references to the Bible, online communities, and hotlines in this slim volume that is somewhat over packed. Burton moves quickly from questions about suicidal impulses to marital fidelity, important topics that deserve deeper consideration. Burton establishes a degree of continuity by wrapping up each section with a personal insight, repeating the phrase "my truth" with the swinging rhythm of a gospel preacher. We, the congregation, can't help but say Amen.