Howard Dully's My Lobotomy is the poignant & true story of a relatively normal, if somewhat quirky, 12- year-old boy who, without his knowledge, became the youngest person to endure a transorbital lobotomy.
The memoir, co-written by Charles Fleming, is much more than this simple and sad narrative, however. It is the story of familial dysfunction and neglect, a famous doctor with twisted priorities, and a crumbled life ultimately restored. Told from the perspective of the victim, on a quest to get a grasp on how this happened and how it affected the majority of his life, it is also a fascinating story.
Mother's Death, Stepmother's Intolerance, Father's Neglect
Young Howard Dully's early childhood was not unlike many mid-twentieth century kids, until --during the birth of a younger brother-- his mother died of complications. The loss the toddler's mother is at the heart of My Lobotomy, as it seems to have been responsible not only for Howard's later, inward behavior, but also the remarriage of his father to an intolerant woman who would ultimately see to it that the unmanageable boy was "out of her way."
Having raised her own three boys from a previous marriage in a strict, somewhat oppressive manner, the stepson with a mind of his own was just too much for stepmother Lou Dully to handle. Among her complaints: He objects to going to bed, but then sleeps well. He scowls and frowns if the TV is turned on to something other than what he likes. He daydreams often, then when asked about it, says "I don't know."
Besides turning on the lights in full daylight, Lou's worst accusations involved the 12 year-old's personal/toilet habits, including "dribbling from his room all the way to the bathroom." What emerges is the picture of a woman who could not control every last aspect of her household (Howard) and a father who, working three and sometimes four jobs, had little interest and less time for the raising of his son.
Search for Answers Leads to Clarity
One of the fascinating aspects of My Lobotomy is Dully's piecing-together of this story --one of which he was largely unaware for years-- more than 40 years after the fact, and the moments of clarity and inspiration rendered in the process. Included here are the lengths his stepmother traveled in order to restore the control of her household. It was this obsession that led to the utterly unnecessary, borderline criminal lobotomy of a child.
The author also includes a biographical chapter on Dr. Walter Freeman, the "father of American lobotomy" and the doctor who prescribed and performed the procedure even after coming to the conclusion (as did several previous doctors), that perhaps Lou was the problem. Freeman was something of a showman who was known to travel the country in his "lobotomobile" giving demonstrations on up to a dozen patients a day.
The Reclamation of a Life
My Lobotomy will leave readers shaking their heads in disbelief, in anger. It is not a story easily forgotten. As powerful a story as this is, perhaps its greatest strength is author Dully's reclamation of his life through the research and writing of the story. His ultimate conclusions: acceptance, a degree of forgiveness, and the knowledge that "my lobotomy did not touch my soul."
Dully, Howard & Fleming, Chas., My Lobotomy, 2007 Three Rivers Press, 289 pgs.
(isbn# 978-0-307-38127-9)
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