Emma Grove

Third Person

In the winter of 2004, a shy woman named Emma sits in Toby’s office. She wants to share this wonderful new book she’s reading, but Toby, her therapist, is concerned with other things. Emma is transgender, and has sought out Toby for approval for hormone replacement therapy. Emma has shown up at the therapy sessions as an outgoing, confident young woman named Katina, and a depressed, submissive workaholic named Ed. She has little or no memory of her actions when presenting as these other two people. And then Toby asks about her childhood . . . As the story unfolds, we discover clues to Emma’s troubled past and how and why these other two people may have come into existence. As Toby juggles treating three separate people, each with their own unique personalities and memories, he begins to wonder if Emma is merely acting out to get attention, or if she actually has Dissociative Identity Disorder. Is she just a troubled woman in need of help? And is “the third person” in her brain protecting her, or derailing her chances of ever finding peace? The Third Person is a riveting memoir from newcomer Emma Grove. Drawn in thick, emotive lines, with the refined style of a comics vet, Grove has created a singular, gripping depiction of the intersection of identities and trauma. The Third Person is a testament to the importance of having the space to heal and live authentically.

The Third Person

David G. Green

Nadia A. Martin

Crime is said to be coming down, according to the British Crime Survey. But the BCS only began in 1981, when crime was at historically high levels. Furthermore, the BCS records only some crimes - less than half - with very significant omissions. This report shows that the government is failing to get even the most basic things right. Prison should get offenders off drugs and teach them a vocational skill. Most prisoners have a drug problem and find that they can feed their habit while inside. A lot of money is spent on education, but thousands of offenders leave prison without a workplace skill. Money is being wasted on rehabilitation schemes that have failed to reduce offending. There is an unwillingness to recognise either the deterrent effect of prison or its simple incapacitation effect - criminals don't commit crimes while they are locked up. We need a new crime-reduction strategy that will include social investment in institutions that encourage law-abiding behaviour, especially the family; that will reduce the net benefits of crime to the criminal; and will use the best methods to help prisoners to turn their lives around.

Emma Grove

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