GYPSY: Munchausen by Proxy, Murder, and the Girl Who Was Never Sick

A mother's care. A daughter's captivity. A murder that exposed the truth.For years, Gypsy Rose Blanchard was presented to the world as severely ill and disabled. Her mother, Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, told doctors, neighbours, charities and the public that Gypsy suffered from serious medical conditions. Gypsy used a wheelchair, had a feeding tube, and lived inside a childhood shaped by illness, sympathy and control.But the story was not what it seemed.In 2015, Dee Dee Blanchard was found murdered in the pink house she shared with her daughter. When Gypsy was discovered in Wisconsin with Nicholas Godejohn, the truth began to unravel. The girl the world believed was helpless could walk. The illnesses Dee Dee had described were exposed as part of a long pattern of medical deception and abuse.GYPSY: Munchausen by Proxy, Murder, and the Girl Who Was Never Sick is a careful, factual account of one of the most disturbing and morally complex true-crime cases of the last decade. It traces Gypsy's childhood, Dee Dee's control, the medical systems and charities that believed the story, the relationship with Nicholas Godejohn, the murder, the court cases, prison, release, motherhood, and the difficult question of what freedom means after a life built on lies.Written with compassion but not denial, this book does not excuse murder. It also does not ignore the years of abuse, coercion and medical control that came before it.Gypsy Rose Blanchard was a victim.She was also legally responsible for her role in her mother's death.This is the story of both truths.