My Time to Stand

New York Times Bestseller

A victim of her mother’s Munchausen by proxy and child abuse survivor, Gypsy-Rose Blanchard’s unique and controversial case made headlines across the world.

Now, she’s finally free to start living her life on her terms—and to tell her own story as only she can. Forced to use a wheelchair in public and endure a lifetime of faux illness, fraud, and exploitation, Gypsy was subjected not only to her mother’s medical, physical, and emotional abuse, but deprived of childhood milestones. Prevented from attending school or socializing, Gypsy’s formative years were defined by pain and isolation. After serving 8 years in prison for the role she played in her mother Dee Dee’s murder, Gypsy is embracing her fresh start—and reminding all of us that it’s never too late. In this revelatory, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful memoir, Gypsy shares the painful realities she grew up with and the details of her life that only she knows, including:

The abusive cycle that began with Dee Dee’s abuse by her father
Gypsy’s fear that continued unnecessary surgery would leave her truly disabled
How she coped with guilt and accepted responsibility for her mother’s death
Memories of her final days in prison
What she learned upon reviewing her own medical records for the first time
How it felt to finally see her family again as her authentic self

Featuring Blanchard family photos and new facts about Gypsy’s life that she previously kept private, My Time to Stand offers an unprecedented look at the real Gypsy-Rose Blanchard, proudly embarking on her ongoing journey to recovery and self-discovery.

Author Biography

Gypsy-Rose Blanchard served 8 years of a 10-year sentence for the second-degree murder of her mother, Clauddine Blanchard, and was released from Missouri’s Chillicothe Correctional Center at the end of 2023. From birth to age 23, Gypsy was the victim of incomprehensible emotional, physical, and medical abuse at the hands of her mother, who is suspected to have suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy—a rare psychological disorder marked by attention-seeking behavior of a primary caregiver (most often the mother) through those who are in their care.

Michele Matrisciani is a New York Times bestselling editor, who founded Bookchic LLC, where she collaborates and consults on all aspects of writing and publishing. She is the coauthor of Whole: A Guide to Self-Repair and a Pushcart Prize nominee for her personal essay, “The Case for the Second Mom.”

Melissa Moore is the Emmy-nominated executive producer of Lifetime’s The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Monster in My Family. Moore is the author of Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer’s Daughter and Whole: A Guide to Self-Repair.