Some books entertain. Others educate. And then there are books like Memories of MK-ULTRA, which do something harder—they disturb. They confront. They linger long after the final page.
In his debut novel, author Bill Yarborough reaches deep into the shadows of American history to reimagine a world that, for many, still sounds like the stuff of conspiracy. But the uncomfortable truth is this: the CIA’s MK-ULTRA program was real. It happened. And in Memories of MK-ULTRA, Yarborough takes that foundation and builds a haunting, emotionally resonant narrative around it—one that feels unsettlingly personal.
Published by Manhattan Book Group in December 2024, the novel follows Tommy Matthews, a bright and curious child growing up in 1950s Washington, D.C. A visit to a museum with his sister quickly turns sinister, setting off a chain of events that lands both siblings in a hidden government program that traffics in control—of bodies, minds, and memory.
What makes this story especially compelling is the author’s own connection to it. Yarborough believes that he and his siblings were subjected to MK-ULTRA experiments as children. Though officially fiction, the book is based on what he describes as repressed memories that began to surface later in life. “At first, I didn’t know what to do with them,” he says. “The pieces didn’t make sense until I started reading about MK-ULTRA. Then the fragments started fitting together.”
He isn’t alone. Over the years, multiple survivors have come forward with eerily similar accounts—stories of hypnosis, forced drugging, isolation, and experimentation that align with the Senate’s findings in the 1970s, when MK-ULTRA was publicly exposed. What distinguishes Yarborough is how he’s chosen to channel his experience into narrative art.
The novel doesn’t rely on gore or grand conspiracy. Instead, it immerses readers in a child’s confused, fragmented world—where memory slips through the cracks and authority figures can’t be trusted. The horror is not supernatural; it’s institutional.
Yarborough’s writing is clear, clean, and evocative. He captures the disorientation of a young mind encountering trauma without understanding it. But even more impressive is his restraint. Memories of MK-ULTRA could have gone for the dramatic—but it doesn’t. It lingers in the discomfort of silence, suggestion, and slow realisation.
Now in Northern California, Yarborough lives with his wife Inge, a fellow practitioner in emotional healing. Together, they are certified in hypnotherapy, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), and Reiki. They’ve published articles on trauma recovery and are currently co-authoring EFT on Steroids – The Extraordinary Benefit of Communal Tapping, a guidebook to shared emotional healing.
Memories of MK-ULTRA is not a comfortable read. It’s not meant to be. But it may be one of the more important ones—especially as the world continues to wrestle with what governments are capable of, and what histories are still being rewritten.
About the Author
Bill Yarborough is a Northern California–based novelist, certified hypnotherapist, and former nonprofit leader. His debut novel, Memories of MK-ULTRA, explores the intersection of personal trauma and historical truth, based on what he believes to be repressed memories from a government mind control program in the 1950s. He and his wife, Inge, are both certified EFT practitioners and hypnotherapists who co-write about emotional recovery and trauma healing. They’re currently completing a nonfiction book titled EFT on Steroids – The Extraordinary Benefit of Communal Tapping. Yarborough is also developing the sequel to Memories of MK-ULTRA, continuing a story he’s spent a lifetime uncovering.
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