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pam2375's review against another edition
3.0
Completely different than any of the other Patterson books I have read.
alidottie's review against another edition
3.0
3 and a half stars
I'm so glad I had read The World's Strongest Librarian before I read this or I might not have wanted to read another book about Tourette's this one was so tortuous at times! SPOILER ALERT: it ends up the mysterious disease is Tourette's mixed with high level anxiety and terrible OCD.
After all Cory goes through in this book it is hard to believe how good it ends! I'm almost afraid to do any research to see how he is doing now!
I'm so glad I had read The World's Strongest Librarian before I read this or I might not have wanted to read another book about Tourette's this one was so tortuous at times! SPOILER ALERT: it ends up the mysterious disease is Tourette's mixed with high level anxiety and terrible OCD.
After all Cory goes through in this book it is hard to believe how good it ends! I'm almost afraid to do any research to see how he is doing now!
rmarcin's review against another edition
5.0
A heart wrenching account of a family's struggle to find peace for their son who has OCD and Tourette's Syndrome. An amazing story of love.
cathiedalziel's review against another edition
5.0
An outstanding heart wrenching and heart warming biography about a boy named Cory Friedman and his search for peace within his own body. At age 5 Cory started to display Tourette's Syndrome tics and this is his and his family's harrowing account of trying to find medical answers. Their struggle went on for 13 painstaking years, in which Corey was fed massive doses of medicines, many anti-psychotics, in an attempt to control his tics, his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder rituals and his extreme Social Anxiety symptoms.
The strength of this book lies in the narrative as told by Cory's father but told in Cory's voice. The love and faith this family had in each other to never give up is astonishing. I can't imagine the hell it must be like to have to go through every day knowing that your body will betray you, do actions that will cause you to be a social outcast, bring embarrassment to your family, and to live with horrific pain and side effects from medications that don't help your condition. Yet Cory survives this hell for 13 years.
This story is a testament to the will to survive and the power of familial love. His family never wavers in their love and support of him, nor in their pride or understanding of the battle he courageously faced.
The strength of this book lies in the narrative as told by Cory's father but told in Cory's voice. The love and faith this family had in each other to never give up is astonishing. I can't imagine the hell it must be like to have to go through every day knowing that your body will betray you, do actions that will cause you to be a social outcast, bring embarrassment to your family, and to live with horrific pain and side effects from medications that don't help your condition. Yet Cory survives this hell for 13 years.
This story is a testament to the will to survive and the power of familial love. His family never wavers in their love and support of him, nor in their pride or understanding of the battle he courageously faced.
dalyn84's review against another edition
5.0
Fascinating look at mental illness from the patients perspective.
mirable's review against another edition
3.0
Very fast read but was definitely more tell than show. I felt I was just reading lists of drug combinations and their side effects and couldn't get a real sense of Cory at all.
That being said, this is a compelling first person pov of a person struggling with OCD and Tourette's and managing to somehow retain sanity.
That being said, this is a compelling first person pov of a person struggling with OCD and Tourette's and managing to somehow retain sanity.
klarastan's review against another edition
1.0
Dear James Patterson,
It's okay for chapters to be longer than eight paragraphs. Really.
~Me
I am confused: Hal Friedman is the author, but the book is written from the first person point of view of his son, Cory. Why not call Cory an author as well? Was Hal taking dictation? He says he wasn't. So did he make up everything about how Cory felt and what he thought? This is unclear.
It's okay for chapters to be longer than eight paragraphs. Really.
~Me
I am confused: Hal Friedman is the author, but the book is written from the first person point of view of his son, Cory. Why not call Cory an author as well? Was Hal taking dictation? He says he wasn't. So did he make up everything about how Cory felt and what he thought? This is unclear.
thriller_chick's review against another edition
5.0
I have recently become addicted to James Patterson and was not sure how a non fiction from him would be but it was great. what an intense view of what this family went through. My heart goes out to him and much respect for his family for always doing right by him.