Random Reads

     Kissing Doorknobs is one of the best books I have read that addresses the issue of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, otherwise known as OCD. As the title indicates, Tara Sullivan must kiss a doorknob everytime she passes thru a doorway.  Hesser does a great job of capturing the essence of OCD because although Tara recognizes that her behavior is absurd and ridiculous, she is compelled to perform the obsessive behavior. Hesser cleverly weaves the Sullivan family into the storyline as they try and deal with Tara's weird behavior.  She traces the path that many families face as they try and correctly diagnose her problem and seek medical treatment.  Life becomes complicated as Tara's illness escalates and the author beautifully captures the tribulations thru humor and awareness.  What a wonderful debut novel for a first time author!

      Monica Devon is obsessed with saying and doing the right thing and anagrams, the reordering of letters to form different words from an original word.  She has ritualistic habits that she continually performs.  One particular habit involves a game she invented by using tiles from the game Scrabble.  She has decided to let the game make her decisions, that way, she doesn't have to make any choices and whatever the game dictates must be the right choice, the only choice.  In Monica's own words, here are the rules.  A is a normal choice, something she would ordinarily do.  B is just plain dumb, C is mean, completely out of character, and D is a charitable, a sacrificial choice.  No backing out, and she has to do whatever the letters say no matter what.  One example is what to wear to school?  A) Jeans and a t-shirt B) my pajamas C) The junior bridesmaid gown I wore to my cousin Marla's wedding D) my old black pants- and I'll donate my new ones to the Salvation Army.  The game is funny at first until it jeopardizes others and becomes dangerous. 

      Devon Brown is fifteen years old and completely obsessed with the number 4. He eats his sandwich cut into fours, eat four M&M's for lunch everyday, and has to be the fourth person to walk into school each day.  In addition, he constantly washes his hands and refuses to eat in the school cafeteria because he is afraid of germs. Harrar does a great job of portraying a teen's life dealing with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  He relates the frustrations that family members endure, the ridicule that Devon endures from classmates, and Devon's own unrest from his baffling behavior. Conflict arises when Devon sees a friend spray paint a Nazi symbol and he ends up taking the blame himself so he does not implicate his friend.  Eventually, Devon confronts his OCD and uses behavior modification as therapy rather than medication.  After reading this novel, you'll wonder if you don't have a few OCD tendencies yourself.  George Harrar clearly captures the essence of a teenager suffering from such a debilitating disease.