Amen, Amen, Amen

August 15, 2009
A witty memoir about living with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Improv comedian Sher (Kissing Snowflakes, 2007) was like many other Jewish kids growing up in the suburbs of New York City, until her father died when she was ten. The traumatic event quickly triggered early signs of OCD. At first it manifested in counting steps and kissing and hugging photographs of her dead father, but it soon evolved into collecting sharp objects from the street that might have otherwise blown holes in car tires resulting in horrible injury or death. If she didn't collect these items, Sher writes, she would have felt responsible if something bad happened as a result. The weight of that guilt drove a need for relief. Praying, or what her mother euphemistically called Abby's"quiet time," mollified her symptoms for a while. Sitting alone in her closet, Sher would pray 25, even 50 times that everyone who was sick would be healed, and to affirm with God that her father and mother would be her best friends forever. Eventually her"quiet time" stretched into hours, which cut into a burgeoning career as a member of the famed Second City improv troupe in Chicago, as well as her love life. When prayer couldn't stop her feelings of chaos, the author fell into alcoholism, anorexia and self-mutilation. Though there are reasons to doubt parts of the author's recollections—especially as she gets older and more accountable for herself—she is no less a talented, engaging writer.

An inspiring story for young people who may be facing similar problems, rendered in charming, self-deprecating humor.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

September 15, 2009
Shers approachable style serves well to illustrate how obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can begin quietly, rage out of control, and eventually be quelled. Her OCD began when she was 10, after her aunt and her father died of natural causes, and she was certain it was her fault. She began kissing her fathers photograph a specific number of times every night, wearing the image clean off the photo paper. She started collecting sharp or slippery street trash that she believed could potentially harm someone, storing it where it posed no danger. When her psychologist suggested substituting prayer for the kissing, it made so much sense to her that she added it to her OCD repertoire. For the next 20 years, Shers accumulated obsessions consumed so much of her day that there was little time for friendships and normal activities. And she added anorexia and obsessive exercising to her repertoire of neuroses. She credits counseling and psychopharmaceuticals for overcoming most of her odd behaviors, insisting, however, that the prayers still give her life balance and perspective.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)