Ticked

March 1, 2013
A moving but also hair-raising story of Tourette's syndrome and a risky surgical procedure. When assigned to cover the Oprah Winfrey Show, Kansas City Star feature writer Fussell used his affliction as a calling card for an interview, telling her how, some years before, her interview with a fellow sufferer had inspired him. Winfrey gave him a tape of a recent show she had done with Matovic, who had been disabled by the syndrome until recent, successful brain surgery. The doctors implanted an electrode deeply in his thalamus (the area which controls motor impulses) and connected it to a battery-controlled minicomputer placed in his chest. While the potentially fatal surgery had worked for people with Parkinson's disease, Matovic's operation was the first success story for a Tourette's patient. After watching the tape, Fussell got in touch with Matovic to share experiences, and the idea for a joint book project emerged. Now happily married with children and a successful career, Fussell's life nonetheless was becoming unendurable. He suffered severe pain from the violent, uncontrollable jerking motions of his head, which had injured vertebrae in his neck and also disrupted his sleep. He writes about both of their battles with the disease, which worsens over time. As a boy and young man, Fussell was able to divert attention from his embarrassing tics. Matovic, 33 at the time of his operation, had a more disabling disease, which had also come on slowly but had progressively incapacitated him. Unable to work, he devoted his time to finding a team of neurosurgeons who would perform the difficult operation. A graphic but inspiring depiction of the ravages of the disease, their bravery and the sustaining love of their families.

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June 1, 2013

Journalist and Tourette syndrome (TS) sufferer Fussell (Kansas City Star) shares his story of meeting Matovic, the first recipient of a controversial yet groundbreaking medical procedure to treat TS. When Oprah heard news that the radical, quarter-million-dollar, deep brain stimulation surgery was a success, she invited Matovic to appear on her show to share his incredible story. In a chance encounter, Fussell was sent on assignment to interview Oprah during a multicity tour. Completely unaware of Matovic's story, Fussell confided in Oprah that he struggled with TS. That's when Oprah promised to mail him a copy of her recent interview with Matovic. When Fussell watched it, he was overwhelmed with emotion and decided to reach out to Matovic to learn firsthand of Matovic's journey to a life of normalcy. VERDICT A story of friendship and struggle, the book alternates between Fussell's and Matovic's narration. Readers might find the title's structure a bit discordant, although perhaps this was meant to help illustrate the impediments of the disorder. Recommended for those diagnosed with TS as well as for their friends and family.--Carolann Curry, Mercer Univ. Lib., Macon, GA

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2013
In this heart-wrenching and heartwarming story, two men with Tourette syndrome explain what it's like to live with a misfiring of signals in the brain that causes tics. And no, neither of them yells curse words. Fussell, a writer at the Kansas City Star, shakes his head a lot. Matovic's sharp, repetitive, involuntary muscle spasms were so severe he had a surgeon bore holes in his head. It basically worked, and he told his story on Oprah. Fussell learned about Matovic from Oprah herself when he interviewed her. He and Matovic hit it off, and they make a good team in this engaging, well-written book about growing up different and the symptoms of Tourette's, including the trouble staying still that Fussell and Matovic used to their advantage to excel at sports. The book is hopeful (both men are happily married fathers) and funny (at a Tourette's gathering, Fussell doesn't know how to handle a woman whose tic is undressing strangers, including him). With a foreword by comedian Jeff Foxworthy, this has wide appeal.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)