MED HEAD
JAMES PATTERSON & HAL FRIEDMAN
YA Non-fiction
Little, Brown
ISBN# 9780316076173
302 pages
$8.99
Paperback available now
5 Enchantments
Corey Friedman is an ordinary teenager with issues that take all his strength and courage to overcome. This is an account of his thirteen year journey dealing with OCD, anxiety, and Tourette’s symptom.
Wow. Reading Corey’s story amazes me. What he went through as a child with the daily ridicule of his peers and then the pure hell of a life time of different drugs, totally is awe inspiring. My own son deals with sensory issues and I’ve dealt with a school system that wasn’t supportive. I can’t even imagine what Corey’s parents went through. What is really inspiring is Corey’s voice. His descriptions of the meds that caused serious issues are so real. I felt for him when this one so-called expert in the field of Tourette’s, ends up just viewing Corey as a test subject even when the one drug she prescribes to him causes him to want to end his life.
Corey also shows the reader what it’s like to basically be a guinea pig to a wide assortment of meds. His OCD and Tourette’s were very extreme. One way Corey dealt with the pain was self-medicating with alcohol. But this book doesn’t just dwell on the negative. It shows Corey’s successes and triumphs. My favorite part is when Corey shows this one school founder that he will make it out in the real world. And he does with determination and persistence.
The story is haunting and Corey’s personal journey through years of medical turmoil will stay with you. At the conclusion are notes from Corey’s parents, personal photos, and also info on OCD and Tourette’s.
James Patterson is the author of Maximum Ride novels, Witch & Wizard, and a number of other books. He lives in Florida.
Hal Friedman has published five works of fiction. He lives with his wife, Sophia, at the edge of a forest in northern New Jersey.
Kim Baccellia
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
November 2010
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