It's tough to imagine someone writing a hilarious recounting of her struggles with OCD, scrupulousity and anorexia, but crafty girl Jennifer Traig has done just that. The humor here is burst-out-loud funny. Ms. Traig has a true ear and eye for finding the humor in any story. And - that's the thing...some of these stories are - humor stripped away - pretty darn bleak. When Jen's parents yank her out of school before the end of her junior year, you know things are pretty out of control. The author - thankfully able to look back with perspective, sanity and health intact - is cognizant enough to concede the point.

Ms. Traig gives a lot of credit and support to her family for putting up with her over the years. My favorite passage in that regard is this one:

"...but as I grew older, crazier and more religious, I felt as though I didn't blend in anywhere. I was just so weird. I didn't even fit in my own family. This was largely my doing. I'm the one who caused it...My parents had done everything right, ruling the house by dictatorship, a method that works so well for much of the Third World. It didn't work for me. Every day, I was stirring up insurgencies, issuing fatwas. declaring holy war on the whole...family."

Now, that's a chick who can seriously write. Excellent stuff, Jen.

One quibble about the industry reviews at the top of this page...where Publisher's Weekly says "In this 1970s memoir, Traig describes how, from the age of 12 until her freshman year at Brandeis...". This is incorrect. The author makes clear in the book that she went (at least Freshman year) to UC Berkeley. Her PhD is from Brandeis.

Like the author, I have OCD, and I actually have a pretty good sense of humor, too, I think. Nevertheless, I'm far more bitter about my past than Ms. Traig seems. I'm sure she's had her fair share of anger, fighting, pain and suffering, to which she does sometimes allude in the book, but she's retained a wicked sense of humor and written an entertaining book.

Ms. Traig has suffered from several forms of OCD, some worse than others, including scrupulosity, washing, counting, checking and anorexia nervosa (the eating disorder is considered related to OCD). Her family has lived with her and her OCD, and most of us sufferers would agree, that isn't easy. She shares funny and interesting parts of her life, and I learned quite a bit about Jews and Judaism that I didn't know (I'm not Jewish). She explains how her OCD and religion intertwined and affected each other. I loved reading about her family, as well.

I found myself often bursting out laughing, sometimes garnering odd looks from my boyfriend. She conveyed the thought processes of OCD quite well, showing how frustrating it can be for the sufferer. We can see the humor in how we think, but when we're in the moment, it's not funny at all. OCD can be severely emotionally painful, and it really can ruin lives when sufferers can't get it under control. Reading about OCD's humorous side can ease some of the pain.

This is a great book for OCD sufferers and their families, as well as anyone who enjoys memoirs. It's not boring at all, and might help others understand what goes on in our minds.