A Life interrupted by tics (Life, Interrupted - James McConnel)

Member Name: marymoose

Product:	Life, Interrupted - James McConnel
Date:	07/10/09 (119 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A captivating read, inspirational

Disadvantages: Lumps Tourettes and OCD together, the short interlude chapters

---Intro---
Deciding to push myself into reading (having lost my reading mood) I picked the first book that came out of my desk drawer, one I'd picked up from the charity book list at work for just 25p. It turns out that this was the right choice, as since then I've got back the reading bug and can't stop reading. Of course this makes it harder to remember the details of what happened in this book as while I thoroughly enjoyed it I'm nearly through the next book now, so I'd better get on with this review!


---The Book---
Since "Life, Interrupted" is not a one-off title (search on Amazon and you'll see what I mean), it's important to note its subtitle, but this isn't straightforward as my hardback copy's subtitle is "The Memoir of a Nearly Person" while the paperback (more recent) version's is "The True Story of a Life Driven by Tourette's". Both are the same book. The author is James McConnel, a British composer and author, and since this is an autobiography you can find out all about him (well, at least his earlier years) by reading the book!

Anyway, for those who are interested, my copy which has a predominantly black cover with the shadow of a boy's face has 345 pages (but they're fairly short pages), and the book was published in 2006. Paperback copies can be picked up for £5.24 on Amazon which is pretty standard, second hand for less obviously!


---The Structure---
Before chapter 1 there is a chapter (well, less than two pages) called "The End", and all chapters are interspersed with these (all called "The End"), I suppose as some sort of interruption. I have to say that I found these short interludes a bit annoying really (perhaps that was the intention?), they are based around the time that James was drinking heavily, and tend to include quite a lot of swearing, not that that bothers me (I'm just pointing it out!). But I just didn't think much of these short passages, which are almost like poems at times.

Otherwise there are 16 chapters, and it's all split into small sections which tend to make me want to read on. The font occasionally changes in size and boldness in order to emphasise James' thoughts, and particularly his anger and frustration. The repetitiveness of the language is also useful in illustrating his OCD, and I found myself getting annoyed (mind you I do get annoyed easily) - I can't even begin to imagine how it must feel for the person affected by it!


---The Story---
At the age of 6 James McConnel was at a school carol service when he suddenly had the urge to sniff, and then to sniff again. This was the start of his life with Tourettes and his various tics - coughing, grunting, sniffing (which was treated as an annoying phase, and then as an eccentricity), and also his various obsessions - tapping, counting, checking...and the "Controller" or "The Beast" as he refers to what it going on internally.

When James discovered the piano, not only did he find that he had a natural gift for playing, but that it also lessened the effects of his Tourettes. However, James had a pretty terrible time at school, being bullied mercilessly (and perhaps being sent away to boarding school didn't help the situation much). An accident while in France (caused by a tic) led to an injury which disrupted his piano playing, but also led to him feeling accepted by his peers for the first time.

Despite his injuries, James went to study at the Royal College of Music specialising in the organ. But life for James wasn't easy, his Tourettes making relationships next to impossible, and in time he came to found that alcohol both helped in social situations and ease his tics and obsessions. In the long-term though this led to alcoholism, and many associated problems. And so the plot thickened!


---My Thoughts---
I realise that many people who have Tourettes do also have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - I have read the statistic 80% somewhere - but I did feel that in this book that Tourettes and OCD were treated as one and the same. I know that that this was the case for James, but in reality obsessive counting and tapping is a symptom of OCD (which is generally seen as psychological), not Tourettes (which is neurological). Really though this is just a minor niggle (and I'm not an expert by any means), and it probably wouldn't annoy other readers! I am however glad that he clears up the common misconception that all people with OCD shout out swear words - this doesn't seem to be an issue for James.

Although James did go through some difficult experiences, he was luckier than many people, having a privileged background (financially) and being a talented musician clearly helped his cause, while many people with Tourettes must struggle far more. However, his story is still inspirational as a tale of triumph over adversity. It's not a depressing read though, and it will almost certainly have you laughing out loud a few times.

Due to the structure of the book I whizzed through it, and I was hooked, wanting to know the outcome and what was going to happen when James was finally diagnosed with Tourettes at the age of 32 (I'm not giving anything away here, it's all in the blurb). Perhaps I was left slightly disappointed though as I wanted to read a bit more about life after the diagnosis, but that wasn't really the point of the story. The acknowledgements though left me wanting more, wanting to learn about his wife and children. Mind you, call me cynical, but in this day and age with multiple autobiographies written, I wouldn't put it past him to write a second instalment!


---Finally---
I was certainly recommend this book even if it is a bit uncomfortable at times. Those who enjoy autobiographies and accounts of those with mental health issues will certainly enjoy this book!

Summary: Give it a go if you like this sort of thing!