Not As Crazy As I Seem

Publishers Weekly

Devon Brown has what his mother discreetly calls "tendencies": he eats his food in combinations of four, buttons every shirt completely before hanging it in the closet and can't stand knowing that there's a crooked poster in the biology classroom. At a new private school in a new town, he tries his best to stay inconspicuous and resists the efforts of his new shrink (who eventually diagnoses obsessive-compulsive disorder). Devon's first-person narration, especially his descriptions of sessions with his therapist, gives readers a strong sense of what it's like to live with OCD (he knows his behavior "doesn't make sense if you think about it for very long"). Harrar's (First Tiger) plotting, however, is less realistic. Devon accompanies a troubled classmate, Ben, to school after hours: while Ben spray-paints the word "Nazi" everywhere, Devon can't resist the opportunity to straighten that biology poster. The narrator is spotted and blamed, and not even his parents believe him when he says he is innocent and refuses to name the real perpetrator. Realizing that his compulsions have landed him and his parents in serious trouble, Devon throws himself into conquering his problems and in short order reveals their origins in a childhood trauma. Unfortunately, Ben's vandalism reads like a device to inspire the protagonist's self-examination, and the wholly optimistic ending comes off as scripted, too. While Devon emerges as intriguing and likable, the convincing profile does not quite cohere into a full-bodied novel. Ages 11-up. (Apr.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

Devon Brown doesn't understand why everyone has a problem with his obsession with germs, his preference for things being neat, or his tendency to eat things in groups of four. When he moves to a new school, his parents think this is a chance for him to get a new start, but he finds himself just as compulsive as ever. For the first time, however, Devon finds himself making friends—a girl who accepts his compulsions without question and a troubled boy with whom Devon finds a sort of kinship. But when his new friendships lead to trouble, Devon is forced to take a stand between betraying his friends and landing in severe trouble. This is a wonderful portrayal of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in teenagers. It is handled realistically and humorously without being patronizing or inappropriate. Devon is not cured by the conclusion of the book, but certainly is well on his way to dealing with his disorder. Any teenager with some sort of psychological disorder will find a kind of kinship with Devon, and a teenager with a friend or relative with OCD will be able to understand the disorder much better after reading this book. 2003, Houghton Mifflin, Ages 12 up.
— Amie Rose Rotruck

VOYA

Devon narrates his own story of obsessive-compulsive behavior. Isolated by his obsessions and unable to explain why he must eat items in groups of four or why he washes his hands so many times, Devon is also unwilling to change. His family has moved, and he is attending a new school. Almost accidentally, Devon makes two friends. His friendship with Ben, the purple-haired outsider, provides the catalyst for change, but his friendship with Tanya offers the strength to face his fears. The critical incident between Ben and Devon at the school is also the mechanism for Devon's parents to express themselves, an act crucial to his mental health, which they have avoided. Harrar does a wonderful job of providing hints regarding the root of Devon's disorder, even including a red herring. Devon's view of his compulsions is also well done, particularly his unwillingness to change or see a need for altering his behavior. Occasionally the prose seems choppy, but it matches Devon's personality and the character's voice. The critical incident is explored in fine detail, and the parents' perspective, as well as Devon's, is well developed. The satellite characters in Devon's world, Tanya and Ben, could perhaps use some stronger characterization, although their portrayal is not crucial to the story. The novel is a fine and entertaining story of a young man struggling with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Pair it with another treatment of the disorder, Kissing Doorknobs by Terry Spencer Hesser (Delacorte, 1998/VOYA December 1998) VOYA Codes: 4Q 3P J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12).2003, Houghton Mifflin, 224p,
— Mary Ann Harlan

KLIATT

15-year-old Devon Brown is the poster boy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or OCD. Among other things, Devon must eat food in multiples of four, avoid all germs (which means no eating in the high school cafeteria and even no sitting on his shrink's questionable chairs), organize his clothes by color, and repeat lists in his head. His family moves to a new town to try and give Devon a fresh start, only to find his OCD still ruling and ruining his life. His "tendencies," as his mother calls them, frustrate his parents and alienate him from his peers. Devon knows he isn't crazy; he just can't help but need to feel utterly in control of his life. At the root of his OCD lies a traumatic experience, one that becomes the initial reason Devon started to fixate on his need for control. When the school is vandalized, Devon finds himself in the middle of the drama, partially due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and partially due to his OCD. Thanks to the help of Dr. Wasserman, his new shrink, and Tanya, a brave new friend, Devon starts to understand that his behavior has to change. Devon has to overcome his disorder and be willing to find out who he is once the OCD is stripped away. Both funny and touching, Devon's story lets readers take an intimate glimpse into life with OCD. KLIATT Codes: J—Recommended for junior high school students. 2003, Houghton Mifflin, Graphia, 231p., Ages 12 to 15.
—Amanda MacGregor

School Library Journal

Gr 6-10-Devon Brown, 15, may be anxious, even weird, but he knows he's not crazy. He just has a fixation on the number four, an obsession about germs, and an intolerance of untidiness, all of which have afflicted him since his grandfather's death when he was eight. When his parents decide to move to the Boston area, the teen must adjust to a new private school and a new therapist. In a frank and humorous first-person narrative, he relates his midyear entrance into The Baker Academy as he copes with opinionated teachers and tentatively begins friendships with Tanya, an African-American girl, and Ben, an angry, purple-haired boy, but he shies away when they try to get closer. Despite his intelligence, Devon has a remarkable lack of self-knowledge. The crisis comes after he sees Ben spray paint the epithet "Nazi" throughout the school and takes the blame himself. It strains credulity that even in the face of his parents' profound disappointment, the harsh words of the headmaster, and two weeks' suspension, Devon refuses to implicate Ben, who is not a close friend. In a cathartic spree, he rips up the neatly buttoned shirts in his closet until his formerly distant father comes in and wraps his arms around his son, and Devon confesses he feels responsible for his grandfather's death. The positive news is that Devon can use his willpower, not a pill, to overcome his compulsive behaviors, and a rosy reunion with Tanya wraps up a novel that may have bibliotherapeutic potential.-Susan W. Hunter, Riverside Middle School, Springfield, VT Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

A 15-year-old boy with OCD struggles for mental health. Obsessed with cleanliness, germs, order, and the number four, Devon Brown feels compelled to wash his hands frequently, line up his books perfectly, and eat four of everything. Hoping to give Devon a fresh start (again), his concerned parents move, hire a new therapist, and enroll Devon in private school. The story, which never develops the dramatic urgency of Harrar's Parents Wanted, gathers steam when one of Devon's new acquaintances talks him into going to the school after-hours, then defaces the property with spray paint. Devon, who accompanied the boy because he felt the need to straighten a crooked poster in the biology room, is seen at the school, accused of the crime, and suspended. The reader is supposed to see a connection between Devon's obsessions and the trouble he gets into, but the correlation is weak, and despite the intriguing topic, the protagonist never becomes more than a sum of his neuroses. (Fiction. 11-13)