Not as Crazy as I Seem [Hardcover]

George Harrar (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 22, 2003

What do you do when a bottle of liquid hand-sanitizer lasts you only a week? Or how about when you realize that you’re unable to eat in the school cafeteria? (Too dirty.) Or sit on an office couch? (Ditto.) And is it a crime to have all of your shirts neatly lined up, color coded, and buttoned from top to bottom? What about alphabetized books? When does neatness become an obsession?
Preoccupied with orderliness, cleanliness, and warding off impending disaster through rituals, Devon Brown is concerned with all of the above and then some. Which is just fine by him, but his parents and therapist see his “tendencies” in a more negative light—especially when such compulsions land him in the middle of big trouble at his new high school.
In this compelling story of mistakes and recovery, with sensitivity and humor George Harrar examines the tensions and events that trigger Devon’s actions and ultimately set him on a journey to understand exactly what he’s so afraid of.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 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, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-10. Fifteen-year-old Devon does everything in fours. He eats four quarters of a sandwich and four M&M's for lunch, is the fourth person to walk into school, and buys paperbacks that are 4 1/4 x 6 3/4 inches for his bedroom bookshelf. He also covers his hands before opening doors, refuses to eat in the school cafeteria, and washes his hands constantly, all to protect himself from germs. Devon has obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and this is his life--a life his mother is trying to comprehend, his father abhors, the kids at school ridicule, and Dr. Wasserman is helping to change. Harrar paints a very human picture of Devon, his family, and his friends, revealing the frustration of a teen afflicted with OCD who yearns to understand himself, fit in, and stay out of trouble. At once humorous and poignant, frustrating and sympathetic, this will leave readers wondering if they could be a little obsessive-compulsive themselves. Frances Bradburn
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; 1St Edition edition (April 22, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618263659
• ISBN-13: 978-0618263653
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,847,195 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Believable and engrossing, February 2, 2005

By 

Research Mom "Author and Avid Reader" (Westport, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Not As Crazy As I Seem (Paperback)

My 12-year-old daughter loved this book, and asked me to read it when she finished. I was surprised to discover how engrossed I became in the story, and how attached I became to the main character. He is a bright teenager struggling with OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), finding strategies for hiding his compulsions from others, and avoiding his parents' efforts to "change" him. I was touched by the way he is forced to confront his problem and allow others into his inner world. Unlike many young people's books about adolescents with special issues, this book is not heavy, depressing, or heartbreaking. It's interesting, fast-paced, and thought-provoking without being preachy. Anyone who knows a person with OCD or suspects it in themself will find the book to be a revelation. Those who do not will gain a deeper understanding of everyday people who struggle with mental health issues. I highly recommend it for parents who are trying to enrich their children's reading lists or broaden their understanding of human diversity.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A story about a boy who has OCD, January 6, 2004

By 

Ali (New York, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Not as Crazy as I Seem (Hardcover)

This book review has very brief language. Not as crazy as I seem by George Harrar was a very entertaining book about a boy, Devon who has tendencies, as his mom calls, it as known as OCD (obsessessive compulsive disorder.) Devon wont eat in the school caf (a germ swamp as he calls it). He has to go to a shrink and he wont sit on the chair there "I cant bring myself to sit on it (the chair) just think of all the kids squirmy asses that have touched it!"
This story is a real page-turner, it also was an eye popper - I know realize how lucky I am to just be ordinary.
I would recommend this book to people age 12 and up because it has brief language and it has things that younger kids might not understand. This book has 202 pages.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good novel with a few minor flaws., January 13, 2007

By 

AmericanDreamer31 (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Not As Crazy As I Seem (Paperback)

A very well written book, moves very quickly, and portrays OCD realistically and yet manages to be pretty funny in some parts. As a sufferer of OCD, I could really relate to alot of Devon's feelings. The therapist was a bit unrealistic, however and it took him awhile to catch on to an obvious OCD diagnosis. But overall a great book!