Twitch and Shout: A Touretter's Tale [Paperback]

Lowell Handler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1999

"Wonderful, compassionate, funny, instructive, inspiring and flat-out brilliant," said The New York Daily News about the award-winning 1995 documentary film, "Twitch and Shout." Narrator, associate producer, and photographer for that project, Lowell Handler has lived with Tourette's Syndrome his entire life. Once thought to be a sign of possession, this neurological disorder causes sudden jerking movements and tics, as well as an uncontrollable propensity to curse.

In this revealing memoir Handler tells of how Tourette's has shaped his life and provides insight into the strange symptoms that are often debilitating and alienating. As the title suggests, Twitch and Shout is no plea for pity; it is a heartfelt and often humorous effort to reclaim and humanize a disorder that can keep others at a distance.

* An excellent resource for students of psychology

"Touching...an insightful account of the pain and triumph that one person experienced making peace with the limitations of his existence." --The New York Times Book Review

"A mind-bending account of a mind-boggling affliction" --Entertainment Weekly

"Lowell Handler writes with enormous honesty, humor and gusto. This is a most engaging inside account of a life, a rich and creative life, with Tourette's." --Oliver Sacks

"Very droll...an ever so honest memoir of life with Tourette's Syndrome." --Elle

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Tourette's syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by tics, physical jerks, and random shouts and noises that can include profanity and racial epithets. It's become relatively well known through the writings of neurologist Oliver Sacks (whose bestselling book The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat includes several case studies of Touretters--as he dubbed them), and through the 1995 documentary Twitch and Shout, a film coauthored by Lowell Handler and Laurel Chiten, both of whom have the disorder.

Now Handler has written a book with the same name, an attempt to chronicle the disease from the inside, to explore the strange life and symptoms of a person who has discovered, as he puts it, that "the mind has a mind of its own." His personal odyssey includes many digressions into how the disorder has shaped the course of his relationships with his family, his career as a photojournalist, and his sense of purpose and belonging in society. He meets with other Touretters, including a professional basketball player, a medical doctor, and, in one of the book's most surreal episodes, an ex-military man who had served in a nuclear missile silo in charge of the launch keys. But while there is much honesty about the emotional impact of the disorder on an individual's life, Handler (who admits that he suffers from lifelong dyslexia) provides a severely fragmented narrative, jumping from episode to episode with little sense of closure or lessons learned. What's more, he's unable to give much insight into how it feels to have the disorder, or how the mind of someone with Tourette's differs from a nonsufferer. Still, some of his thoughts are intriguing (he posits, for example, that the great 18th-century author Samuel Johnson may have been a Touretter) and individual episodes ring with the resonance of hard-won truth. --John Longenbaugh --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

In this straightforward chronicle of a life lived with Tourette's syndrome, first-time author Handler provides a memoir reminiscent of Temple Grandin's autistic-themed Thinking in Pictures. In addition to sharing a common link with Oliver Sacks as friend and counselor, Handler, like Grandin, asks for neither sympathy nor the label of victim. He would prefer that those he encounters in daily life look beyond the neurological disorder that erupts for him in involuntary twitches and grunts. In fact, Handler, by detailing his journey from isolation to treatment and understanding, shows how this rare disease can be a rich creative challenge. Although the author, a photojournalist, never spouts obscenities (uncontrolled profanity and other inappropriate speech afflict only about 15% of the 200,000 Americans who have Tourette's), he spent much of his life up to his early 20s twitching, shaking, jumping and otherwise alarming and upsetting himself, his family and the world outside. Handler offers wide coverage of his topic, from personal thoughts and anecdotes to discussion of pharmacological and political issues. In one memorable section, he takes a "road trip" with Sacks to visit a series of Tourette sufferers and, at one point, uses a bit of subterfuge to lose the good doctor so he can become better acquainted with a young lady. Among the most interesting passages are those profiles of Touretters in which we meet a surgeon, a professional basketball player and a symphony conductor. Equally fascinating are Handler's speculations on whether such historical notables as Samuel Johnson and Mozart suffered from Tourette's. For any interested in this curious disorder, this book is a must read. Photos.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Plume; 1 edition (July 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452277027
• ISBN-13: 978-0452277021
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,902,260 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Honest Heartbreaking Portrayal, December 5, 2000

By 

Martin A Hogan "Marty From SF" (San Francisco, CA. (Hercules)) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Twitch and Shout: A Touretter's Tale (Paperback)

Lowell Handler has the courage to come straight into the mainstream about one of the most misunderstood neurological disorders presently known. Mr. Handler was also a consultant on the Tourette themed film, "Niagara, Niagara". His experiences are truthfully and painfully explained. One can only wonder which is better; having partial control over one's bodily movements or none at all. Sensitive and accurate, it is a must read for every doctor, parent, social worker, or anyone in this complicated world. It is explained that people with Tourette are absolutely normal, except for this "neurological malfunction". Once you are familiar with it, you will see how common it is in public. It is then that true empathy comes into perspective. This book will change your outlook on the curiosities life places in our path.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I'm not alone in this, January 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Twitch and Shout: A Touretter's Tale (Hardcover)

I was 24 and in the navy when I was told what I had. I've spent the last 11 years looking for anything on this subject. Lowell's day by day accounts with people and the brute truth of how it is to live with this disorder has not only helped me but my family and wife as well.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A sometimes brutally honest account of living life with TS, June 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Twitch and Shout: A Touretter's Tale (Hardcover)

We read this book aloud (with some judicious editing of the more personal passages) with our 11-year-old son, who developed Tourette Syndrome at age seven. He found a strong identification with the author and was vehement in his praise for the book. It was evident that Handler's honesty helped M. feel he is not alone with this disorder that makes him feel so different from other kids. For this reason alone, I recommend the book to anyone suffering from Tourette Syndrome and their families. I've given it to teachers to help them try to understand what M. feels like inside, and they've found it enlightening.