New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice
"A brilliant, honest, necessary book that exposes the intricacies of
the human brain while showing us the way creativity and friendship can
anchor us. This is a must-read for anyone who has ever wondered if they
see the world a little differently." -Ada Limón
A New Yorker cartoonist illustrates his lifelong struggle with OCD
in cartoon vignettes frank and funny
Jason Adam Katzenstein is just trying to live his life, but he keeps
getting sidetracked by his over-active, anxious brain. Mundane events
like shaking hands or sharing a drink snowball into absolute
catastrophes. Jason has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, a mental illness
that compels him to perform rituals in order to protect himself from
dangers that don't really exist. He checks, washes, over-thinks, rinse,
repeat.
He does his best to hide his embarrassing compulsions, and sometimes
this even works. He grows up, worries about his first kiss, falls in
love with making cartoons, moves to New York City -- which is magical
and gross, etc. All the while, half his energy goes into living his
life, while the other half is devoted to the increasingly ridiculous
rituals he's decided to maintain to keep himself from fully
short-circuiting,
Then, he fully short-circuits.
At his absolute lowest, Jason finally decides to do the things he's
always been told to do to get better: exposure therapy and medication.
These are the things that have always freaked him out, and they continue
to freak him out. Also, they help him recover.
Everything is an Emergency is a comic about all the self-destructive
stories someone tells himself, over and over, until they start to seem
true. In images surreal, witty, and confessional, Jason shows us that
OCD can be funny, even when it feels like it's ruining your life.
