During her preschool years, Tara Sullivan lived in terror that something bad would happen to her mother while they were apart. In grade school, she...
read full description
reviews
Feb 05, 2009
Pamela
rated it: 
Kissing Doorknobs by terry Spencer Hesser
The book is a fiction book and it’s about a girl named Tara who has obsessive-compulsive disorder also known as OCD and how her illness gets in the way of her loved ones.
The book is how Tara copes with OCD and things she overcomes in the process. Tara has had OCD since she was ten years old, but she never knew or heard of OCD so she thought that she was going crazy when she always walk home by herself counting the cracks on the sidewalk, mak More...
The book is a fiction book and it’s about a girl named Tara who has obsessive-compulsive disorder also known as OCD and how her illness gets in the way of her loved ones.
The book is how Tara copes with OCD and things she overcomes in the process. Tara has had OCD since she was ten years old, but she never knew or heard of OCD so she thought that she was going crazy when she always walk home by herself counting the cracks on the sidewalk, mak More...
Feb 01, 2012
Well I thought overall this was a great book, i loved reading it. It seriously blew my mind how much this poor girl had to suffer. No one understood what she went threw suffering with OCD.
I liked this book in that it showed a young girl struggling to come to terms with her OCD, and how her family reacted to it. It made me really sad to see how the mom reacted though. She took things to the extreme even threatening to kill her if she did not stop with this kind of behavior. Tara has a OCD More...
I liked this book in that it showed a young girl struggling to come to terms with her OCD, and how her family reacted to it. It made me really sad to see how the mom reacted though. She took things to the extreme even threatening to kill her if she did not stop with this kind of behavior. Tara has a OCD More...
Jul 27, 2011
Jay
rated it: 
I do like books that show the effects of various psychological disorders in a way that young adults can understand. I think it's important that teens and children understand that they're not alone, that there are people out there like them, and that there are ways to find treatment for problems if they so wish.
I liked this book in that it showed a young girl struggling to come to terms with her OCD, and how her family reacted to it. Hesser also explained some of the compulsions Tara More...
I liked this book in that it showed a young girl struggling to come to terms with her OCD, and how her family reacted to it. Hesser also explained some of the compulsions Tara More...
May 04, 2010
Susie
rated it: 
What an interesting story. Tara is a young girl with undiagnosed OCD she feels crazy and her family thinks she’s crazy and her behavior is causing them to go crazy.
This was a fascinating look into the mind of someone with OCD how awful it must be to have these compulsions .
When Tara first hears ‘Step on a crack and break your mothers back’ it gets stuck in head and she cannot ever step on another crack and starts counting them.
The journey she goes on from there is so sad , her More...
This was a fascinating look into the mind of someone with OCD how awful it must be to have these compulsions .
When Tara first hears ‘Step on a crack and break your mothers back’ it gets stuck in head and she cannot ever step on another crack and starts counting them.
The journey she goes on from there is so sad , her More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Nov 01, 2011
707fiona
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Oct 06, 2010
711Isabel B
rated it:
There all kinds of stories about kids that are struiggling in the world....And they usually are kids that seem fairly average.
But KISSING DOORKNOBS, by Terry Spencer Hesser opened up a whole new world.
I felt like the writing in KISSING DOORKNOBS was very similar to MYTHIRTEENTH WINTER, by Samantha Abeel. Both characters were dealing with things inside of their heads, things that other people couldn't understand, and things that they couldn't control. It took over their liv More...
But KISSING DOORKNOBS, by Terry Spencer Hesser opened up a whole new world.
I felt like the writing in KISSING DOORKNOBS was very similar to MYTHIRTEENTH WINTER, by Samantha Abeel. Both characters were dealing with things inside of their heads, things that other people couldn't understand, and things that they couldn't control. It took over their liv More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 05, 2009
Debbie
rated it:
Tara is eleven when she experiences the first symptoms of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). As the phrase, "Step on a crack, break your mother's back," repeats in her head, Tara becomes convinced that she must count every crack between her house and her school or something terrible will happen. As Tara's symptoms escalate, her relationships with family and friends fall apart and her parents grow ever more worried about her inexplicable behavior. After being diagnosed with a varie
More...
Jan 28, 2008
Patti
rated it:
This book is about obsessive compulsive disorder. One day a small girls starts realizing that if she steps on a crack in the sidewalk, the she will literally break her mothers back. And the story progresses from there. It shows how obsessions can become so ritualistic that people can't cope without them. And the fear of leaving those rituals was palpable. Interesting read but kind of disturbing.
3 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Nov 28, 2011
707elinor
rated it: 
I thought that this book was interesting, but I did not like the style that it was written in. It wasn't very narrative, meaning that it had a lot of it was written like "Then this happened. After that, this happened," which made it a little boring. Sort of like a list. But, the plot was good. At one point, I was considering abandoning it. The book was basically a summary of the main character, Tara's life.
I think that if there was more details and dialogue in the chapters, i More...
I think that if there was more details and dialogue in the chapters, i More...
Aug 29, 2010
Elaine
rated it:
Tara's appointments with various psychologists label her as anorexic, having anger issues, and A.D.D, among other things.
Something helpful for OCD sufferers. (I'm one myself.) Revel in the victories. Give yourself credit for the tests you pass. Don't mourn the lost battles. This whole OCD thing is a war. Each step is an individual battle. You win some. You lose some. But joy-ing in the victories helps you get over the next time you are faced with the same battle. When yo More...
Something helpful for OCD sufferers. (I'm one myself.) Revel in the victories. Give yourself credit for the tests you pass. Don't mourn the lost battles. This whole OCD thing is a war. Each step is an individual battle. You win some. You lose some. But joy-ing in the victories helps you get over the next time you are faced with the same battle. When yo More...
Oct 18, 2010
ayyitskianaa
rated it:
Kissing Doorknobs, was about a girl, Tara, who was obsessed with rituals. In this book, Tara goes through many problems of teens at her age, but then Tara begins to feel that she is being forced to follow strange rituals in order to deal with the worries that threatens her life. The rituals to me seemed so dumb but to her it seemed as a matter of life or death. The rituals that she was cautious of were not only avoiding stepping on any cracks in the sidewalk but also endlessly counting them, s
More...
Oct 23, 2011
Katherine
rated it:
Kissing Door Knobs
Terry Spencer Hesser
1998
Nonfiction
Tara Has OCD but doesn’t know it. She has strange habits that she performs, like when her mother curses (which was often) she would say a prayer, then make a cross over her chest. She performed it many times but didn’t know why. Tara’s mom was sick of it and so were her friends. She would make up excuses not to walk with her friends from school because she was embarrassed that she counted the side walk cracks (an More...
Terry Spencer Hesser
1998
Nonfiction
Tara Has OCD but doesn’t know it. She has strange habits that she performs, like when her mother curses (which was often) she would say a prayer, then make a cross over her chest. She performed it many times but didn’t know why. Tara’s mom was sick of it and so were her friends. She would make up excuses not to walk with her friends from school because she was embarrassed that she counted the side walk cracks (an More...
Nov 27, 2011
Victoire
rated it:
This book is on a girl with OCD and her dealing with it and not knowing what she has and thinking she is going crazy. I thought this book was pretty sad and some parts were uncomfortable. Her friend makes a REALY bad choice in the book. f don't know if i would recommend it because of the decision her friend made and how the story can affect you Emotionally. I don't know but after reading this book i felt a little OCD because I had to have the seats at church in the exact order they were in last
More...
Sep 20, 2011
Lost (break what wont bend)
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
May 07, 2011
Emily
rated it:
At first this was hard to get into because there didn't seem to be a lot of substance, but once the plot opened up, it got a lot better. As someone with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, it's good to see how people are affected differently, because it's not all about washing your hands a billion times or checking to make sure you locked the door. There's way more to it than the things all people check and do daily. It's about not being able to function when it begins to take over your life, and it'
More...
Aug 01, 2011
Neill
rated it:
Tara has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and it is ruining her life and the lives of her parents and friends. She finds that her time is preoccupied with shifting rituals - fear of disasters, the need to pray incessantly, writing test answers perfectly and erasing them until they are perfect, counting cracks in the sidewalk - rituals that must be completed correctly a certain number of times. Interruptions require starting over. Finally she meets someone who can explain her disorder and show he
More...
Feb 13, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
I loved this book! Hesser's Kissing Doorknobs explores the plights of a young girl who desparately longs to lead a normal life, but who is inhibited from doing so by her illness of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The protagonist falls deeper and deeper into the pit of obsession, compulsion, and the self-loathing that accompanies them. Her illness becomes her life and in inseparable from the rest of her personality so much that it overtakes it. An interesting look into the life of someone with an
More...
Jul 08, 2009
Jessica
rated it:
This is an amazingly descriptive book that firmly and realisticly describes a teens lifr in the hands of OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER.
I know this since I have been personally affected with this torchering mental illness.
I strongly recommend the reading of this novel since I have not read any other that shows as much truthfulness and personality as any other book of this genre.¸
NOTE: OCD comes in many different and specific forms. This book, nor any other book could possi More...
I know this since I have been personally affected with this torchering mental illness.
I strongly recommend the reading of this novel since I have not read any other that shows as much truthfulness and personality as any other book of this genre.¸
NOTE: OCD comes in many different and specific forms. This book, nor any other book could possi More...
Jan 21, 2010
Emma
rated it:
This book was super interesting. It is about a girl with OCD and how she works to overcome it. It shows in detail all of the struggles she has and I could feel the pain, though I'm sure not all the way. It was described very well. I would never want to have OCD really bad, and I it helps me see the value of being a therapist. It also shows the value of family and the people around you, because the girl in this book does not get help until she is very far into her disease and her condition i
More...
Jan 21, 2010
Libby
rated it:
Although I didn't think this was exactly the best book I've ever read, I definitely thought it was thoroughly interesting and it really opened up some new perspectives and new reading experiences to me, which I think is really important. This book was about a 12 year old girl suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, a serious disease that interrupts passages in the brain. The book is told from the main character, Tara's, perspective, and so the book really provides a lot of detail into w
More...
Apr 12, 2011
Sam
rated it:
This book is about a girl named Tara. She has always been on the nervous side-but around 10 years old she starts developing some strange habits. These habits include counting cracks, kissing her fingers before she can touch the front door knob, and crossing herself. This takes place before OCD was a commonly known disorder, and the story betrays the emotions and feeling Tara had to live through.
This book was very good. It was short, (I read it within one school day), and the characters More...
This book was very good. It was short, (I read it within one school day), and the characters More...
Sep 10, 2009
Juliana
rated it:
Definitely a character-driven novel since the entire plot can be summed up in one sentence: "Young girl struggles with a disease that she can't understand or even name." So if you're looking for a plot-driven page-turner, skip this one. If you're interested in psychology or are interested in OCD, pick this one up. It is a bit slow to start, but it's a quick read so you can get to the conclusion relatively quickly.
Jul 20, 2010
Katie
rated it:
THis book is strange but very interesting. The book deals with OCD and how devastating it can be for a person that has it. I felt so bad for the main character, the one with OCD, because if she was ever interuppted when preforming one of her OCD actions she would have to start all over again and would end up in tears. I kind of was frustrated with the story, but who wouldn't be frustrated with OCD?
Jan 30, 2009
Heather
rated it:
Even though I was diagnosed with OCD as a teenager, I never really believed it was what I had, because the doctor always talked over my head. Reading this book put a description of the disorder into simple, understandable terms, and helped me realize that I did have OCD and how I could take care of it. It also helped me to understand what my mother went through while I was a teenager.
Sep 03, 2009
Sandra
rated it:
This novel allows readers to experience the thought patterns and life of a teenager suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder. The novel traces the development of the disorder through her childhood through flashbacks, but focuses on her suffering as an 8th-9th grader, however the narrative is gripping enough and honest enough to appeal to high school students, as well. Positive.
Aug 05, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
Fantastic account of a person with OCD. It is a fiction book, but really allows you to take the perspective of someone with significant OCD issues. This book really allowed me to understand some of my students with OCD better. A must read for anyone who has OCD or knows someone with it.
Dec 14, 2011
Tabitha
rated it:
This book made me feel like I wasn't alone. After making my parents read it, I was taken to a Dr. and diagnosed with OCD. Everyday is a struggle and from time to time I break out my copy of this book and remind myself that there is hope and support.
Jan 20, 2010
Kissing Doorknobs was one of the most real true to life story about a girl with OCD. Im sure that anyone who has a heart and a passion for others would enjoy this book. Terry Spencer Hesser did an amazing job potraying the emotions of her characters.
Oct 17, 2009
Cynthia
rated it:
This was a great book that had a very honest, personal viewpoint on OCD. It was a quick-read. Truly, one of the best books that I have read lately. Very honest and up-front. I recommend to anyone who has OCD or knows someone with OCD.
Jul 02, 2009
Jen
rated it:
great book that tells about the disorder OCD. I particularly like how it shows how one person's actions a can affect so may others; friends, & family. Interesting perspective and treated like a real problem not something to be taken lightly.
