i am neurotic:

by Lianna Kong

Did you wash your hands?

Set the alarm clock?

Lock the front door?

Better Do you like even numbers? Do you fold all of your trash neatly into squares? Do you count steps? Do you carry a bottle of hand sanitizer with you at all times? Everyone has his or her own neuroses. On a routine trip to the office bathroom, Lianna Kong discovered one of "How could I possibly pee with my coworker sitting right next to me doing her business?" And, in that quiet moment of panic, iamneurotic.com was born.

i am neurotic (and so are you) is a smorgasbord of anonymous confessions that reveal people's deepest, strangest, and funniest compulsionsâ quirks that are triggered in the boardroom, the bedroom, and everywhere in between.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Graphic Novels, Art

240 pages, Paperback

Published October 13, 2009

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book in like ten minutes, and every third page is something I do. How long have I been in denial?

[Kerrikoala · Rating 4 out of 5]

...and so am I.

I had a library copy that, for this neurotic reader, was in terrible shape. First, there were some weird marks/stains on some of the pages. There was tape on the spine to reinforce it, but some crumbs have collected in the small gap between tape and spine. Plus, despite the tape, the pages were coming unglued from the spine, and I'm afraid I'll be punished for damaging it when I return it, even though it was like that when I got it. I enjoyed the book a lot, but I felt like I had to wash my hands after I touched it.

[Molly Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the majority of these "neuroses" just typical...and felt like most of the "confessions" were greatly exaggerated to make the contributor seem "special." They cease sounding like neuroses when they're so widespread. However, the latter part of the book, the "Jedi mind tricks," section, was interesting and more what I hoped to see; things specific and bizarre enough to be believable and exclusive to individuals. I think there are probably millions of people out there who like to line or pile things up symetrically over and over (I'm one of them) or can't use the bathroom if someone is in the stall next to them (I have to close my eyes and pretend to lip sync to a really animated song before my bladder will release), but I'm more interested in truly weird OCD behavior; the toothbrush brain-transfer and the Hitler-mustache shaving ritual are a couple examples in the book. I wish there had been more of these and less little things like toothpaste-squeezing and toilet-paper positioning. As a side-note, I enjoyed the photographs for their realism.

[Arij Meddeb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun, super quick and very relatable read.

[Mitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book! Every time I open it, I am cracking up aloud within seconds! I saw it in a gift store, and I perused it while in the store. I could not put it down, because I kept laughing. I carried it around and finally decided to buy it, to give to a friend. Then I kept it for several more days because I wasn't ready to give it up! I kept reading it and laughing. I gave it to my friend, and it cracks her up, too. Now whenever I go to her house, I open the book and thumb through it again, and I start cracking up, yet again. I love what Ms. Kong has put together here! The photography (by Matthew Stacey) included to "illustrate" each neuroses is great, too! I think its important she took something like this and made it hilarious. Because, as I believe Bill Cosby once said, "If you can laugh at it, you can get through it." Really terrific idea and book. Thank you, Ms. Kong, for creating this book!

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really funny book and a great way to spend my afternoon. It is really short and takes no time at all to get through. I feel like I am a very neurotic person and found many of my outrageous behaviors brought up in this book, so that was comforting. Unfortunately, I also found myself agreeing with many of the other neurotic behaviors found within this book and I now feel a need to integrate them into my routine as well.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly bought this book just this afternoon on a whim because I wanted some reading material to read on the subway I ended up finishing the boo in about 15 mins and realized that not only do I have some neurotic tendencies that were mentioned in the book, but also a couple others as well. I totally recommend this book for a great laugh as well as learning something new about yourself that you do that you though was the 'norm'.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Combination of a coffee table book and magazine article, which I finished in an hour or so.
I identified with a few of the behaviors, as well as finding several others not particularly "odd" or remarkable, although there were a few that seemed so silly I swore they'd been made up!

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't get it--what's wrong with facing your bills sequentially, and in the same direction? I thought EVERYBODY did that.
Very funny and just plain weird at times (see Ch. 3 "it's not you, it's me: how to have an akward interaction). But you shouldn't judge. It takes all kinds.

[Cass · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quirky little book that one should not read in one sitting as it will make you feel exceedingly neurotic yourself :) :/

[Isabella Mancini · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book i am neurotic (and so are you) by Lianna Kong is outstanding. This book consisted of other people's personal accounts of why they believe they are neurotic. A lot of neuroses are relatable to me, and could be for any age in general. Overall, I think this is a great book that is difficult to put down once starting to read.

Lianna Kong used pictures that framed the entire page to help further the situation at hand or to create a full understanding to the reader so they can visualize how neurotic the situation is. For example, when the author gave a description of a person saying they are very picky about cookies. Each cookie has to have exactly twelve chocolate chips. With this statement, there is a picture of a dozen cookie balls with twelve chips in each ball. The photos are all remarkably taken which adds to the the book giving of a professional effect because the pictures are vibrant and clear. The author also adds her own imagery into the writing to help with the images. For instance, in the book someone can not, for the life of them, touch cotton balls. They said "the feel of raw cotton makes me grind my teeth, cringe, and shudder, while those around me judge my lunacy". In this quote the author uses imagery because she describes the cotton as raw, which gives a cognitive definition of being sensitive to your skin and not a good feeling. Also, sating her actions makes the reader really see how much touching raw cotton makes this person crumble. In addition, I find this book immensely entertaining because lots of the oddities these people do everyday are insane to think about. My personal favorite is when one girl said she has "precisely twenty nuts every morning before 11:00. These are counted out of the packet individually using a homemade cardboard nut counter". To me this is hilarious. She uses a personal nut counter every morning just because its her superstition. If she does not then something uncalled for will happen. However, as a kept reading, I realized how many of the cases I could relate to making the book very insightful to myself. For example, one case says that they can not have their food touch each other. I agree, I refuse to eat a piece of bacon that has touched my maple syrup. Also, some of the scenarios within the book are considered clever and not neurotic to kids of my age between 13 and 23. We call these "life hacks. In the book someone said "I have to eat Cheetos with chopsticks because I don't like the cheese getting stuck on my fingers." The author described this as a weird thing to do rather than intelligent. Plus, the use of tone and emotion the author really shows how the person saying the situation feels. In the book, one girl talks about how unaligned strings irritate her. She says " they drive me absolutely nuts". This quote clearly states the authors attitude towards not aligned strings on sweatshirts because she says it drives her nuts which means it makes her go insane. Thus through the tone the reader is able to easily understand how upsetting it is for that particular person. Lastly, this book is different from previous books I have read. One reason is that it is nonfiction and these are real people, not some random characters. Therefore, the reader is able to realize that ordinary people do or think these things everyday.

Thus, i am neurotic (and so are you) by Lianna Kong was definitely a good read. I recommend this to ages 13 and up because in one or two pages there are references to inappropriate terms. I loved the set up of the book, having clear pictures and personal accounts. I do not think I would change the book at all if I could make a request or suggestion. The author did a great job of incorporating literary terms and making the book overall enjoyable. Therefore, I think i am neurotic (and so are you) is amazing and would recommend it to all my friends.

[Lianna Kendig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I literally only bought and read this because the author and I have the same name, as very few people have my name AND spell it the same way. Also, her last name also starts with a “k” and ends with a “g.”

I didn’t feel like there were many really weird things in here. About and eight of these neurotic behaviors/tendencies are just people who waste food. I only read about 10ish things that were actually strange/neurotic, as there are plenty of things in here I have done or know people who do those things.

[Heather Phelps · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is in the style of post secret, where people have admitted things that make them neurotic and the author has included funny pictures to go with them. My two favorites were one that said the girl could not resist smelling the floss every time she pulled it out from between her teeth (ewww!!!!) and a guy who said he liked to order sandwiches with tomato and then take them off since he hates tomato, he just likes the "essence of tomato". A very funny and entertaining book.

[Alicia Zuto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and cute and interesting to read from another person's perspective. Some things are relatable but of course to make a book you have to add in a lot of extra on a subject that isn't really written in the format of story but more so short little compositions on each page like a couple sentences and a picture

[Aya Khalifa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very boring, I read the first few pages and I couldn't carry on. I don't see the point in compiling people's comments or posts from a blog and making a book out of it. With all due respect to the author's view point but this book is a waste of paper..

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this, thinking it would be something like PostSecret….but it’s just not. I think it should have just stayed a blog, as maybe submitting to the blog is cathartic for people. In my opinion it just doesn’t work well as a book.

[Felicite Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't read this book cover to cover like I thought I would. I found that I could relate to some parts, though. I feel much better about myself after reading a few of these pages.

[Kim Hoover · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite coffee table book!!

[Taylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s unfortunate trees had to die for this. No idea why this blog needed to become a book.

[Mari · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of these are totally normal

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this collection of neuroses. At times it made me feel better about my lack of issues and it also might have given me ideas for new neuroses. Very entertaining and also made me feel seen!

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do think it is good, but in hindsight highly reminiscent of it's origins of a tumble blog. I think the photography is good and helps unify all the different anecdotes.

The book shows that everyone is a little quirky or weird, but I question the use of the word neurotic in the title.

[Mickey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This made me laugh SO hard I scared my cats.

To the anonymous soul who can't sleep with their closet door open: Me Either!

To the idiot who was proud of the fact that they will remove someone's sunglasses if they're indoors: I hope we NEVER meet, because I wear my sunglasses inside when I have migraines and light bothers my eyes. Rip mine off and you're looking at me ripping your face off in return.

My neurotic confession: If I have 4 distinct foods on my plate, I eat them one at a time. I cannot go on to the next food until I have eaten all of the first one. This amuses my family to no end. LOL.

[Alea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had seen I Am Neurotic on a display shelf a few weeks back and thought it looked like something I would enjoy. Then later found out it was first a blog (I love the blog to book stories) and finally sought it out at the store recently. It was definitely what I had expected. I identified several of my own "quirks" in the pages of this book and other ones I had never considered!

It was a little funny and a little comforting to read this book. Finding out a lot of people have little things that they have to do, or notice to make their day go by smoothly. It's not usually something that comes up in conversation for me so it was nice to get a dose of some story swapping.

The format of the book is very small and it is perfect bound so it's a little hard to really open up and see all the photography without cracking the spine. A larger format or different binding would have made the book a lot easier to read. I loved the photos that were taken to go with the contributions. They were these sort of muted shots that aren't overly finished and I think they compliment the contributions nicely. My favorites are where you can see a person's face instead of a close up of a hand or something like that.

Overall this is the kind of book you will know in an instant if it is for you or not and i had a great time with it!

[N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure how to rate this so I'm going with average to slightly above average for its potential usefulness when creating characters. I Am Neurotic is a book based on a website, with a photo and a description of a separate individual's neurotic habit or way of thinking on each page. Kind of comforting to find that some of my own neuroses, present and outgrown, were mentioned or something similar to them was noted. A fun little book, nicely illustrated with photographs on every page except the intro. If you don't have a use for the book beyond reading about other people's strange (and sometimes frightening) habits, I'd stick to visiting the website, iamneurotic but I'm keeping my copy for future reference when drawing up character sketches because the nice photos helped rev up the mental gears. I'm not seeing photos at the website.

Update: I'm wrong. If you page down you'll see photos. Just the first few entries lack photographs.

[Gaby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another HarperStudio book, i am neurotic (and so are you) is a light compilation of different "neurosis" depicted in clever photographs. Lianna Kong uses the term neurosis loosely and for effect. i am neurotic (and so are you) didn't appeal to me as much as I'd expected, some of the quirks seemed a bit contrived to me and I may have fixated on the loose use of the term neurosis. I expect that the book will be better appreciated by other readers, the book is a fast read and quirky with artful photographs.

ISBN-10: 0061791474
Publisher: HarperStudio; Original edition (October 13, 2009), 240 pages.
Review copy courtesy of the publisher.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this for a friend who does have some (admittedly) neurotic habits. I read through it before I sent it to her. Hilarious!

We've had fun conversations on whether or not some are true neurosis--for example, her husband says, "yes, it's neurotic" if you refuse to have liquids next to your computer. We disagree. We both see it as taking care of something very expensive (neither of us grew up financially secure, so we have more respect for the big-ticket items, I guess). However, we're split on "I look carefully at the first 10 people I run into every morning to make certain that the zombie plague has not taken over my city." That's all her.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entertaining book, and upon reading it, some of these neuroses made me smile because I may know someone who is particularly neurotic about what is described in the book, while others times, I think I can relate to certain neuroses (although some would argue that I'm still in denial). I like the photography by Matthew Stacey in this book and the presentation is something too.

It's a fun book and it's easy to share and pass around. If you know someone who is especially neurotic, this book can be a fun gift.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the final days of Borders, everything was discounted to ridiculously low prices. I felt justified in buying a large stack of books due to the fact that I was saving them and giving them a warm and loving home. This was one of the books that I purchased.

To face the facts, I have a few little neuroticisms of my own and this book provided laughs of kindred spirits as well as slightly more extreme spirits.

This isn't really a literary piece (think Post Secret but for neuroticisms) but I enjoyed the fun images and little confessions scattered throughout the book.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can absolutely relate to some of the neuroses mentioned in the book. I, too, have some of my own. When there are pieces of paper spread out over my husband's half of our office desk, I have to rearrange them in a stack. I can't stand it when he leaves cupboard doors open. When I eat cream-filled cookies, I take them apart, scratch off the cream part with my teeth, eat that first, then eat the rest of the cookie afterwards.
Ah, back to the review: a nice little collection of people's many quirks, visualized with many photographs.