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Amen, Amen, Amen
by
Abby Sher (Goodreads Author)
Until the age of ten, comedian and writer Abby Sher was a happy child in a fun-loving, musical family. When her father and favorite aunt pass away, Abby fills the void of her loss with rituals: kissing her father's picture over and over each night, washing her hands and counting her steps, collecting sharp objects that she thinks could harm innocent pedestrians. Then she b...more
Audio CD, 0 pages
Published
November 23rd 2009
by Tantor Media, Inc.
(first published October 20th 2009)
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I really liked this book. I plowed right through it in two sittings, couldn't really put it down. Stayed up too late to finish it, and now have to write a bit before I'll be able to sleep.
It's quite good. She vividly evokes that feeling of responsibility you get when you just feel responsible for things that are clearly out of your control. The whole thing reads a bit like a thriller... she is so often just barely on the edge of control, and you read headlong with this sick feeling of ...more
It's quite good. She vividly evokes that feeling of responsibility you get when you just feel responsible for things that are clearly out of your control. The whole thing reads a bit like a thriller... she is so often just barely on the edge of control, and you read headlong with this sick feeling of ...more
Sher's book is a moving account of living in the day to day with OCD. She picks up on all the little things, like having to stop and pick up trash off the sidewalk for fear of what would happen if she did not. It's details like these that make you realize how all-consuming her disorder is. And that's what Sher does throughout the course of her narrative: with example piled upon on example, she draws you deeper into the world of what it's like to live with an all-pervasive disorder. The sheer vol...more
Amen Amen Amen
Abby Sher
Pgs: 301
ISBN: 978-1-4165-8945-7
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Imagine being terrified of everything, and all you can do is pray to relieve the stress. Imagine if you couldn’t even do simple things all because of your Ocd but finally one day you can. Enter the world of Abby sher the author as she write a memoir of her life. Now she is free, and doesn’t have to be controlled by her Ocd anymore and she can be who she is. This story is very touchi...more
Abby Sher
Pgs: 301
ISBN: 978-1-4165-8945-7
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Imagine being terrified of everything, and all you can do is pray to relieve the stress. Imagine if you couldn’t even do simple things all because of your Ocd but finally one day you can. Enter the world of Abby sher the author as she write a memoir of her life. Now she is free, and doesn’t have to be controlled by her Ocd anymore and she can be who she is. This story is very touchi...more
Ever since she was little, Abby Sher had the tendency of doing things in certain order, or for a certain amount of times, or collecting specific pieces of garbage. Abby also had the tendency to pray non-stop.
"Amen, Amen, Amen" is Abby Sher's account of growing up with obsessive-compulsive disorder. At first, Abby finds comfort in her daily rituals, but soon realizes that there's nothing normal about her behavior. Nevertheless, Abby faces daily challenges and life traumas b...more
"Amen, Amen, Amen" is Abby Sher's account of growing up with obsessive-compulsive disorder. At first, Abby finds comfort in her daily rituals, but soon realizes that there's nothing normal about her behavior. Nevertheless, Abby faces daily challenges and life traumas b...more
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If you've been paying attention to my list of books, you'll probably notice I've been into memoirs lately. I just seem to be finding the stories people tell about their own lives and struggles as compelling as a good novel (when well done). Abby Sher's memoir is about her life as an obsessive-compulsive who lost hours of her life to the need to pray and take responsibility for the calamities of the world. It was a really poignant story of someone who desperately wanted to take control of the wor...more
Note: I read an advanced copy, although the book has been released.
What I like about this book is that Sher delves into her OCD in ways that are rarely depicted in literature or other media, except as oddities.
I didn't know what the memoir was about until I started it, and I will say that, although I don't watch them too often, I love reality tv shows that show people in their addictions--whether they be to illegal substances, to rituals, to food (or not)--and then their ...more
What I like about this book is that Sher delves into her OCD in ways that are rarely depicted in literature or other media, except as oddities.
I didn't know what the memoir was about until I started it, and I will say that, although I don't watch them too often, I love reality tv shows that show people in their addictions--whether they be to illegal substances, to rituals, to food (or not)--and then their ...more
Abby Sher was a happy child from a musical family until about the age of ten. When her father and favorite aunt pass away, Abby deals with her grief and the loss by performing various rituals. For example, kissing her fathers picture over and over again at night. Suddenly something so seemingly harmless grows into a series of elaborate rituals such as: repetitive praying, washing her hands over and over, counting her steps, and collecting sharp objects from the pavement. Before long her prayer r...more
"Amen, Amen, Amen" is the true story of Abby Sher's obsessive-compulsive disorder that lasted from the age of ten into her thirties. She holds her world together with rituals and then the rituals begin to require more rituals. . .all in the hopes that SHE has not caused her father and her aunt to die.
She cannot obsess her demons away, not even by tripling her rituals, not by anorexia or by cutting.
Her therapists, her mother, her boyfriends. . . no one can find ...more
She cannot obsess her demons away, not even by tripling her rituals, not by anorexia or by cutting.
Her therapists, her mother, her boyfriends. . . no one can find ...more
pretty good book about an OCD girl who collects trash thinking she is saving the world from major accidents that a paperclip or a shard of glass could cause. She loses her father and stepfather to illness and then thinks she needs to pray extra long and extra diligently to prevent any other future loses or else bad things will happen to friends or family or even strangers.
She starts to become obsessed with relationships and exercise and dieting and although she goes to a doctor for ...more
She starts to become obsessed with relationships and exercise and dieting and although she goes to a doctor for ...more
3 1/2 stars. I am a literary voyeur, I love to look at others' lives, so I thought this “memoir of a girl who couldn't stop praying (among other things)” would be right up my alley. In some ways it was, in others – not so much.
Abby has had much too much loss in her life, beginning when she was most vulnerable, as a child. Her OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) began manifesting itself before the losses but was greatly exacerbated when someone close to her died. She began to fee...more
Abby has had much too much loss in her life, beginning when she was most vulnerable, as a child. Her OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) began manifesting itself before the losses but was greatly exacerbated when someone close to her died. She began to fee...more
I had a tough time with this book on audio, in part I believe because the author read it herself; her little girl voice became more difficult to accept as she grew older. Moreover, the story relies on description to a significant extent, which might be okay in print, but Sher lingers on such details, dragging out this Series of Unpleasant Events until nearly the very end (last half hour or so), as she’s in denial about her serious problems, making several bad choices with negative consequences. ...more
This book is a memoir about a woman suffering through OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). Often we joke about real psychological illnesses. We'll comment and say, "That's my OCD talking." This young woman copes with the deaths of members in her family through discovering that repetition of prayers will soothe her. The question becomes then, "Does she pray because she has OCD or does she pray out of faith?" It is a question in which she doesn't share with the world (unti...more
It's easy to write reviews about mediocre books, good books, decent books, nice books, pretty books, okay books, bad books, and horrible books. But it's very difficult to write a review about a brilliant book.
'Amen, Amen, Amen: Memoir of a Girl Who Couldn't Stop Praying' is a brilliant book. I don't know how to write this review. The only way I can think of to describe the brilliance found in this memoir is to say I can't describe the brilliance found in this memoir.
Inste...more
'Amen, Amen, Amen: Memoir of a Girl Who Couldn't Stop Praying' is a brilliant book. I don't know how to write this review. The only way I can think of to describe the brilliance found in this memoir is to say I can't describe the brilliance found in this memoir.
Inste...more
I love reading memoirs, but there's usually something that makes them a bit of a struggle for me -- maybe it's just that uncommon for the people with the most interesting lives are also the best writers, maybe it's how rarely people have enough distance and perspective to know what about their interior and exterior lives is going to be intriguing to others. And maybe it's that weaving together all the different plot threads of a life -- family, relationships, career, mental illness, health -- in...more
This book is a fast-paced coming of age memoir that plunges the reader into Abby Sher's mind as a child and a young woman. After her aunt and father die, young Abby believes she must save the rest of the world from untimely death. The reader is plunged into the whirlwind of the authors obsessive thoughts, rituals, and behaviors. It's a startling and sometimes painful-to-read journey through adolescence and adulthood as the author slowly comes to terms with the legacy left by her parents' strong ...more
My coworker lent me this book because she knew I would find a memoir about obsessive compulsive disorder too good to turn down. The author did a good job chronicling her journey into her OCD life. I guess I was looking for a train wreck but with medication and the help of some strong people who loved her, she was able to lead a functional and productive life so this is more a book celebrating the success of overcoming the disorder. So, I guess I was slightly disappointed I did not see more of a ...more
This is a beautifully-written and hard-to-put-down book. It's funny and heartbreaking and some of the sentences are so powerful and gorgeous I found myself rereading them several times. Abby and I have been friends since middle school and this book was sometimes hard for me to read because she writes with deep honesty about very painful things. It made me wish I could go back in time and fix everything for her. But her humor and her courage to love and to grow ultimately make this book inspi...more
Disclaimer: I read this book as part of the Goodreads First Reads program.
This is a great book. It's cute and heart-wrenching at the same time. The author goes from stories of her as a little girl and thoughts of what may come from action or inaction and trying to figure out her part in the universe to stories of despair and OCD I find hard to grasp.
The stories are clear and entertaining and make you sympathize with what she has had to go through.
This is a great book. It's cute and heart-wrenching at the same time. The author goes from stories of her as a little girl and thoughts of what may come from action or inaction and trying to figure out her part in the universe to stories of despair and OCD I find hard to grasp.
The stories are clear and entertaining and make you sympathize with what she has had to go through.
Beautifully written. She is able to put into words very difficult emotions and feelings. I'm so glad I read this book! The parts about anorexia and cutting were much easier to read that I thought they would be and occasionally funny. She details her experience with grief and all the little things about a person that you end up missing. I loved how she was mad about not remembering the curve of her dad's nose. In some ways, she could teach doctors a lot about sensitivity - it was funny when...more
Thanks to Good Reads I received this book as a First Reads winner. This memoir was amazing. It was a very personal look at mental illness and how it can deprive someone of simple every day life. Looking at the author's (Abby's) life, from the outside, anyone would be envious at all that she had - devoted loving family, many friends, great job. However, sharing what was going on inside of her, we are able to see that her obsessive compulsive disorder does not allow her to appreciate this to i...more
this is one of the most honest books i have ever read in my life. i'm not one who needs to hear your deepest darkest because i'm way too into one upmanship to see who's life is shittier but abby sher? she's like this beautiful flower that you want to protect and love and its devistating to hear her thoughts but it's redemptive and gorgeous.
read.this.book. you're welcome.
read.this.book. you're welcome.
Memoir of a girl with OCD. She felt to blame for the deaths in her family that happened when she was 10 and it affected the rest of her life. She tried to prevent other bad things from happening through prayer rituals, kissing pictures/objects, and gathering dangerous items from streets & sidewalks. At times very funny, but so heartbreaking.
An okay book but a good book club read. There is lots to discuss about mental illness, obsessive-compulsive disorder, parenting, eating disorders, religion and faith, etc. I probably wouldn't have finished if it wasn't a book club book but overall was well-written. The author definitely puts herself out there which is commendable. Just not really my thing.
What an interesting book! This woman goes over her life, detailing her obsessive-compulsive behavior and its affect on her life. I liked the way she wrote; the intimacy made me feel like I knew her. This book helped me understand the mind of those who are caught up in OCD troubles.
This is one of the most powerful books I've read in a long time. It dealt with so many issues - OCD, depression, cutting, loss of a parent - I truly felt for the speaker and the trials she went through in her life. A must read for ANYONE!
I loved this book. was a great memoir, and also being jewish with some OCD tendencies, I definitely related to some of her experiences. She kept it somewhat humorous, and a satisfying but not overly sugary ending.
This book could have used some ruthless editing. How many times did the author need to repeat her obsessive mantras? Interesting story otherwise, but it reminded me of James Frey and "1000 Little Pieces." If you, as an author, have to repeat the same things over and over to make a book, maybe you don't have as interesting a story to tell as you think you do.
I have this book in a COMPLUSIVE fashion. It was quite informative, shedding light on life as a person living with the demons of compulsion. I now understand much better why a person must find their own way to healing from those that nuture, support and attempt to heal them. I do wish the author had give more time to sharing the supporters viewpoints. How did these people (family, friends, professional) "see" the author? The writing really took me into the world of someone with OCD, so...more
This amazing book is by my great friend-- but it is an amazing book regardless of the character of the lady who wrote it. AND it's about to come out in paper back!
This is about a girl with extreme OCD which was very fascinating to read about. She would pray for hours a day, pick up trash on the streets, etc. It was interesting
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