The reason I decided to read this book in the first place was so that I could get a better idea of OCD and the other mental illnesses that are connected to it. That goal was certainly achieved. I learned so much that i can now apply to characters in other stories to give them more dimensions. Something I was reminded of is the importance of voice. In the parts of the book where Adams talks about his own experiences, i was very interested and captivated. For example: "Every night HIV was the last thing I thought about before I went to sleep. And it was the first thing I thought of every morning. And it was pretty much all i thought of in between. I no longer cared how other people's stories ended, for i could no longer identify with people's trivial concerns. What did it matter, really, if this man in a hospital drama had hurt his leg? If i had HIV and I broke my leg, then I would still have HIV when they fixed it." parts of the book similar to this one made it easy to feel the same fear he must have felt in those moments, but other times Adams would be more detached from his writing, like when he would talk about the more scientific and less personal things. "Biology has one clear advantage over philosophy and metaphysics: it can be measured. But it's natural for scientist to measure either the mind or the brain." In sections of the book like this, Adams' voice is almost completely taken out of the writing and it's much less engaging for the reader. the third thing i was reminded of is that it is certainly possible to write about your own story while keeping other's stories out of it. Adam's does this beautifully by making sure the purpose of the book has nothing to do with the other people that may have been involved. Each character is very small and insignificant in the grand scheme of the book, which means that the readers aren't focused on the other people, but they're focused on the facts that are in the book. Even when Adams does talk about other people who suffered from the same disease he did, he does it in such a way that I hardly remembered the people, but was still able to take away the significance they had to the story. "My fellow OCD patients signed up for therapy, as i did, in the full and fair expectation that their involvement would remain confidential. So, I'll be vague. There were two other men and three women." he literally wrote "i'll be vague." He's able to get his point across but still be not share anyone's private information to the rest of the world.
Something I was reminded of is the importance of voice. In the parts of the book where Adams talks about his own experiences, i was very interested and captivated. For example: "Every night HIV was the last thing I thought about before I went to sleep. And it was the first thing I thought of every morning. And it was pretty much all i thought of in between. I no longer cared how other people's stories ended, for i could no longer identify with people's trivial concerns. What did it matter, really, if this man in a hospital drama had hurt his leg? If i had HIV and I broke my leg, then I would still have HIV when they fixed it." parts of the book similar to this one made it easy to feel the same fear he must have felt in those moments, but other times Adams would be more detached from his writing, like when he would talk about the more scientific and less personal things. "Biology has one clear advantage over philosophy and metaphysics: it can be measured. But it's natural for scientist to measure either the mind or the brain." In sections of the book like this, Adams' voice is almost completely taken out of the writing and it's much less engaging for the reader.
the third thing i was reminded of is that it is certainly possible to write about your own story while keeping other's stories out of it. Adam's does this beautifully by making sure the purpose of the book has nothing to do with the other people that may have been involved. Each character is very small and insignificant in the grand scheme of the book, which means that the readers aren't focused on the other people, but they're focused on the facts that are in the book. Even when Adams does talk about other people who suffered from the same disease he did, he does it in such a way that I hardly remembered the people, but was still able to take away the significance they had to the story. "My fellow OCD patients signed up for therapy, as i did, in the full and fair expectation that their involvement would remain confidential. So, I'll be vague. There were two other men and three women." he literally wrote "i'll be vague." He's able to get his point across but still be not share anyone's private information to the rest of the world.