Passing for Normal: A Memoir of Compulsion Book

This is the first book I've read where I felt an extremely strong sense of déjà vu, like I was reading a memoir about my own life. It is honestly the best book I've encountered that explains what it is like to have Tourette's Syndrome, with the added bonus that it is from the point of view of a woman (take a look at the gender distribution of authors who have written about TS, and you'll see what I mean). The descriptions are nuanced and debunk standard stereotypes (for example only about 10% of people with TS have coprolalia, or tics that involve saying taboo words). Wilensky does not limit herself to describing tics, but also sketches out some lesser-known symptoms ' repetitive thinking in loops, the loss of certain kinds of impulse control (for example, impulses to spontaneously brush against "do not touch" signs), not to mention comorbid disorders like OCD. There are many peculiarities about TS that in my opinion make it a fascinating disorder: For example, my tics go away completely when I play music. I have also heard the disorder can be connected to sensory sensitivity, which is borne out in my own experience. Obviously the exact way TS manifests is very personal, but I was extremely moved to see Wilensky describe certain symptoms I have experienced that I have literally not seen described in any other book.

I would love to see more books about TS, especially ones written by diverse authors with less privilege along other axes. In the meantime, the memoir by Wilensky is a great place to start to learn about this quirky disorder.