Devil in the details : scenes from an obsessive girlhood / Jennifer Traig.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Traig, Jennifer.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Traig, Jennifer.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder in adolescence--Patients--Biography.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder in adolescence.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder--Religious aspects--Judaism.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Scruples--Scrupulosity.

Scruples.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder--Religious aspects.

Judaism.

Patients.

Genre:

Biographies.

Autobiographies.

Physical Description:

viii, 246 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Little, Brown, [2004]

Summary:

Being a Teenager is hard enough. Jennifer Traig's adolescence took angst to new heights, adding a layer of obsessive-compulsive drama that made ordinary mortifications like bad hair-styles and fashion errors feel like the good parts. Devil in the Details is her unforgettable, hilarious, wrenching account of growing up weird. Jennifer Traig's adventures in obsession began at the age of twelve, when her religious studies introduced her to a body of rules that she hadn't known existed. This unleashed a level of religiosity completely alien to her upbringing. Psychiatrists call this disorder scrupulosity -- her family just called it strange. Fervent prayer was only the beginning. On a given day, Jennifer might be putting all her possessions in the washing machine to cleanse them of the pork fumes emanating from the kitchen. Or clipping the lawn according to Old Testament regulations. Or covering her hair with Kleenex while she maintained her constant state of prayer.

Jennifer's family treated her condition with humor ("Ready for your big casserolectomy, Dr. Traig?" her mother asked as Jennifer scrubbed her hands for thirty minutes before a meal). But her obsessions wore increasingly on her, her family, and her few friends, leading to a crisis that not even joining every single school club, no matter her level of interest or aptitude, could save her from. With an unsparing eye and deep affection for those who put up with her and got her through, Jennifer Traig delivers a masterpiece of rueful candor -- funny, heartbreaking, and irresistible for anyone who ever looked back at their teenage self and cringed.

Contents:

Scruples 3

Interstitial: A Guide to Proper Hand-Washing Technique 21

Devil in the Details: A Primer 23

Interstitial: Musical Chairs: A Game 38

Half-Breed 41

Interstitial: Photo, Santa's Lap, 1974 59

The Good Book 60

Interstitial: My Sister's Room Is the Gateway to Death: A Two-Column Proof 79

Forbidden Fruit 80

Interstitial: Skinny Tomato Quiche from the Kosher Gourmet 97

Today I am a Manic 101

Interstitial: Global Events for Which I Considered Myself Responsible (a partial listing) 117

Idle Hands 118

Interstitial: Fun Things You Can Make with Kleenex 129

Sunrise, Sunset: The Holidays 131

Interstitial: Culturally Inappropriate Gifts I Have Received from Santa Claus 153

All is Vanity 154

Interstitial: Beauty Tips for Fastidious Girls 168

Orange Girl 170

Interstitial: Sample SAT Questions for Obsessive-Compulsive Learners 186

Sacre Bleu 188

Interstitial: Diseases I Have Self-Diagnosed (a partial listing) 206

Hell on Wheels 208

Interstitial: Help Jenny Get to Homeroom: A Maze 221

Shalom Bayit 223.

ISBN:

0316158771

OCLC:

54374868