“It sounded like a dream come true, but it conflicted with another, more important dream I had. Summer was almost five months away, and my list would be completed by then.”
Before reading List of Ten by Halli Gomez, I only had a vague understanding of Tourette syndrome. This book really opened my eyes and made me realize just how hard it can be to live with Tourette syndrome.
Troy is a teenager with Tourette syndrome and OCD, and because of this has an obsession with the number ten. He makes a list of ten things, nine that he wants to complete before the tenth anniversary of being diagnosed with Tourette syndrome, and the tenth he plans to complete on the anniversary:
1. Get my first kiss
2. Meet someone else with Tourette Syndrome
3. Be pain-free
4. Find a babysitter for my baby brother
5. See the space shuttle
6. Talk about Tourette in public
7. Give away my Tim Howard autographed picture
8. Drive a car
9. Talk to Mom
10. Commit suicide
Troy is the kind of character that makes you feel like you know him personally and he isn’t just fictional. The kind that makes it hard to put the book down because you need to know that he will be okay in the end. I was rooting for Troy from the beginning of the book, hoping so badly that he could find a reason to stay. This book was a rollercoaster of emotions, some parts were heartwarming and others heartbreaking, and I would be lying if I said it didn’t make me cry.
I really think everyone should read this book and I would absolutely recommend this to anyone.