Not As Crazy As I Seem: A Young Adult Novel About Confronting OCD Compulsions and Being Different

by George Harrar

Devon Brown won’t eat in the school caf (a germ swamp). He covers his hands before opening doors, eats things in groups of four (his lucky number), and hangs up his shirts (with all their buttons buttoned) by color. Some kids say Devon’s crazy, but he knows better—these are the tricks that keep bad things from happening, and he can’t imagine giving them up. Devon calls it “controlling things.” His doctor calls it obsessive-compulsive disorder. When Devon starts at a new school, his compulsions start to get him in trouble, and before long he realizes that his only choice is to confront his behaviors and the events that trigger them. In a compelling story of growing up different, George Harrar introduces us to a boy who just might change the way we think about “crazy.”

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Realistic Fiction, Psychology, Contemporary

244 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 22, 2003

About the author

I write fiction for middle grade readers through adults and hold the distinction of having had three novels published by three different publishers for three different age groups in a single year. REUNION AT RED PAINT BAY (Other Press) is my latest book, about a newspaper editor in Maine and his family who engage in a full-scale psychological battle with a stalker without even knowing it. The novel was adapted in 2018 as a French-language film titled "Examen de Conscience." My earlier book, THE SPINNING MAN (Penguin), was also released in 2018 as a film starring Guy Pearce, Minnie Driver and Pierce Brosnan. It is available On Demand and on DVD. A new paperback edition of my novel with a film-theme cover was reissued by Amazon. For YA readers I wrote NOT AS CRAZY AS I SEEM (Houghton Mifflin) about a 15-year-old coping with his OCD "tendencies." PARENTS WANTED (Milkweed),for middle-grade readers, is my semi-autobiographical story of a 12-year-old boy's struggle to fit in with his adoptive family. Of my 12 published short stories, "The 5:22" won the Carson McCullers Prize and was selected for Best American Short Stories, 1999.

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok, I loved this book right up until the end. I loved the first person narrator's voice, the funny observations and remarks, how normal he makes it seem to be so OCD. I didn't like how the end wrapped up so neatly, though. That's not likely in real life. But still a good read.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book.

This book is only amazing.

I'm a teenager.

And.. This book showed me to /appreciate/ my problems.

Other people's are bigger.

[Carola Prida · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my opinion, "Not as Crazy as I Seem" is the best book I have ever read in my whole life, even though that is my first book I read of 200 pages and more. Other book I have been obligated to read it, because of summer readings and stuff. This one is different, it cached my attention in the first two pages that I read. It helped me learn more about people with OCD and teens problems. It helped me realized that when you tell a lie, you have to say the truth. I definitely recommend this book.

[Colton Miedl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that the author made the book pretty funny at times with the way that the character acted. I have never heard of this author before but I like him so far. I have been wondering if the author has more of his books in our library because I am a little interested in seeing what they are. At first I thought that the main character in the book, Devon, was a psychopath because of the way he acted around other people. One example of why I thought that was because on his first day of school he waited for other kids to go into the building first because he wanted to be a specific number to have entered the school. A part in the book that I thought was really funny is when the author said that the first therapist that Devon had before he moved to the new town had been playing battleship and other board games with Devon instead of helping him with issues that he has. I think that this book is the best one that I have read this year so far. I thought that Devon's mom kind of babies him too much, I think that she should be more strict or something like mean. There are some things in the book that bother Devon that I think are just ridiculous, like the fact that he needs four of everything in his lunch. I also think that there should be a movie related to this book or about it because I think that it would be funny and interesting.

[BradyConnor43 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very relatable. It is about a boy who suffers from severe OCD. While my case is not nearly as severe as his, it is still stronger than most people's. The way he copes with his is much different than mine. When something doesn't go his way he lashes out and gets mad at people. But I can relate to things that he does, like not touching things when your hands are dirty, or the way he eats. Both him and I eat everything a certain way, for instance his mom always packs him two sandwiches cut into squares, but he never eats it all, he always leaves two squares. If i eat something that is packaged i must eat it two pieces at a time because I have discovered that if you eat things in an even number you can remain eating them two at a time until they are gone. I picked this book out specifically because I knew I'd be able to relate to it. I was right.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good. I liked all of the characters they all had a story behind them even if the story didn't explain it all that much. The only part was when the Dad hit Devon (who was the main character) and Devon's mom found out and did not divorce him. Anyway, Devon has OCD and he has to transfer to a new school where he doesn't know anyone. He makes a friend named Tanya who eats with him everyday. He also makes a "friend" named Ben who smokes weed and has purple hair. Ben eventually tells him to come with him to school after hours. Devon doesn't know why Ben was going but Devon wanted to straighten a poster in a classroom. So they go and Ben tells him to meet up with him afterwards and he does. Only when he walks out of the classroom Devon sees spray painted Swastikas everywhere. Ben had left so the police blame Devon. He eventually is redeemed when the police take a picture of Ben's confession written in spray paint.

[Elle · Rating 1 out of 5]

FYI: I actually have OCD. And this is one of the worst representations I've seen. Please do research before writing about disabilities in novels. I'd rather have only a little, but accurate, representation than something like this. OCD is so much more than just liking your closet neat. It's extremely hard to deal with.

[Tricia F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Devon is a teenager who does everything in four. He will eat only things in multiples of four, will only walk through a door if he is a multiple of four, and must repeat everything four times. Please don't ask him to touch people or things without gloves, or eat in the school cafeteria, and definitely DO NOT ask him to sit in a chair that numerous people have sat in only to leave their germs!

Not only is Devon dealing with the ups and downs of being a teenager, he also is dealing with his unique "tendencies" (as his mom likes to call them). By the way, he is the only child of a mother who is a lawyer and a father who is a mortician. His mother tries to understand her son, while his father thinks he needs to be like a normal teenager and have a messy room. Devon feels that he connects better with his mom and doesn't understand how his father could prefer a career where he has to touch dead people all day (think of the germs!).

The family has just moved from the town and school that Devon knew the norms and social rules, to another town where he is enrolled into a premier school - The Baker Academy - mid-term. Not only is he going to be the new kid starting school at an awkward time, he brings with him all of his baggage that no one knows about or understands.

Will Devon be able to rise above his flaming red hair that singles him out? Will he be able to overcome his obsessions and be a "normal" teenager who leaves the house to hang with friends? Will he ever be able to talk with the good looking girl who eats lunch with him on the steps everyday?

[Danielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm actually going to preface this review by saying I wouldn't recommend this book: though I haven't read many books involving OCD, my favorite that I've read is OCD Love Story. Not As Crazy As I Seem is far from my favorite.

I don't know what the author's personal experience is with OCD, but as other reviewers said, the narrator was his OCD and nothing else. He wasn't a character - he was a venue for a story.

I know this is dated by being from the mid-00s, but the narrative was also casually racist, and didn't read well today. There are also parts where the narrator describes his mother sexually, which was super creepy.

The book is overall just frustrating to read. One of the main plot points involves a white (non-Jewish) boy who calls everyone Nazis out of teenage rebellion, including Jewish people at school. I get what the author was going for, but it reads so poorly today, especially since the character isn't developed at all. We don't sympathize with him. The acts of vandalism aren't intended to be hate crimes, but that's what it comes across as.

I just don't see how you could read this book today and enjoy it. I feel like the second half of the book got me more worked up than the first - I thought the beginning was ok, but as things progressed, the book quickly devolves in multiple ways.

[Stacey Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could relate to the main character in this book. Troubled with OCD and parents who don't understand it, Devon tries to live a solitary life safe in his own world. Lining up his buttoned shirts by color in his closet, counting and relating to the number 4 like having to eat 4 carrots at lunch every day, not being able to concentrate because he notices a poster is hanging crooked.....these are the things Devon has to deal with in his head. His shrink tries to help him, his parents constantly question him, he questions his own behaviour but cannot seem to change it. Recently moved to a new town and starting at a new private school Devon doesn't fit in but there are a few kids who kind of take to him....Tanya and Ben. Tanya is his lunch partner and is someone he can sort of talk to about things. Ben is a bad influence in a way and causes some trouble. Looking for help with his issues Devon can't come to any conclusions until he looks deep, back before the move. Could there have been a trigger that started this odd behaviour? Only Devon can figure that one out.

[Melissa Allijan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book “Not As Crazy As I Seem” was interesting but also kind of boring. I liked it because it was from a different perspective. You could see school and home life in the eyes of Devon Brown, who suffers from OCD ( obsessive- compulsion disorder). I got bored when I was halfway through the book though. Nothing really kept me at the edge of my seat. I wouldn’t recommend this book to people that like suspenseful books. I would recommend it to people who want to know more about OCD and how it effects people. Or I would recommend it to someone with OCD.

[Kristine W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crazy is as crazy does

Not knowing the world that Devon lives in, I started reading Not As Crazy As I Seem. I was pleasantly surprised at the ease of reading despite the subject matter. The author has a strong grasp of a 15-year old boy’s mind and understands neuroses, but doesn’t complicate things with too much information or too clinical. He’s humorous and serious and real. This was a fast and enjoyable read and I’ll read other books by George Harrar.

[Emily Araujo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not have super high hopes for this, since the ratings were low and super low number of reviews. I was pleasantly surprised to be entertained by this book.
This is the second book I have read that is narrated in the first person by someone with OCD, and it’s definitely interesting to be able to hear their thoughts. It makes me have a certain sympathy for those that struggle with OCD.
This book was not monumental, and I did catch 3 grammar/publishing errors. But not a bad read!

[Aleah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe like 3.5 stars. I’m very conflicted on whether I feel like this is an accurate representation or not. It’s also difficult because everyone responds differently to it. My ocd won’t be the same as another persons so I guess I’ll just speak for myself. Some parts of it are very accurate, like the numbers and the thoughts and feelings, but I’m conflicted on whether he could resolve it so quickly. But I guess it’s person to person like I said. I would say it’s worth reading.

[Robert Natuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Touching

What a touching story that lets you into the mind of someone suffering with OCD. The main character is inspiring, and you feel his pain as he struggles to fit in and get through a typical day. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who knows someone with OCD, and to all educators.

[Cath Stackhouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fast, humorous read for all ages. Better grab that dirty seatbelt and eat those unhealthy popcorn while reading this crazy book.

[Andy Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the book Not As Crazy As I Seem I believe that the author, George Harrar, was trying to get awareness out for real, diagnosed Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, like he had when he was a kid. When he was first diagnosed, the book tells of his many tendencies. The Worst one being that he always did things in fours. He ate in fours, he had to be the fourth one through any doorway, and he could never buy any new shoes because he already had four.
The theme of this book is to educate people on the subject of OCD. Examples would be like educating people on the symptoms, how to recognize them, and most of all how things can spiral out of control. In the book things got way out of control for Devin when his new friend Ben took him to their school at night and when Devin was straightening posters and fixing clocks, Ben was spray-painting Nazi all over the school. After this incident Devin was blamed for all of it, and expelled.
The style of this book is every much first person. Meaning that after one thing is said, the author has at least two paragraphs explaining what Devin was thinking, or had to say in his head. Sometimes it would even get confusing because it was hard to tell if Devin had really said something or if he had just thought it. This story was a narration, because the author was just explaining what he had experienced as a child.
I thought this book was pretty good. I liked how the story moved along, and it just flowed. However I did not like how all of a sudden in the middle of a chapter the setting would just change unexpectedly. In this book I would change when the conclusion is resolved, because it was in the last chapter and I was getting bored with the characters predicament. I would like to have known the conclusion quicker, and used the rest of the book to tell what happened after.

[Kala Lash · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my book, Not as Crazy as I Seem, I think the author’s purpose is to entertain an audience, I believe this because he goes into good detail about everything. My author also uses great figurative language. My author also gives great imagery, this all makes the book very entertaining, so i feel that was his purpose. The author gives great detail about the main characters OCD also.

I think the theme of my story is to not judge someone by the way they look because they could be sick inside, I think this because the author goes into depth about what’s happening in the character's mind. The author does not focus on what the character is on the outside, so for this reason i believe the author is trying to get the point across to not judge a book by its cover.

I believe George Harhar’s writing style in not as crazy as i seem is narrative, i believe this because he is telling an entertaining story. my author is telling a story using great figurative language. The author definitely puts you into Devon's shoes, the author makes you see things through Devon's eyes by being super descriptive and using a lot of figurative language. definitely a good read!
my opinion on the book is great, i think the author knocked this one out of the park! He used great figurative language all the way through the book, definitely a all the way around good book i would recomend this book to anyone! definitely a good read!

[Luna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ehh. A rather bland, slightly stereotypical portrayal of OCD. I felt like George Harrar used basic Google search results/Wikipedia articles about OCD. Devon has a vaguely traumatic incident in his youth when he was present when his grandfather died and developed vague obsessions. His parents don't seem to have linked the two together, and while they put him in therapy, they keep moving when something happens that could spoil their perfect image. Why not stay in one place, let your kid get a bond with the therapist? Uprooting constantly will only cause your child more anxiety.

I also didn't like the way Devon seemed to think not eating four carrots everyday at lunch will ultimately cause his mother's demise or something like that. Yes, OCs typically do have a fear something bad will happen if they don't perform certain rituals, but usually the fear is unnamed and it just feels 'wrong'. I don't believe my father will die if I take my right shoe off before my left, but it just feels wrong to me, it feels bad.

Not as Crazy as I Seem has an interesting idea, but a poor execution.

[Adam Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

So there is this kid named Devon and he just moved to a new private School. Now he has these tendencies to do things a certain way. For example he does things in fours or he buttons every button on his shirt and hangs them up. Devon hates being asked question on why he does what he does. It rather keep to himself. One day in school he had a boy named Ben come up to his locker and trying to become friends with him. That was a bad idea. Devon wound up in a large mess when Ben decided to break into the school and spray nazi all over the school. Devon only came a long to straighten a poster in the biology room..He was spotted at the school and was blamed for the graffiti...No one would believe his story besides his one friend Tyana. Yet in the end before Ben left and about a week later the principal found that in his office on his pull down screen was Ben's name and his confession. Ben had left town to Texas with his father by the time this happened. Devon was out of trouble and he had a new girlfriend, Tyana.

The book was alright. It was boring at part from repetitiveness.

[Mayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not As Crazy As I Seem is a funny book which is also serious. It shows people the things people who have OCD have to deal with. They have behavioral problems and are picky about many things. Our protagonist, Devon Brown has been living this way for a long time. It's hard for him to live the way he wishes because his parents are so judgmental of him. His father wants him to be a normal kid, but he can never achieve to that standard. Something bad happens that makes Devon go crazy. When almost the whole world is against him, he expresses himself by throwing things around everywhere, messing up everything of his.

This is a simple story about this boy. The situation may not seem as bad as it is, but if you were his shoes, you would know. The author shows a typical relationship between father and son. The father always wants more than the son could give. That creates an image of a problem between family. This story illustrates that.

[Autumn Aurelia · Rating 1 out of 5]

One star seems too much. That's how I feel regarding this book. And if I weren't so obsessive (as Devon says - a LOT), I'd have given up on this book after the first few chapters, but not finishing a novel makes me feel very anxious. Anyway, yeah... this was a terrible portrayal of OCD, in my opinion. Devon (main character) was highly unlikable and severely irritating. The author clearly didn't research OCD past what triggers it, because while the cause for Devon's OCD was well explained, his actual obsessions and compulsions were not. Where was the anxiety? The crippling depression? The fear?

If you want a realistic portrayal of OCD, I'd recommend a memoir. Either Lily Bailey's Because We Are Bad or Rose Bretecher's Pure. No, they aren't novels, but they do a fantastic job of highlighting the brutal reality of living with OCD.

This book, however, was a disaster from start to finish.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first started reading, I was really worried that it was going to be a knock-off of Chbosky's "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" -- in a lot of ways, it's very similar: high school kid has compulsive disorder which alienates him socially except for one or two people who are determined to be his friend. Fortunately, the subplot and the resolution do differ from "Wallflower." I found this in the general fiction section but I think it definitely belongs in the young adult section. A quick, easy yet entertaining read.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read. i could completely empathize with devon.. (& learned how to correctly use the word empathize). i love books like this that give a complete look into someone else's mind. devin has ocd tendencies..& doesn't know why.. eventually they figure out why. of course that won't completely change him and thats okay because those things make devon.. but at least he can learn to keep it from taking over his life.

one thing i didnt like was more storyline on ben.. cuz they make you fear for his life but you are completely left wondering if he really IS okay now.

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I felt underwhelmed by this book, especially reading it in conjunction with Total Constant Order (by Crissa Jean Chappell). The stories were far too similar.

For anyone seeking similar YA books about compulsive behavior, I recommend Multiple Choice (Janet Tashjian) or Kissing Doorknobs (Terry Spencer Hesser).

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book wasn't really too great.
I guess it's a decent way to educate people about OCD, but honestly I felt that it was unrealistic. Devon doesn't seem worried or anxious. Just really, really stubborn. I wasn't really a big fan of him.
When will there be realistic books portraying mental disorders?

[Lacee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing! It teaches you that it's okay if you're different from everyone else. You must learn to accept your differences and make the best of them. While in the process you can make some great friends that are just like you! This book is definitely up there on the list of the most inspirational books ever! Loved it!

[Mallory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book about a kid who has a mental illness that no one understands, so they all think he's crazy and he gets left out. I good book about trying to understand other people as well as your self and facing your deepest fears.

[Sky *daughter of Hermes* · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!! I'm not a fan of science ficton but if I had to choose one it would be this one. I love how Devon gets over his fear and actually discovers why he has his fear. I loved this book!!!

[Kstewart5362 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this story very compelling due main character Devon's voice. Here, he's on his third HS--his family has to move several times due to issues that arise b/c of his disorder. He is an interesting character and while much of the story is sad, it's ultimately hopeful.