I Swear: My Life with Tourette’s

by John Davidson

The funny and moving autobiography offering extraordinary insight into what it is like to live with a severe form of Tourette's Syndrome. From the award-winning Scottish campaigner.

NOW A MAJOR FILM STARRING ROBERT ARAMAYO AND MAXINE PEAKE.

Born in the 1970s on the Scottish Borders, John’s was ten when his tics first arrived, as if from nowhere. Previously a happy, popular, football-mad boy he was labelled disruptive, rude, and even mad. As his condition progressed, from blinks and jerks to involuntary rude and obscene shouting, John was bullied, rejected - alienated from his family and a society that had no idea what to make of him.

Hospitalized and drugged for months, it was only an extraordinary and transformative friendship, and John’s dogged optimism, that turned his life around, making I Swear an inspirational story of triumph over adversity.

Through John’s eyes, we see Tourette’s not just as a medical condition, but as a lens through which we can all better understand the importance of human connection. And how essential, as well as ultimately rewarding, it can be to keep going and never give up.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

297 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 21, 2025

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

John Davidson has been a lifelong educator. He is an avid outdoorsman and Internet entrepreneur running online businesses since 2001. He has more than 200 websites and has written or published more than 1000 books. His books include:

• Health Learning series
• Amazing Animal Books for Young Readers series
• Learn to Draw series
• Learn to Airbrush series
• Learn to Paint with Pastels series
• How to Build series
• Entrepreneur Book series

Reviews

[Donnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing!
The pacing was great, the writing wasn’t confusing and it was so hard to put down!
Relatable, funny, emotional and moving.
One of the only times I’ve ever cried at a book too 🥲❤️
Very good, I think everyone should read this!!!

[Hazel · Rating 5 out of 5]

brilliantly told, would recommend everyone to read this.

[cobra bubbles · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Davidson’s memoir ‘I Swear’ guides the reader through his discovery, diagnosis, and life with Tourette’s syndrome.

While John is treated like a disgrace for having a taboo condition, it’s easy to say his family, friends and foes are the disgraceful ones in their ostracising treatment of him. However, it’s more complex than that because of the lack of understanding of Tourette’s syndrome back in the 80s... but there’s no excuse now.

Removing the condition’s surface humour, John shows humanity beneath the condition, italicising the tics as a separate voice. I’m often a deep-rooted tree, but the book and film are incredibly moving and continue to move mountains in destigmatising a misunderstood condition.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Ninaminacat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This memoir will make you laugh (John Davidson has a great sense of humour) and cry as he guides you through his life with Tourettes. It not only gives insight into a condition which can be debilitating, emotionally exhausting and isolating, but also into the character of the author, who has spent his life serving both his local community and the Tourettes community, as well doing everything possible to educate the general public about the syndrome.

I can only admire the openness and honesty of his writing. If you wish to find out more about Tourettes I cannot imagine a more informative - or enjoyable - way of doing so.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tragic yet hopeful story of John’s journey with Tourette’s syndrome.

I learned a lot from reading John’s story and I’m full of admiration for his courage, honesty and determination. Reading about the struggles he has experienced - and the ignorance of many people around him - broke my heart.

This is a well paced, easy and entertaining read and I’ll definitely be watching the film based upon John’s life when it is released later this year.

An inspirational man.

Thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers | Doubleday and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a touching, honest and compelling read. I couldn't put it down.

there's so much reflection here on what it's like to grow up different, to be othered and to think of yourself as a bother at best, a burden at worst. it's also a very true to life account of living in the borders in the 80s and 90s and there aren't enough of those.

the bit about being compelled to be helpful to make up for the sense of always being in the way - that might resonate with other neurodivergent people.

[Triin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the book after seeing the film so I knew what to expect. It’s about John who is learning to live with Tourette’s in a world no one knows about it. He is discriminated and bullied, seen as an outcast. This book will make you laugh, cry and feel angry. I do watch various known people online, who have Tourette syndrome. The interest and empathy for people living with Tourette Syndrome was already there, way before I watched the film or read the book. I highly recommend

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the start to finish this book has made me laugh and cry. The insight and understanding it gives into living life with Tourette's is so beneficial but with an amazing personal story. Thank you so much for sharing so much of yourself. A must read for everyone but a tough read for anyone who loves someone living with Tourette's.

[Joe Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Davidson is a national treasure.

I knew that, as someone who also has Tourette's, going into this book would be difficult for me. I'm already familiar with John and his work with Tourette's Action (my mum had the chance to meet him at one of their events) so I already know of him. Truth be told, until the film was announced, I didn't know he wrote a book, so this was straight on the list of books to read that, ironically, my mum lent to me. Thanks mum!!

Thankfully, my Tourette's isn't vocal based, but is rather motor/kinetic based, meaning I will tic more with my eyes, hands, neck and mouth instead of outwardly shouting expletives. But this doesn't mean that the pain doesn't exist. I will physically tire myself out to the point of exhaustion if I have a tic attack - if it involves rolling my eyes, I may even get severe headaches/migraines. But reading what it's like for someone who has kinetic tics as well as vocal tics is hard to read too, as it really makes me feel and relate to him that much more.

Some of the childhood chapters hit me hard especially - like for example, John having to walk home a different way from school so that no one would see him tic? I did that too. I had a whole new route laid out that I would take in case I needed to let my eyes, hands and/or neck loose after an already-stressful day of school. John was bullied for having "something wrong with him" and so did I - the humilation and self-guilt I felt from some awful bullies was all too real. Sometimes, it was almost like reading a memoir from my high school self, and that was wild to think.

In short, I Swear is a fantastic book that I feel everyone should read, regardless of how much, or how little, they know of the condition. It's informative, personal, and very insightful, all at the same time. Now all that's left to do is watch the film, which I can guarantee will make me cry 10x more!

[Tricia Sykes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, amazing, made me cry, made me laugh, such a brilliant book, John you are an amazing person and a credit to the world!
Can’t wait to until the film comes out! Thank you for sharing your life!

[Yvonne Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book and gives a real inside view of what it must be like with Tourette’s. What an advocate John Davidson is. I would recommend the film and the book. I read it after seeing the film.

[Kim Joanne Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book gets all of your emotions, a true and honest story of an exceptional man's life

[James Brosnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed, I smiled, I teared up, incredible book John - congratulations 👏🏻

[Victoria F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the book. Watch the movie. Educate, educate, have empathy and educate!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting insight into a condition I knew very little about.