List of Ten

(Hardback)

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Description

Age range 14+

It's Kind of a Funny StorymeetsTurtles All the Way Downin this harrowing yet hopeful account of a teen living with Tourette Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder while contemplating his own morality.

A harrowing yet hopeful account of a teen living with Tourette Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder...and contemplating his own morality. Ten: three little letters, one ordinary number. No big deal, right But for Troy Hayes, a 16-year-old suffering from Tourette Syndrome and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, the number ten dictates his life, forcing him to do everything by its exacting rhythm.

Finally, fed up with the daily humiliation, loneliness, and physical pain he endures, Troy writes a list of ten things to do by the tenth anniversary of his diagnosis culminating in suicide on the actual day. But the process of working his way through the list changes Troy's life: he becomes friends with Khory, a smart, beautiful classmate who has her own troubled history. Khory unwittingly helps Troy cross off items on his list, moving him ever closer to his grand finale, even as she shows him that life may have more possibilities than he imagined.

This is a dark, intense story but it's also realistic, hopeful, and deeply authentic.

Reviews

"Told in the first person, this powerful novel takes readers into the emotional and physical depths of TS, feeling every pain and twitch. . . .This #OwnVoices novel gives insight into living with these conditions, and readers will ponder how friendship means more than being perfect.School Library Journal

"This story by an author with Tourette syndrome delivers a painfully realistic depiction of living with chronic conditions, trying to fight them, and being bullied for them. . . .Although the hopeful ending feels too quick and tidy, Troys first-person narrative shows understanding of neurodiverse individuals. . . .An authentic and compassionate look at the ups and downs of teenage life and living with Tourette syndrome."Kirkus

Author Bio

Halli Gomez was an intelligence analyst for police departments and federal agencies, and now works as a writer and a martial arts teacher (she is a fourth-degree black belt in Taekwondo). She and her family live in Charlotte, NC.