My Tourettes: The Hand You’re Dealt, by S. Wait
Fu-Fu-Fu-Frank!: One Man’s Struggle With Tourette Syndrome by Frank Bonifas
Beyond The Dark Green Waters, by Aaron R. Bowers
Today I read an insightful article in The Guardian, An Insider’s Guide to Tourette’s Syndrome. It caught my eye because I had come across a number of self published books authored by Tourette Syndrome sufferers. Individuals often turn to self publishing to share their personal testimonies and advocate their causes.
S. Wait’s, My Tourettes: The Hand Your Dealt is very much a personal testimony of his struggle through the nightmare of school to the challenge of finding employment through to looking after his family. Wait details the humor in obtaining a hair cut with tics to unbearable moments of depression and fear. His story is a quest for understanding and to educate.
Tourette Syndrome isn’t a disease, a disability or a malfunction. It’s a way of life for me and thousands of other people…
Fu-Fu-Fu Frank! One Man’s Struggle with Tourette Syndrome, by Frank Bonifas, is the personal memoir of his lifelong struggle with Tourettes. This engaging book will take readers on an emotional journey through Frank’s life, prompting equal parts tears and laughter as the audience gains a better understanding of the issues he faces, living with TS.
Frank’s direct and brave writing style highlights the challenges of growing up and living with particularly severe tics. The book allows readers an unprecedented and dramatic perspective into the world of Tourettes.
“I wrote this book because the real story of Tourette Syndrome needed to be shared”, says Bonifas. “My hope is that readers will gain a real understanding of the challenges faced by those afflicted with TS and that they can truly learn to appreciate our struggle.”
I was pleased to see Frank gain some local media coverage. Please read the articles in the Mercer County Chronicle and The Evening Leader.
You can also listen to an interview with Frank on TogiNet radio.
Aaron R. Bower’s memoir Beyond the Dark Green Waters In the summer of ‘88, doctors diagnosed Aaron with Tourette Syndrome, Dyslexia, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Attention Deficit Disorder. Yet this has not stopped Aaron from contributing to his community. “He currently resides in downtown Green Bay. He’s the General Manager of Reading Connections Inc., a driver for Lamers’ Medical Transport, a chaplain at the Brown County Jail and Juvenile Detention Center, a volunteer for the self-help program at the Green Bay Correctional Institution, a tour guide for the Green Bay Police Department, a member of the Crime Prevention Association of Brown County, a volunteer for the city’s Speedwatch Program, and a patient transport volunteer for Saint Vincent Hospital’s emergency room and operating room. Between 1996 and 2007, he’s volunteered as a fire fighter for the Village of Hobart, a mentor for Volunteers in Probation, and a United States Coast Guard Auxiliary search and rescue member.”
A Family’s Guide to Tourette Syndrome by the Tourette Syndrome Association, Inc.
iUniverse recently published a book with the Tourette Syndrome Association, A Family’s Guide to Tourette Syndrome. “The book provides authoritative and up-to-date information covering a wide range of medical, scientific and other important topics related to TS.
Several chapters are dedicated to describing the clinical features, cause(s) of TS, changes occurring in the brain, and psychosocial aspects of the disorder. It also contains a chapter dedicated to examining the discovery and history of TS, as well as descriptions of various areas of present and future research. The book concludes with a compendium of answers to the 50 most frequently asked questions that TSA has received from its membership over the 40 years of our history.
A Family’s Guide to Tourette Syndrome was edited and written by 20 of the world’s leading doctors, scientists and others who have made great contributions to our understanding of the disorder, and the ability to manage the condition. The book is written in a non-scientific/non-technical manner for people affected by TS, family members, care providers, etc.”
Below I have listed some Tourette Syndrome organizations that may be of help to sufferers and family members:
USA
Tourette Syndrome Association of Texas
UK