Because We Are Bad
OCD and a Girl Lost in Thought
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Canbury Press
Published:12th Mar '18
Should be back in stock very soon
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£14.99(9780993040726)
'Extremely compelling' – THE GUARDIAN
'It's a fascinating read... Buy the book! Buy the book!' – JO GOOD, BBC RADIO LONDON
'Searing... funny, eloquent and honest' – PSYCHOLOGIES
'Remarkable... I hope this book finds a wide readership' – WASHINGTON POST
'A beautifully-rendered memoir' – PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
'Often as chilling as Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, but also full of so much inner and external turbulence that it reminded me at times of The Bourne Identity and Memento. Readers will root for Lily, even when she is attempting to run away from the realities and sometimes authorities chasing her.' – HUFFPOST UK
'A harrowingly honest memoir' – KIRKUS REVIEWS'
Because We Are Bad is an emotional, challenging read. Lily takes us deep into the heart of the illness but she is also a deft writer, and even the darkest moments are peppered with wit and wry observations.' – JAMES LLOYD, OCD-UK
As a child, Lily Bailey knew she was bad.
By the age of 13, she had killed someone with a thought, spread untold disease, and spied upon her classmates.
Only by performing a series of secret routines could she correct her wrongdoing. But it was never enough. She had a severe case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and it came with a bizarre twist.
This true story lights up the workings of the mind like Mark Haddon or Matt Haig. Anyone who wants to know about OCD, and how to fight back, should read this book.
It is ideal for anyone who liked books by fellow OCD sufferers Bryony Gordon (Mad Girl, Glorious Rock Bottom), Rose Cartwright (Pure), and David Adam (The Man Who Couldn't Stop: The Truth About OCD).
EXTRACT
Chapter 1: Chesbury Hospital
From the outside, Chesbury Hospital in London looks like a castle that got lost and was plonked down in the wrong place. It is long and white, with battlements and arched windows from which princesses could call down, in the chapter before they are saved.
But it’s not entirely believable. Where the portcullis should be, there are giant glass doors. Walk through them, and you could be in a five-star hotel. The man at reception wears a suit and tie and asks...
'Often as chilling as Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, but also full of so much inner and external turbulence that it reminded me at times of The Bourne Identity and Memento. Readers will root for Lily, even when she is attempting to run away from the realities - and sometimes authorities - chasing her ... an intense heart-rending roller coaster of a book ... Because We Are Bad is the most engaging and well-written account of mental health experiences I have read and should be on the reading lists of courses for mental health professionals.'
– WILL BLACK, HUFFINGTON POST
'It's a fascinating read... Buy the book! Buy the book!'
– JO GOOD, BBC RADIO LONDON
'Remarkable... She writes with literary poise and a gift for mordant observation and self-deprecating humor that belie her youth. I hope this book finds a wide readership. It will offer solace to OCD sufferers who will understand that they are not alone and who might gain hope of remission; for other readers, it will provide a harrowing sense of what many OCD sufferers have to endure just to get through the day.'
– SCOTT STOSSEL, WASHINGTON POST
'A harrowingly honest memoir of profound psychological struggle. In her courageous book, the author offers compelling insight into the pain and destructive power of OCD as well as the resilience of a young woman determined to beat the odds.'
– KIRKUS REVIEWS
'London-based model and journalist Bailey offers an authentic and stunning account of her struggle with obsessive compulsive disorder in this beautifully-rendered memoir.'
– PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
'Because We Are Bad is an emotional, challenging read. Lily takes us deep into the heart of the illness but she is also a deft writer, and even the darkest moments are peppered with wit and wry observations.'
– JAMES LLOYD, OCD-UK
'A fascinating read. It's brilliantly written; I felt inside your head.'
– RAY D'ARCY SHOW, RTE RADIO 1
'I laughed, I cried. I could not put this book down. Intensely moving with flashes of black humour, Because We Are Bad is the compelling account of one young woman's experience of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.'
– ROSANNA GREENSTREET, FREELANCE JOURNALIST
ISBN: 9780993040740
Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 16mm
Weight: 207g
256 pages