Kissing Doorknobs by Terry Spencer Hesser

"Kissing Doorknobs" is the story of a girl, Tara, who lives with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). She was born like everyone else, she went to school like everyone else, she can breathe, feel and live just like everyone else. That is, until she starts to develop OCD symptoms during her kindergarden years. Very faint at first, her friends and family were very aware of her "condition", but were supportive. 

However, when she was 11, she was in class. Normal everyday routine. Sitting in the desk near the window she could see little girls playing in the ground below. That's when it started. That's when it happened. "Don't step on the crack, or you'll break your mum's back!" Ever since that day, that phrase would be in her mind. Every single time. Her OCD kicks in, whenever leaving the house she would count the cracks that passes her. Every time. When she misses one, she would go back home and start counting again. 

At first, everyone thought she was crazy, she thought SHE was crazy. She's dumfounded by her rituals. Tara tries hiding her urges in front of the town, as much as she don't want to do the things she does, she feels as though she HAS to, she MUST do it. Gradually, it irritated everyone around her. Especially her mum. Every psychiatrist they went to were unsure about her condition. Every diagnosis they gave her were false some claiming that she was indeed insane. 

In realisation to Tara's confusion with her state, her teacher introduces her to a boy who also is living with OCD, his therapist shows her a form of behaviour therapy which works. Her friend, in control of his OCD, suddenly collapses in a fit of fret. His OCD being afraid of germs. This shows that even though people living with OCD are supposedly "cured" from some habits, the illness will still come back.

Why is the book titled "Kissing Doorknobs"? Well, one of Tara's further habits was to hold doorknobs with the same force applied to all her fingers, as soon as she did she would kiss the doorknobs, hence the title "Kissing Doorknobs".

The book at some points annoyed me. Tara's habits annoyed me a lot. I watched a show on mtv with people living with OCD, I kept thinking "what the heck are they doing?". I understand now. It's not in my list of books-to-read-again-before-the-world-ends, but it is a must-read book.