I Swear

From the remarkable man whose life inspired the heartstopping film, I Swear, a book that offers extraordinary insight into what its like to live with a severe form of Tourettes Syndrome: a fascinating, complex condition thats more common than most of us think ( 1 in 100 schoolchildren have the condition) , and yet is chronically misunderstood. Born in the 1970s on the Scottish Borders, Johns was twelve 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 Johns dogged optimism, that turned his life around, making I Swear an inspirational story of triumph over adversity. Through Johns eyes, we see Tourettes 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.