Welcome to Biscuit Land: A Year in the life of Touretteshero - Jessica Thom, foreword by Stephen Fry

'Tourettes is a mysterious neurological condition. Having it means I make movements and noises I can't control - these are called tics. Sometimes they're simple and just involve me squeaking or nodding my head. Sometimes, though, they're more complicated and involve me saying stuff like 'Sexually frustrated dog food.' And that's when it gets interesting.'

Jess has Tourettes Syndrome, which results in her making sounds and movements much of the time and over which she has no control. She is one of about ten percent of people with Tourettes Syndrome who swears. Welcome to Biscuit Land is an intimate account by Jess of her life over the course of one year. Jess set up Touretteshero, which the book explains is 'an organisation that celebrates the humour and creativity of Tourettes without mocking or self-pity...It's about reclaiming the most frequently misunderstood syndrome on the planet.' Jess proclaims at the start her account that 'from this point on Tourettes won't be my problem - it'll be my power. From now on, I'm going to be Touretteshero.'

Jess writes openly and honestly about living with Tourettes and about the ways in which it can and does affect her daily life. I found this an informative, honest and very moving account and found I learned a lot about Tourettes through the straightforward way that Jess has recorded her thoughts, activities and tics here. Her account is very readable, and I hope it encourages more people to find out about and understand Tourettes a bit more, which in turn ought to help further reduce any preconceived ideas about the syndrome. If you're wondering about the title of the book, 'biscuit' is one of the tics that Jess found herself uttering an awful lot at the time of writing. 

Jess introduces us to those in her life who she is closest to, who have shown her love, understanding and support. This book is not without humour and optimism. Jess writes of the friendship she has with the first person with Tourettes that she met, noting 'that those who tic together stick together.' She receives varied reactions and she always tries to engage in conversation with people to encourage an understanding of what happens to her and why. 

'I never know how people will react. There's not one group or type of person that seems to respond more positively or negatively than any other. All I know is, when I leave my house in the morning other people will react, and their reactions will be mixed. I'm sure this isn't unique to Tourettes, but is something that's experienced by people with any conditions that make them stand out.'

At times though it's very hard to read what happens, both in the way that Jess's physical tics can make her hurt herself, and in the form of the reactions of others to her tics, without feeling very saddened. As someone who enjoys walking, I struggled to comprehend what it must be like to want to walk but be in constant fear of crashing to the ground as Jess is whilst walking. There's one particularly unkind comment a woman makes when Jess is waiting for a tube, which is hurtful and affects Jess badly when it happens. I felt that what she wrote about this was very telling indeed and perfectly illustrates how people don't always think about what they say or do, not considering the affect it might have: '...the woman's comment had really hurt. She could carry on with her day and never be disturbed by my tics again. I don't have that choice.'  There's a moment in a bar, too, which made me feel angry at the way Jess and her friend were spoken to.

I'm really glad to have read this book, to have had the opportunity to get to know Jess Thom a little through her words and to have discovered more about what Tourettes is like through her open, moving and brave first-hand account. There's a lovely foreword to the book by Stephen Fry too.

Published by Souvenir Press

Thank you to the publisher for kindly sending me a copy of this novel to read and review.

You can follow @touretteshero on twitter and find out more here. 

Here's a link to a lovely guest blog that Jessica Thom wrote for Souvenir Press last year about the road to publication of the book. 

This is the first book in my new occasional series on the blog, featuring a non-fiction title in the spotlight.

Do feel free to join in from time to time with a non-fiction book review on your own blog.

Through a Dog's Eyes - Jennifer Arnold

‘Our dogs never grow past the point of seeing us as their universe. Is it any wonder we adore them?’

We have had our dog for just about two years now, and she is our first dog. Although I write this review myself, I say ‘we’ because she is certainly a member of the family - she is my dog and my husband’s, (and also very fond of my in-laws too!) We have been through puppy training with her, and gone to a beginner’s training class too, and have learned many useful tips along the way. There are always challenges though; she is still quite young and is very exuberant and enthusiastic about just about everything! I was therefore really interested to read this book and discover the author’s theories about looking at the world through the eyes of our dogs.

The subtitle to this book is key to the approach taken inside it -'understanding our dogs by understanding how they see the world.'




Jennifer Arnold has been training service dogs for over twenty years. These dogs go on to assist people with physical disabilities and special needs. The things they achieve, the tasks they are able to accomplish, and the support they can offer, is truly awe-inspiring:

‘Working with children and adults who have mobility difficulties or seizure conditions, these incredible dogs learn to do a variety of tasks, such as turning lights on and off, opening and closing doors, pushing buttons, picking up dropped objects, and running for help in an emergency. They transform lives with their constant companionship and unconditional love in ways that no human can equal.’

This book is an inspirational read, both in terms of the stories Jennifer Arnold recounts about the dogs she has trained, and in terms of inspiring us as dog owners to rethink what we know about our dogs, and to reconsider how things might look to our dogs. It offers us a wealth of ideas, drawn from the author’s experience of working with dogs every day, that we can think about when spending time with our own dogs, and thereby improve our relationships with them. I thought the sections on body language were particularly interesting and enlightening. There are sections where the author considers the origins of dogs – including discussing wolves and dogs, their personalities, language and characters, discusses play and also her choice teaching methods.

Our dog, Daisy

The author looks at the world as she believes dogs see it and experience it. She has leant so much in terms of understanding dogs – their skills and intelligence, the things they are capable of doing. In this book Jennifer Arnold puts forward her approach to training, based not on the alpha dominance type theory of physical correction but instead on encouraging the dog to make the right choice, and by using positive reinforcement, treating the dog kindly. She advises us to ‘use only positive motivation to convince the dog that it is in his best interest to do as asked.’ She explains that she herself only developed and moved over to this method over time:

‘My approach to handling changed as my understanding of dogs grew, until one day I realized that it was morally wrong to treat dogs with anything other than patience, understanding, and kindness. I have come to appreciate that dogs are capable of deep feeling, that they have individual personalities and intellectual capacities, extraordinary at times. Most of all I have learned that, beyond all other species, dogs have evolved to be our partners, protectors and helpmates.’

I enjoyed reading about the dogs Jennifer has worked with and learned from; there are some heartwarming and very moving true stories contained here, and the dogs that go on to make a positive difference are evidence of the efficacy of her methods. She offers scientific support for her theories. I think there is a lot to be said for the philosophy that this author puts forward. If anything I would have liked to have read even more stories about the dogs she has trained.

This is an enlightening read, and after finishing this book, I felt I looked at my dog in a new way and I have definitely learned a lot about dog behaviour. Additionally, I’ve learned different techniques that I might use to communicate better with my dog, and I developed a greater understanding of dogs as a species. This book is a fascinating, informative and worthwhile read for any dog owner.

Published by Souvenir Press

Thanks very much to the publisher for kindly sending a copy of this book to read and review. 

Find out more about Canine Assistants, the non-profit organisation of which Jennifer Arnold is the founder. They train and provide service dogs for children and adults whose lives will benefit from having an assistance dog. 

Daisy

As for me, my dog Daisy is certainly my best friend. I had no idea what sort of special relationship an owner could have with a dog until she came into our lives. She is a constant companion, there for me as much as I am there for her. When I have been out and arrive home, it is so heartwarming to receive the enthusiastic welcome from her that awaits. I exercise more because of her, and it isn’t a chore because of the pleasure that I see she gets out of the walks. The other night, well, 2.30am in the morning to be precise, I was feeling ill, and she came and sat by the bathroom door with me and offered me her paw and looked at me with her caring concerned expression. Dogs are certainly amazing.