Against Medical Advice by James Patterson and Hal Friedman

I wasn't sure what I would think about Against Medical Advice, which is James Patterson's first nonfiction book. He wrote it with his friend Hal Friedman, about Hal's son Cory. Cory grew up with Tourrette's and OCD, and this book is the story of what he and his family went through.

Although Against Medical Advice was not written by Cory, it is told from his perspective. I find that a bit odd, since Cory is still alive. Supposedly, he has approved the book as an accurate representation of what it was all like for him — but since the book isn't ghostwritten with Cory's name slapped on the front of it, I'm honestly not sure what to think of it.

I haven't read anything else by James Patterson, though I've seen Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls. I wasn't sure what to expect, but Against Medical Advice is a pretty easy, fast-paced read — perhaps too much so at times. It does have a nice climax and ending, though. And I like what the authors are implying (and what Hal Friedman actually says in the afterword): that it seems like the constantly changing (and often experimental) medications actually worsened Cory's symptoms, rather than making them better. I'm a firm believer that in our society we are way too quick to medicate, so this book really rang true for me.