Book Reviews of Devil in the Details : Scenes from an Obsessive Girlhood

Hilarious! Author spent her teen years trying to observe Jewish ritual in a non-observant mixed-faith family (her mother is Catholic). Since she had no actual religious instruction, as such, she sort of "improvised" as she went along based upon a sketchy reading of biblical injunctions, resulting in compulsive behavior, tenuously related to the Torah - at best! Her tolerant parents just assumed she was nuts.

While OCD is a very sad and disturbing thing to have and to live with, I know, my sons have it, this book was highly entertaining. she talked about her obsessions and compulsions in a way that made me laugh at loud even tho I am sure at the time of them, she and her family were not amused. its great she could be so candid about this terrible disease. She too had it in the 70's and 80's before we knew what the heck was wrong with our son. We knew he did some very odd things, but couldnt make him stop so just got frustrated. I think anyone with a family member, friend or even themselves with this condition should definately read this.

This is a very unusual memoir, filled with memories (not in chronological order) of a child who had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Very honest, humorous, and sad at times. Good read! Got a little tedious toward the end.

I feel badly about laughing while reading as the writer was obviously suffering, but her decriptions and delivery are hysterical. I found myself reading bits aloud to friends and family, most notably the "Interstitial" sections between chapters. If a book about mental illness can be funny, well, this one's a riot!

A great book about an obsessive compulsive girl trying to incorperate the jewish part of her heritage. Really funny!

Man this book was boring! I just couldn't stomach through dozens of pages of religious obsession and self-hatred. Writing style is mediocre, and not all that entertaining. I totally failed to see any humor in it. File it under "overhyped", skip it, and spend your credit on a Haven Kimmel or a Julia Scheers.

I read this book in one day. It is now part of my top 10 favorite books of all time. I laughed outloud so hard sometimes that it was hard to believe that I was reading instead of watching TV or hearing a good joke. Everyone has a little OCD in them and will relate to Jennifer's behavior, even in the slightest bit. This is definitely a page turner that I would reccomend to just about anybody who is looking for a good, fresh read.

Makes you think about OCD and scrupulosity.