"Mi chiamo Chuck" è un romanzo simpatico che parla di adolescenti quasi normali, o meglio, tutti normali tranne Chuck che soffre di un disturbo ossessivo compulsivo.
Chuck e il suo amico Steve fanno parte di quel genere di ragazzi anonimi, non abbastanza nerd e non abbastanza sportivi o bulli; in qualche modo riporta alla mente quei film anni '80 definiti come Brat Pack movies.
Chuck dovrà quindi affrontare innamoramenti, aiutare amici il tutto mentre cerca di superare i propri problemi.
E' un romanzo divertente, letto in originale problabilmente lo sarebbe stato di più per i giochi fatti sul linguaggio, l'idea delle Converse è carina, in linea generale è un romanzo positivo, anche se alcuni dettagli del finale non lo sono completamente la guarigione non può essere solo dovuta a forza di volontà?.
Sull'edizione invece non si può dire nulla se non che il titolo originale è decisamente migliore, c'è poco da fare.

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"Lexapros and Cons" is a nice novel talking about almost normal young adults, in fact every YA in the novel is normal except of Chuck, soffering an OCD.
Chuck and his best friend Steve are anonymous YA: not enough nerd and not enough athletic or bully; somewhat they made me think about that '80 movies known as Brat pack movies.
In the novel Chuck will have to face falling in love and to help friends while trying to overcome his own health problems.
It's a funny novel, I've read the italian translation but without doubt the original one should be better also because of the language jokes; the Cons idea is actually nice and overall the novel is quite positive, despite some details in its ending can not healing be obtained only by own willpower?.
A note on the Italian edition: the original title is way better than the Italian one (that sound as:My name is Chuck and for wikipedia I suffer an OCD). ( )

Realistic (I guess) portrayal of OCD, but seems raunchy for raunchiness's sake. Like all the masturbation references are thrown in there just to up the Guy Appeal, or hook them right from the beginning.

Still, a likeable character and an engaging book. ( )

Chuck Taylor has OCD. He is compelled to perform a series of rituals to get through his day. In his senior year, his parents start him in therapy, his personal relationships get all messed up and he needs to decide whether he wants to control his symptoms and his life. ( )

From start to finish, Lexapros and Cons is an enjoyable read. The main character, 17 year old Chuck Taylor, shares the daily challenges he faces while living with OCD. The picture created in my own mind was very similar to that of Napoleon Dynamite, an awkward geek with a genuine heart. I liked that Chuck differentiated between the "OCD" that seemingly everyone claims to have, equivalent to a few quirky habits, and his textbook-classic OCD - the compulsions and anxiety that spill over him when his compulsions are not fulfilled. I think it could be beneficial for someone with a loved one diagnosed with OCD to read about these inner struggles as told from Chuck Taylor's perspective. It could really help them understand their loved one better. The other characters are also quite likable: Chuck's best friend Steve, the girl of his dreams Amy, his irritating sister Beth, his parents; they are all well-developed and entertaining. Aaron Karo did a great job of providing an inner glimpse of OCD while keeping the book light and very humorous.

It should probably be said that while Lexapros and Cons is labeled as Young Adult ages 14 and up, teachers may not want to assign this as summer reading! It is written from the perspective of a high-school boy, and thus references topics that wouldn't be appropriate for classroom discussions.

Please note that while I received a complementary advance reading copy of this book, it has not influenced my review. Thank you. ( )

Lexapros and Cons

By: Aaron Karo

5 Stars (more if I had any)
Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780374343965
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date: 4/10/2012
Pages: 240
Sales rank: 177,288
Age range: 14 – 17 Years
Lexile: HL620L

Summary: Chuck Taylor is in his final year of high school, and he has finally come to the conclusion that he has OCD (thank you internet). It’s not the “I have a little OCD too” OCD, it’s the check the stove to make sure it is off multiple times even though no one has used it, wash your hands even if they aren’t dirty, turn your locker lock fourteen times until it feels right, pee and pee again before bed, and he keeps a tally record of how often he masturbates OCD. Yes, he literally keeps a tally mark of each time he masturbates! Chuck knows that these things are ridiculous, but if he does not follow through with each compulsion he can’t go on with his day. From this revelation, several things happen:
1. His mom sends him to a shrink. The shrink prescribes Lexapro and CBT. At first Chuck is hesitant, but the new girl in school provides some motivation.
2. The new girl in school, Amy, is amazing! She’s hot, smart, and so cool. She also asks Chuck to tutor her in Calculus so that she can pass the AP exam. A friendship ensues, but he can’t possibly let her know how crazy he is.
Chuck, who obsessively wears Cons in colors that match his mood, travels through the last part of his senior year with the ups and downs in having a crush on a girl and trying to make her his girlfriend, trying to get over his compulsions, fights with a best friend, and generally dealing with teenage issues and life, in this hilariously written novel by Karo.
My thoughts: This was one of my favorite books of the year. I’m not sure why, but lately I have enjoyed male protagonists much better than females. This may just be a stage I’m going through. Chuck literally made me laugh out loud, usually while in a quiet high school classroom. The very second I closed the book when I was done; it was immediately snatched up by one of my high school students because I was laughing so hard reading it. There were so many times where Chuck is trying to be so cool and something happens that just overwhelms him. He’s stubborn and tries so hard to control himself that the tension in the story builds usually resulting in an absurd expulsion that Chuck has to work himself out of. I can’t recommend this book enough. I definitely want more! Could there possibly be a Chuck goes to college version? Pretty, pretty please! ( )