From the remarkable man whose life inspired the heartstopping film 'I Swear' a book that
offers extraordinary insight into what it's like to live with a severe form of Tourette's
syndrome: a fascinating complex condition that's more common than most of us think ( 1 in 100
schoolchildren have the condition) and yet is chronically misunderstood. 'Funny and
heartfelt ... this skilfully told tale deserves praise for how it lets us non-sweary people see
inside the ordinary albeit anxious mind of someone with Tourette syndrome.' THE TIMES 'An
astonishing tale about an amazing man. If this book were given out to schools it would triple
the empathy levels for Tourette's.' - JO JO MOYES author of Me Before You and Someone Else's
Shoes 'Brave shocking funny and moving I SWEAR opens our eyes to the reality of living
with a complex condition. This is a really important book.' - RACHEL JOYCE author of The
Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Homemade God Born in the 1970s on the Scottish
Borders John's was ten 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 John's dogged optimism that turned his life around making I Swear an inspirational story
of triumph over adversity. Through John's eyes we see Tourette's 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.
