Review # 6 - 'Psych Major Syndrome' by Alicia Thompson

Psych Major Syndrome - Alicia Thompson

Using the tools learned so far in Intro Psych, write a brief self-assessment describing how things are going in your freshmen year.

PRESENTING CONCERNS

The Patient, Leigh Nolan (that would be me), has just started her first year at Stiles College. She has decided to major in psychology (even though her parents would rather she study tarot cards, not Rorschach blots). Patient has always been very good at helping her friends with their problems, but when it comes to solving her own ... not so much.

Patient has a tendency to overanalyze things, particularly when the opposite sex is involved. Like why doesn't Andrew, her boyfriend of over a year, ever invite her to spend the night? Or why can't she commit to taking the next step in their relationship? And why does his roommate, Nathan, dislike her so much? More importantly, why did Nathan have a starring role in a much-more-than-friendly dream?

Aggravating factors include hyper-competitive fellow psych majors, a professor who is badly in need of her own psychoanalysis, and a middle-school-age mentee who thinks Patient is, in a word, naive.

DIAGNOSIS

Psych Major Syndrome

Wow, what a book. I received my copy of Psych Major Syndrome last evening and finished it a few hours later. I didn't want it to end. At all. I fell in love with it. From the first page. It's hilarious, wonderful and moving.

Psych Major Syndrome is set in College life, something I haven't encountered before in the Young Adult genre. It felt a bit different, but oh so right. The best thing about this book is the protagonist, Leigh. I immediately felt some kind of kinship with her. My first thought actually was, wow, someone's written a book about me. Leigh is intelligent and strong and at the same time completely oblivious and as her mentee Rebekah calls her 'naive' and 'dumb'. Her narrative is completely endearing, she is snarky and loyal, she's concentrating a bit too much on the small details and is terrified of change.

This is my favorite part,(small spoiler): " 'But it's all broken, right? Everything's broken.' I knelt down, trying to scoop up the glass and confetti - for what I don't know. Maybe it seemed symbolic, although all it really meant was that I was acting completely pathetic over a ten-dollar souvenir that could never be whole again. I guess that's symbolism for you, another term-paper topic to win a contest." (© Alicia Thompson, Psych Major Syndrome,2009, p.202)
Actually it's the part that comes after this that I like most....