Here's the Deal: Don't Touch Me

Here's the Deal: Don't Touch Me is the humorous[1] autobiography of Howie Mandel, written with Josh Young, in which he discusses his obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Larry King has called it an "important book".[2]

Here's the Deal: Don't Touch Me
AuthorHowie Mandel with Josh Young
CountryUnited States
PublisherBantam Books
Publication date
2009
Pages220
ISBN978-0-553-80786-8

Despite the fact that Mandel says that these moments in his life "gets dark and there's a lot of terror involved, but I can have fun with it, and I know it's funny."[3] He said:

I thought I had a light, kind of funny look at my life, my career, with great little anecdotes that would be kind of funny….and then I realized, I know that I deal with OCD and anxiety and ADHD each and every day, and I didn't realize how much it informed everything that I do.[4]

He also refers to the book as a "love letter" to his wife,[3] who has been with him for 36 years, helping him cope with his condition.

The book is not entirely about Mandel's struggles; he adds a liberal amount of comedic episodes throughout. One of these recollections details how, as a youngster, Mandel decided to remove all of the photos from a girl's wall, and remove one nail. When the girl attempted to put the photos back, one wouldn't fit.[5] Practical jokes like these are found throughout the autobiography.

Mandel has admitted to being "terrorized" and under medication for the book tour; he was forced to wear a surgical mask and rubber gloves to his book signings, so that he could comfortably interact with his fans. In addition, he has commented on the irony of having his book released in the midst of the H1N1 flu pandemic.[4]

While he didn't explicitly intend to convey a societal message with the book, Mandel does advocate the wider awareness of coping skills achieved via therapy and medication – people "take care of their dental health, but they don't take care of their mental health."[3]

References
  1. "EXCERPT: 'Here's the Deal: Don't Touch Me' by Howie Mandel – ABC News". Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
  2. "CNN.com – Transcripts". Premium.europe.cnn.com. 2009-12-18. Archived from the original on 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
  3. "Good Morning America". Dec 1, 2009.
  4. "CBC News – Books – Mandel memoir exposes funnyman's inner terror". Cbc.ca. 2009-12-07. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
  5. http://cindysloveofbooks.blogspot.com/2010/01/heres-deal-dont-touch-me-review.html
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