This book is the only one that I know of that address Tourette's syndrome. Lethem must have done his research because he really gets into the main characters psyche and makes the reader feel the main characters frustration and urges. Of course, we can never possibly know what it feels like to have the urge to shout out something, but this book makes it easier to understand what it is like for a person with Tourette's. This book was slightly reminiscent of the Outsiders, except on a much grander, more law-breaking scale.