Crack Smack Punch: Living with Misophonia (Selective Sound Sensitivity Syndrome or 4S) Paperback – December 10, 2015

Absolutely one of the best books I've read about Misophonia....a personal story as LIVED by the author. She has the disorder nailed 100%. I, and thousands of others, are also living her story ....day after day after day! I've suffered from Misophonia for 56 of my 66 years of life. I don't use the word 'suffer' lightly. Misophonia has impacted almost every area of my life in a negative way."What if the sounds of other people eating, drinking, and breathing sent you into a fit of rage? [added: pen clicking, slurping through straws, fingers tapping on the table, spoons scraping yogurt cups, crinkling of potato chip bags, music leaking from someone else's ear phones, crunching popcorn or ice.... I have personally over 15 triggers that send me into disgust, anger, and/or tears]Misophonia is a peculiar and real condition It is characterized by a strong, negative emotional and mental reaction to certain sounds that are considered everyday or “normal" to most people." ( This description is taken from the book's description on it's Amazon page except where I've marked as added)I wish every friend, family member, co-worker, and all other human beings on this earth would read this book in order to understand this devastating disorder/syndrome. It is amazing that people have suffered from Misophonia for years and years, yet it is a relatively newly "discovered" phenomenon. It has existed "forever" but we suffers stayed "in the closet" (so to speak) because we were met with ridicule and disbelief when we tried to describe it and it's effects....We learned quickly that you don't tell people and believe you must be the only person in the world who has this problem; therefore, you must be alone and crazy, as in mentally ill or emotionally tainted.Another reviewer stated that this book is not relevant as an educational tool. It may have some science and specifics not quite right because there is still so little known about it....but as for the ways that misophonia affects people (on a spectrum), this author is on the mark. I think every Misophonic who reads this will see themselves in many of the situations. Misophonia is not humorous....but the way this author presents her situations, well, who could be offended ....she is respectfully humorous about a debilitating condition.

I expected a good read from this book and I wasn't disappointed. Rachel gives an insightful and candid view of the condition she lives with on a daily basis. I applaud her courage in overcoming her natural fear of opening up about something so personal and misunderstood, and I truly hope that this can inspire others with this and similar conditions to not live in fear of ridicule or ostracization (yes, that is an actual word according to Random House). As someone more machine than human, I also admired and was impressed with the way she was able to clinically analyze her own situation and look at it from an objective viewpoint. The book gets an extra start just for that! In addition, this book is just plain entertaining. Rachel's superb writing style and method of relaying her anecdotes are full of easily believable imagery. Some of her reactions and inner dialogue had me literally snorting aloud in laughter (something that probably would have annoyed the author to no end). I’m hoping that I can myself learn from her example and show more patience in my reaction to stupidity, although I think that the odds are against that. None of the humor in this book distracts from the serious nature of the topic but helps present it in an easily accessible manner and is suitable reading for persons of all ages. I enjoyed the original poems and hope she writes a book full of them!

There were times reading this book I literally wanted to scream and say yes, thats it..and others I wanted to almost cry because I felt so understood. Smacking drives me crazy, but so does leg shaking. I can't understand when I get a bag of chips there's mostly air and 13 chips. When my kids get chips they can beat them and crackle the bag for 30 minutes or 50 miles..

Good read for teenagers to understand why things bother them.

and should not by any means be the definition of life for all people suffering from misophonia.The author has spent a remarkable amount of time and effort examining the CAUSES of her "bad noises"; I finish the book feeling as if she truly believes that it all boils down to others BAD MANNERS. If you want to learn more about the symptoms, triggers and results of suffering from miso, this book has no educational value. That said, the author brings to the forefront the often manic, comical and sad daily struggles faced by those that suffer. Tracking down the source of a noise, the lengths gone to, desperately, to muffle, lessen, and eliminate...these are definitely "universal". I find the authors poems to be HUGELY relate-able, highly accurate. I found myself flipping the pages for the next poem, and can't wait for more!

I've had this disorder for 56 years and this is the first time I have read anything that really expresses the experience of living with Misophonia. This author has a great way of relating what this does to the sufferer. A must read for anyone who has a family member or friend with this condition.

I enjoyed reading the book & related to a lot of the content. However, several pages fell out of the book as I was reading it. I’m not hard on books- the pages came out as I would turn the page.

This is a wonderful emotional journey told through the eyes of someone suffering from 4S. It is humorous and touching. I think everyone can relate on some level to what the author experiences. I know many people that have at least one sound that bothers them. It's an insightful and introspective story. Thank you to Rachel for sharing something so personal!