Amy Wilensky

Amy Wilensky (born 1969) is an American writer who has published two memoirs. Passing for Normal: A Memoir of Compulsion (2000) is about her experience of Tourette syndrome and obsessive–compulsive disorder. The Weight of It: A Story of Two Sisters (2004) is about her sister's obesity.

Born	1969 (age 55–56)[1]
Occupation	writer

Early life and education

Wilensky grew up in the Boston suburb of Sudbury, Massachusetts.^[2][3] She was bullied as a child because of her Tourette syndrome.^[2] She attended Vassar College, and studied writing at Columbia University School of the Arts.^[2][3]

Writing

Wilensky's Passing for Normal: A Memoir of Compulsion (Broadway Books, 2000) describes feeling shame and sadness as a child with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette syndrome.^[4] She had uncontrollable tics.^[5] The book has been described as demonstrating "the extreme lengths to which individuals with Tourette's may go to manage their symptoms in social settings".^[6] The journal Metapsychology said that the book was "frank and competently written" and would provide hope for "people who are odd in some way".^[1]

Her second book, The Weight of It: A Story of Two Sisters, was published in 2004 by Henry Holt and Company, and is about her sister's obesity.^[7] Publishers Weekly said that "Wilensky masterfully tells a story that she recognizes is not truly hers to tell".^[7] Kirkus Reviews said "Funny and affecting in parts, but on the whole disappointing".^[8]

Personal life

Wilensky received cognitive behavioral therapy, anti-depressants and haloperidol to treat her conditions.^[9] She wrote in 2000 that "although some of the more deeply-ingrained tics and rituals do creep back in times of stress, I am largely free from the burdens they imposed for so long on my body and mind".^[10] She said that "Although I never set out to become a spokesperson for TS and OCD, my memoir has made me one".^[10]

Wilensky lives in New York City, and is married with two children.^[11][12]