Rising above the buzz of intrusive thoughts

Buzzing, a graphic novel written by Samuel Sattin, is twelve-year-old Isaac Itkin’s story of navigating the specific challenges of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) alongside the concerns of middle school, such as keeping up his grades, finding solid friendships and responding to the expectations of his family members.

Illustrated by Rye Hickman, Buzzing uses the image of bees swarming around Isaac’s head to capture the intrusive and often outright distressing thoughts that demand his attention. They pick at his fears about his intelligence and worth to others with thoughts such as: “You don’t deserve friends.” These “bees” also interpret Isaac’s reality as full of germs and danger, and even suggest that if he doesn’t behave a certain way someone else will get hurt. Most of the panels that depict Isaac battling with his intrusive thoughts are black and white, except for the bright yellow bees – an effective way to emphasize how intensely they affect his well-being.

Throughout the book, Isaac’s large, expressive eyes convey his frustration, sensitivity and strength as the swarming forces of his condition add challenging layers to his everyday reality. His well-intentioned mother wants to help him by applying the strict techniques she has learned through his therapy this far, and yet those steps do not seem to be changing his life for the better. His older sister is tired of all the attention he receives and regularly lashes out at him in annoyance. He is overwhelmed and isolated, filled with shame and dread.

To Isaac’s surprise, a new group of friends invite him to play a tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) after school. Readers familiar with Dungeons and Dragons and similar fantasy-related games or activities will likely find particular joy in the pages that depict the imaginary gameplay sequences between the characters created by the group of young friends. There’s bonus material related to the gameplay found at the end of the book.

These newfound friends celebrate his talent and cherish Isaac’s impressive contributions to their games of Swamps and Sorcery; they make him feel known, even before they know anything about his OCD. “The more I . . . care about you, the more I see . . . goodness . . . creativity . . . so much thoughtfulness,” says his friend Micah. His friendship serves as a safe haven and source of inspiration for her and others, too. What’s more, his warmth and gifts are not depicted as necessarily offered or achieved in spite of his OCD, but made possibly particularly because of how his identity is uniquely shaped.

Just as Isaac settles into this affirming and joy-giving source of community, his mother fears that it is not a good place for him and stops him from going. Even so, he continues to find ways to connect with people who encourage him to be kind to himself and confidently express the truth about his experience. Some people come to recognize how they have failed and misjudged him.

Buzzing ends on a realistically hopeful note – a resolution of sorts that does not minimize the ongoing challenges of living as an OCD person. Even if the obstructive “bees” are not necessarily banished forever, Isaac emerges with fresh ways to recognize the falseness of their messages.

The book’s end matter includes an author’s note in which writer Sattin shares that at the age of fourteen he was diagnosed with OCD – one of several mental health issues defined and commonly understood as a neurodivergent disorder.  This book is deeply personal; instead of being created from mere research or speculation, or told by an outsider, it is rooted in lived experience.

Sattin’s delight in books, art and games comes alive through Isaac, as does his desire to find more imaginative definitions of the words “weird” and “normal,” “[T]he truth is that many of us simply operate differently from others through no fault of our own,” writes Sattin. “Rye [Hickman] and I have created Buzzing for the weird kids. The kinds of people who truly change the world just by being who they are. Hopefully, this book will help you recognize your own beautiful weirdness and give you the power to control and then embrace it.”

Although Buzzing is classified as a book for young adults, it also contains valuable insights for older age groups. It is encouraging to think of it being used, for example, as a resource for teachers, parents, community leaders and others who have a role in raising or educating kids in a world where many neurodiverse and disabled people, unfortunately, continue to be misunderstood and diminished.

Buzzing’s rich and authentic portrait of an OCD character can also help orient Christian readers towards a more empathetic, inclusive view of God’s neurodiverse children. In Daniel Bowman Jr.’s memoir On the Spectrum: Autism, Faith, and the Gifts of Neurodiversity he notes that “When you read an autistic memoir . . . you’re not just getting an account of one life or gaining specialized knowledge about a tiny subsection of the population. You’re learning about what it means to be human. You’re learning about 1 in 45 people . . . people who have helped shape our world. You’re learning how to love your neighbour as yourself.” Buzzing also has the potential to be valuable in such a way. To read it is to engage with the particularities and nuances of Isaac’s identity and have access to a perspective that can then, hopefully, broaden one’s understanding of OCD and inform real-life relationships.

In this inventive and sensitive graphic novel, Sattin and Hickman have crafted a fantasy-infused exploration of the transformation made possible by authentic, warm-hearted acceptance.