{"product_id":"9780993040740-because-we-are-bad","title":"Because We Are Bad","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOCD and a Girl Lost in Thought\u003cbr\u003eA true story of a girl with a strange childhood. By the age of 13, Lily has killed someone with a thought and spread untold disease. In secret she performs elaborate rituals, but the lists in her head just keep growing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe true story by a teenager with OCD\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Extremely compelling' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e– \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eTHE GUARDIAN\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Remarkable' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e– \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eWASHINGTON POST\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A beautifully-rendered memoir' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e– PUBLISHERS WEEKLY\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBecause We Are Bad\u003c\/i\u003e is a gripping, fast-paced non-fiction memoir that takes you inside the invisible war of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) — where a single intrusive thought can feel like a verdict, and where the mind insists that certainty is the only form of safety.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eFrom the outside, Lily is a bright, capable girl navigating school, friendships, and family life. On the inside, her days are governed by dread: unwanted images, taboo thoughts, sudden spikes of anxiety, and the persistent fear that thinking something “bad” means being bad.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eOCD is not neat, quirky, or harmless in this story. It is urgent, intelligent, and exhausting — an illness that hijacks logic, steals time, and makes ordinary moments feel dangerous.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWritten with razor-sharp clarity and literary elegance, \u003ci\u003eBecause We Are Bad\u003c\/i\u003e has the pace of a thriller: a page-turning true story of rituals and mental compulsions, of moral panic and secret rules, of the desperate bargains made to keep disaster away.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eLily Bailey captures the looping nature of obsession — the way intrusive thoughts return, mutate, and demand new answers — while showing how shame and silence can tighten the trap. This is narrative nonfiction at its most intimate: an OCD memoir that turns a private disorder into a vivid, cinematic reading experience.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eYet this is not only a story of suffering. It is also a story of survival, insight, and recovery — the hard-won shift from fear-driven obedience to the possibility of freedom. With compassion and hard truth, Bailey traces how OCD distorts identity (“because we are bad”), and how naming the disorder can become the first step toward reclaiming the self. If you have ever lived with anxiety, panic, depression, perfectionism, rumination, or the crushing need to “get it right,” you will recognise the emotional squeeze of a brain that refuses to let go.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eInside this unforgettable mental health memoir, you’ll find:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \u003cbr\u003eA vivid, honest portrait of life with OCD and intrusive thoughts, including the isolating pressure to appear “fine.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe hidden mechanics of compulsions — checking, reassurance seeking, avoidance, mental reviewing — and how they can escalate in secret.\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \u003cbr\u003eA moving coming-of-age journey through fear, courage, family, and the complicated work of growing up with mental illness.\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \u003cbr\u003eA voice that is intelligent, humane, and fiercely readable: candid, darkly funny at times, and always compassionate.\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBecause We Are Bad\u003c\/i\u003e is essential reading for anyone searching for an OCD memoir, an obsessive-compulsive disorder autobiography, or a powerful mental health book that combines literary nonfiction with real-life urgency. It’s also a valuable read for partners, parents, friends, teachers, therapists, and caregivers — anyone who wants to understand what OCD can look like beyond stereotypes, and why reassurance and “just stop thinking about it” are not solutions.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eFor readers who love high-impact nonfiction, this autobiographical non-fiction book offers the immediacy of a personal story and the insight of psychological nonfiction without ever turning into a textbook. It speaks to the private logic of obsessions and compulsions, the loneliness of secrecy, and the radical relief of being understood. Above all, it offers a clear-eyed message: you are not your thoughts, and you are not alone.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIf you crave narrative non-fiction that is emotionally intense, psychologically precise, and impossible to put down, Lily Bailey delivers. \u003ci\u003eBecause We Are Bad\u003c\/i\u003e offers the rare combination of speed and depth: the propulsive momentum of a true life story and the enduring resonance of a book that changes how you see the mind.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eDiscover the memoir readers recommend for its honesty and its hope. Pick up \u003ci\u003eBecause We Are Bad\u003c\/i\u003e today — and step into a story that turns private terror into language, clarity, and finally, release.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLily Bailey\u003c\/b\u003e is a model, writer, and mental health campaigner. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e As a child and teenager, Lily suffered from severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). She kept her illness private, until the widespread misunderstanding of the disorder spurred her into action. She began campaigning for better awareness and understanding of OCD. \u003ci\u003eBecause We Are Bad\u003c\/i\u003e is her first book. She has written two books for children on mental health themes, \u003ci\u003eWhen I See Blue\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eWhen I Feel Red\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReviews\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Often as chilling as Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar\u003c\/b\u003e, but also full of so much inner and external turbulence that it reminded me at times of The Bourne Identity and Memento. Readers will root for Lily, even when she is attempting to run away from the realities and sometimes authorities chasing her.' – \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eHUFFPOST UK\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A harrowingly honest memoir' \u003c\/b\u003e– KIRKUS REVIEWS\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e'\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eBecause We Are Bad\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e is an emotional, challenging read. \u003c\/b\u003eLily takes us deep into the heart of the illness but she is also a deft writer, and even the darkest moments are peppered with wit and wry observations.' – JAMES LLOYD, OCD-UK\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBuy the book and start reading\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31618164293729,"sku":"9780993040740","price":12.35,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/stand_31853373.jpg?v=1734681961","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9780993040740-because-we-are-bad","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}