ADHD is Awesome

Title: ADHD is Awesome: A Guide to (mostly) Thriving with ADHD

Author: Penn and Kim Holderness

Publisher: Harper Horizon

Genre: Self-Help, ADHD, Nonfiction, Parenting, Mental Health

Source: Library

My Review:

I happened upon ADHD is Awesome at the library and grabbed it on a whim. I don't have ADHD but my daughter does. I wanted to understand more about ADHD so I could support her better, and know how to communicate better with her.

I learned all that and more. First, she saw me reading it and said she wanted to read it after I was finished. When I told her it was a library book she said she wanted it for her birthday. I bought her a copy for her birthday, then I turned around and bought it for me and my husband. Why? Because it is that good. Because I will need to reference it again, and my husband needs to read it. We need to be able to tab and highlight the most relevant parts to us. I have more than a dozen tabs already in place from my first read-through. 

One of the things I love most about this book is how inviting it is. The sections of the book are color-coded, and there are illustrations and pictures throughout the book. And, it is not dry! I enjoyed the personal stories from Penn and Kim, but I appreciated the thoroughness of their research. I also appreciate them documenting all their research in the back of the book. I have tabs in that section as well because I need further information! Not that they didn't give a lot of good information-they did, but I want to read some of their sources.

This book is written for those with ADHD, those who care for those with ADHD, and even those who just want to understand ADHD better. And, having read the book, I wish I had had a resource like this when my daughter was first diagnosed because the information I received is truly life-changing. My daughter and I are already communicating better (and we have a solid relationship), and the snippets I have shared with her and my husband have helped them as well. 

The authors do not promote one particular way of "dealing" with ADHD. They don't say "Hey, you should be on this medication." Penn Holderness, who does have ADHD is not even on medication! And, he has learned to function and thrive despite the chaos ADHD can cause. This book is about presenting information, what they have learned, and leaving you to your own decisions.

There are three sections in the book. The first section talks about getting to know ADHD, getting inside the brain, what it is, and how it is diagnosed. The second section is called "changing the narrative." It touches on things like you will be okay, facing your ADHD, the upsides of ADHD for you, and others. The final section discusses how to thrive with ADHD by mastering your daily routine, controlling your environment and so much more.

I cannot recommend this book enough.

★★★★★/5

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Hi, friend! Welcome to the ADHD club.

You're here because, like me, you've been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder—which, by the way, just might be the worst name for a condition ever—and you're trying to figure out how to make your life a little more manageable. Or because, like my wife, Kim, you love, teach, or work with someone who has ADHD, and you're trying to figure out how to best support them.

The world isn't built for ADHDers, and navigating it can wear us down. But we'll let you in on a little secret: having ADHD doesn't have to be a burden. It can actually be a superpower that propels you to creative heights and allows you to achieve more than you ever thought possible.

We want to give you a new perspective on ADHD, whether it's your own brain or a friend or family member's that you're trying to understand. We hope you come away with strategies you can employ to make things a little easier. (We also hope you laugh out loud, at least once or twice.)

Most of all, we want you to silence that voice that whispers that you're broken or a mess or a failure. None of that is true. You have ADHD—and that makes you awesome.