Books for Prep | |
 - A LifesaverI have 2 boys with ADHD and was at a loss on how to nurture them through the condition. My best friend loaned me Dr. Hallowell's book(her son has severe ADHD). Driven To Distraction gave me a wealth of valuable insight. It gave me an overview of what ADHD is and isn't. It informed me on the possible avenues of treatment available. Most important is the fact that it taught me not to be afraid of what I was facing. While reading, I realized that I myself have ADHD. The realization made it easier for me to understand thereasons behind difficult situations that I had encountered in the past. I am so grateful to Dr. Hallowell for opening me eyes to what this disorder is about. I feel more secure about how to handle the challenges that my sons and I will be facing. Rating: - Amazing; an experience of enlightenment about ADD & societyNot since William Dufty's SUGAR BLUES have I ever read a book that has answered virtually every unanswered question I have had, and every painful mystery about the contradictory facts of life: regarding everything from the nature of modern society to stupid habits I cannot seem to let go of in my personal life; the actual non-emotional source of my brilliant son's troubles in school to the secret architect of my intimate relationships with women throughout my adulthood. This book is not written for people who have never heard of Attention Deficit Disorder. This book is written--no, this book is a profound blessing--to people like me: people who have heard of it for quite some time, have children or family members or friends with it, and think because of such they actually know what it is, or what it does. People like me, who despite the facts above never consider, because they do not know what it really is, that they may have it themselves. My view of the stereotype of ADD and its stereotypically affected subculture (children with other neurological or educational differences in suburbia and the inner city) does not even begin to fully explain the most obvious and trivial of symptoms, let alone the actual racial and socioeconomic diversity of adults AND children who may be suffering with it, and for how long--in this generation and the many before us (like those of our parents and grandparents). =For example, consider this enlightening and disturbing fact that could change one's entire view of the morality of the criminal justice system: the brain of a person with ADD functions in an entirely different way than those without it, and as such is affected in an entirely different way by the use of illegal drugs. While "regular" people search for the high received by Marijuana, the relaxation of inhibitions by alcohol or the stimulus from Cocaine, those with ADD develop the ability not just to finally relax but also to CONCENTRATE; to FOCUS their minds and organize both their thoughts and their life--and subsequently their emotions--in a way the condition will not allow them to otherwise when they get high. In other words, as 10-15% of the population of major cities across America may have ADD (the busy lifestyle we tend to be attracted to), at the very least 25% of the prison population--people who got there because of their purchase and use of illegal drugs (like crack)--*were intuitively self-medicating for a disorder they did not and still do not know they have*. This is what the white kids with ADD in suburbia getting a slap on the wrist for what the black kids in the ghetto with ADD are going to prison for are BOTH doing, when they continuously experiment with illegal drugs. Which means, the TREATMENT over INCARCERATION argument in the "war on drugs" has more scientific validity than anyone in the booming prison industry, with all its congressional lobbyists, would ever admit; particularly when our more dysfunctional and often morally repugnant laws are being enforced. =Consider also that people with ADD also get addicted to simple sugars and carbohydrates for the same or similar reasons...and this could be partly behind the boom of obesity in America. =Then consider how routinely ADD is diagnosed in pre-pubescent boys (particularly those of color) but not in women and girls. And then take another look at everything from the constant worry of girls falling behind boys in science and mathematics in school (and the sexist mythology often associated with the explanations for it), to the rising rate of obesity and eating disorders amongst women as opposed to men... The implications of this disorder's effect on our modern world however will still be thunder to the lightning affect of seeing how ADD just might explain the Hyde side of every Dr. Jekyll in your personal life--including yourself--under the surface of drug addictions, antisocial personality quirks, narcissism, verbal abuse, scholastic and professional underachievement and emotionally codependent & adulterous intimate relationships. I have had the experience of talking to several therapists (psychologists) over my adult life; read dozens of self-help books from Eric Berne to Nathaniel Branden to Melodie Beattie to Marianne Williamson to Ilanya Vanzant; scoured through much of the work of Freud and Jung and those influenced by them, including Joseph Campbell...all of them, particularly the psychologists, opened my eyes to significant ideas, perspectives and literature (like the work of the incredible Alice Miller, for example). ALL of it, however, and all of psychologists, missed this fundamental medical/neurological perspective, which gets to the root of all my problems AND my gifts simultaneously unlike anything I have ever seen. If you have any of the personality traits or life experiences the likes of which have been referred to in codependency theory, chemical addiction, underachievement (or just the strange, inexplicable feeling, as it goes against the evidence of your actual career/life successes, that you're still a failure in disguise), chronic depression, dyslexia associated reading & comprehension difficulties and the like (not to mention the wealth of racist, sexist and moralistic pseudo-scientific literature that speak in subtle but primitive terms of your innate criminality or inferiority; or just plain "sinful nature")...be prepared for the Galileo experience of your life. This book made me and the woman I love repeatedly burst into tears, as every chapter revealed a crucial but mysteriously painful aspect of our mutual childhoods, family and personal lives that we tried to forget, but now understand. The funniest thing: I first heard of the book more than seven years ago, and never got around to picking it up. Was too distracted! This book may have saved my life. Rating:  - A good starter audio CD for ADD newbies...As a person who has ADHD and grew up aware of its existence, the audio CD confirmed what I knew as opposed to providing a lot of new information. However, this is a terrific CD for people newly diagnosed with or who have little knowledge about ADD/ADHD. I give it four stars because it is a good introductory CD, but its sequel 'Delivered from Distraction' offers more up-to-date information. Rating: - Driven to Distraction is a must read I would highly recommend this book to any teen or adult who is under going diagnoses for ADHD. It provides a wealth of knowledge and I felt as many others I know have that it was almost and autobiography of my life. Great Book Rating: - It Helps To Know The Roadsigns!Several years ago, I read a magazine article that prompted one of those "eureka" moments. You mean that "I" might have ADD? I thought only "kids" had ADD! What? You mean, adults can have it, too? Could "that" explain the extremely (technically speaking) "goofy" things I'd been doing all my life? My inability to learn how to drive a standard shift car no matter how much I wanted to? My embarrassing clumsiness on the dance floor, though I certainly not only had music, but rhythm, too? I had to find out more! Fortunately, the good doctors had published this book at about that same time and equally fortunately, I bought it. Included in the book are several comprehensive questionnaires about how different areas of life have been/are being, handled. (For instance, questions about ability to follow directions, retention of material, distractability, job history, etc.) The questions are so well designed that using them, one is able to make an "educated guess" as to whether they have ADD/ADHD and the degree to which they may have it. Using them as a guide, I filled them out and subsequently handed them (rather smugly, I might add) to my doctor; I was able to persuade her that yes, indeed, I could possibly have Attention Deficit Disorder. [She promised to give up her medical license if I was so diagnosed -- a tribute to the ADD individual's ability to, albeit unwittingly, "hide" their disability]. Even if the rest of the book hadn't been vastly entertaining, enlightening, and helpful, those were worth their proverbial weight in gold. The first-person accounts, the questionnaires, the helpful suggestions as to how to cope with ADD, make this a must-read for anyone who might be wondering if they have ADD. For me, the legitimization of recognition that ADD is a real condition and not just an excuse for laziness/not trying hard enough (we've all heard "those" accusations) was a powerful moment, and a giant step in being able to cope with life's everyday routine. My highest recommendation. In association with Amazon.com | |