ADHD is Awesome: A Guide To (Mostly) Thriving With ADHD

I read this with my 12 year old son over the span of many weeks. He has ADHD, and I was looking for something we could read together that was accessible for his age rather than densely academic like so many books out there on the subject (which I have also read and appreciate). ADHD is Awesome includes short chapters, color-coded sections, photos, illustrations and diagrams, which kept us both engaged and made the content easy to digest. Penn’s tone throughout this book is positive and conversational, which is such a welcome and refreshing perspective, especially when reading it with a young person who is just starting to explore what having this diagnosis means for his life. Penn does not shy away from the difficult facets of ADHD, though. He keeps it real and honest, but does not stop at “this is hard”. He commiserates with the reader on the challenges but provides strategies for coping and handling those challenges.I also appreciated the notes from his wife, Kim, throughout the book. She provides anecdotes from a neurotypical perspective on points being made by Penn. There is also a section just for neurotypical caregivers and partners supporting people in their life with ADHD. Since my son and I were reading this book together, these parts gave us an opportunity to discuss our different perspectives on the points being made.Penn also recognizes that ADHD is a spectrum and he is, of course, writing from his own personal experience. This is easily understood from reading the introduction. He is also not a medical doctor, so he understandably does not go into great detail about medication; there are many other notable books you can read on that subject. This book is not academic; it is a real account of living with ADHD from one person’s perspective with helpful tips and strategies to try based on that perspective.Thank you, Penn and Kim Holderness, for creating this book. It was such a meaningful experience reading this with my son, and I know it has helped him understand himself better and given him a positive outlook on his diagnosis.

I've been "a little bit" ADHD all my life, but was only diagnosed fairly recently - life changes happen, hormone changes happen, pandemics happen... and things that were mostly annoying but manageable suddenly aren't as much, and you have too many meetings and are late for half of them, and the emails you thought you sent are still sitting in your drafts folder, and you're wondering what happened. And then you fight a bit with you doctor to be referred for an evaluation, and eventually you get the diagnosis that was staring you in the face your whole life, and yet was never taken more seriously than a punchline - ADHD happened. And so, as an ADHD person sometime does, you hyperfocus on understanding why, and how, and start reading a bunch of books... because suddenly, certain things are now making so much more sense. Except, the books. The books are mostly not great. They're either dated, or they say the same things over and over, and none of it actually helps you fix the issues ADHD creates. Except this one.To be honest, I bought this book because if nothing else, Penn and Kim Holderness are entertaining. Their videos are hilarious - and smart. I wanted to support them and their work. I was, perhaps, a little biased and inclined to be cynical that a book written by "a couple of influencers" could be all that serious, or useful, or good. I'm a jerk. I forgot that the Holderness' are both hilarious and smart social media moguls AND journalists. They clearly brought their journalism brains along with their influencer-entertainer brains to this project.Not only has this book been interesting and helpful to me, I've recommended it to others - both those living with ADHD and those living with someone with ADHD (sometimes, me) - as a way to get smart on the subject, knowing that it would be both entertaining and readable, and also useful, which ... well, I've read quite a few, and I'm still looking for one that's quite this good at explaining what it is, and isn't, and how it's experienced by those who have it.I'm learning that not everything about ADHD is awesome. And a lot of it is confusing - even when you have it. Maybe especially when you have it. It's also confusing for people around you, who may or may not know you have it. In fact, there's a good chance you might have it and not even know you have it (it's tragically underdiagnosed, especially in women and those who exhibit more of the inattentive, rather than hyperactive, symptoms).If ADHD is, in fact, about as common as being left-handed, it might be good for everyone to read this book. I'd love to see managers in offices reading this book for professional development during disability awareness month. I'd love to see teachers reading it, so they can better support both their students diagnosed with ADHD and those whose symptoms are being overlooked, or attributed to other things.I don't subscribe to the notion that the ADHD brain is "broken." Like all brains, it excels at some things, and not at others. But it is idiosyncratic. It doesn't always respond well to the well-meaning advice that works for the other 90-95% of folks. And because humans are inherently social animals and it can be hard to go through life always feeling like an outsider - or at least an outlier - for any reason.I'm fortunate that I've mostly spent my adult life in careers that keeps me interested and busy, and workplaces that have been at least somewhat tolerant of my propensity for "running late," on a phone call that "just ran a little long," or at least looked the other way all the times I "got stuck in traffic."Or even worse: when I said I was in traffic but the truth is I got there early... but then decided to spend those 15 minutes checking my email on my phone in the car... and then got so absorbed responding to something in them that I temporarily forgot all about the meeting... and so I spontaneously stopped at the coffee shop next door on the way into the office for an ice coffee... thus walking into the meeting 10 minutes late, with a cup of ice coffee, filled to the brim with fresh ice cubes. Like a *jerk.* Or so the meme about it claims. Trust me, it's not F-U energy, its ADHD energy, and I'm as P-Od at me as you are. But thank you for not firing me, because there statistics that say that's a real hazard... so much so, some physicians and even psychologists won't diagnose you with ADHD unless it's happened once or twice. And that's not awesome, not in the good way anyway. Nor are dealing with the restrictions, regulations, and shortages that disrupt my life regularly to obtain medication. Nor is the mistaken belief that medication "fixes" ADHD, rather than merely tamping down a few of the more dopamine-deficiency related symptoms.And if this is exhausting to read, just imagine what it's like being inside my head with all this and ALL my other thoughts!But I love my overthinking, deep-processing, creative, problem-solving ADHD brain. If you have ADHD, maybe this book will help you learn to love yours a little bit better, too. And if you don't, perhaps this book will help you understand ADHD brains a little better... because chances are, you have one or two in your life, whether you (or they) know it or not. And they are not broken, either. They're just different. Often in weird and wonderful ways, if you can make space for them to do the things they are great at, provide the right kind of support for the things they're not as great at, and recognize that we're all awesome - ADHD brains and non-ADHD brains alike - when we're allowed to experience, share, and celebrate all the things that make us that way.

A great book to tackle the insights of ADHD. So fun to read. I'm going to read it with my son so he can better understand his ADHD just as I am better understanding mine. Would be a good book to share with neurotypicals who want to understand what ADHD is like through the lens of a family who deals with it. And in such a fun and vibrant way!Love it!

Such a great book for anyone with ADHD or living with someone with ADHD. I finished the book and thought, “ADHD *is* awesome!”

Exactly as described..fast delivery, excellent product

It’s incredibly good. ADHD is Awesome” is an incredible read that completely reframes the narrative around ADHD. The author brilliantly highlights the strengths and unique qualities that come with ADHD, providing a refreshing and empowering perspective. The book is filled with practical advice, inspiring stories, and actionable strategies that make it a valuable resource for anyone with ADHD or those who support them. It’s a must-read for understanding and embracing the awesomeness that comes with ADHD. Highly recommended for its positive and transformative approach!

As a parent to a teenager with a recent ADHD diagnosis, I felt that I had most of the knowledge I needed for daily living. I knew of the Holderness family from their YouTube videos (his songs about ADHD are hilarious) so decided this book would be worth a read. There were lots of sections that we highlighted that became useful reminders or provided a better explanation of why our child thinks or behaves in a certain way.There is a small section that talks about getting school onside with support that was obviously American in terms of how the system works but don't let that put you off, as it is easy to make the switch to English terms like EHCP rather than 504's or IEP's.