Product Description
Blake Taylor's memoir, written when he was 17, offers, for the first time, a young person's account of what it's like to live and grow up with this common condition. Join Blake as he foils bullies, confronts unfair teachers, struggles with distraction and disorganization on exams, and goes sailing out-of-bounds and ends up with a boatload of spiders. It will be an inspiration and companion to the millions of others like him who must find a way to thrive with a different perspective than many of us. The book features an introduction by psychologist Lara Honos-Webb, author of The Gift of ADHD, and a leading advocate for kids with ADHD. Blake's mother first suspected he had ADHD when he, at only three years of age, tried to push his infant sister in her carrier off the kitchen table. As time went by, Blake developed a reputation for being hyperactive and impulsive. He launched rockets (accidentally) into neighbor's swimming pools and set off alarms in museums. Blake was diagnosed formally with ADHD when he was five years old. In this book, he tells about the next twelve years as he learns to live with both the good and bad sides of life with ADHD.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 27 reviews)

GREAT Book by Jerry (Buffalo NY & FtMyers FL)

5 Stars
November 18, 2009
This is a must read for any child (or adult) with ADHD ... or who might have ADHD. We read this and then gave it to our grandson ... and since ordered two more; one for his school principal and one for a friend who is also a grandma of an ADHD child.

Excellent Book! Provides great insight into ADHD. by Mrs E (Guyton, GA, USA)

5 Stars
September 21, 2009
This book gave me insight to what my son's life must be like! The author is a young man who lives with ADHD. It was well written and gave examples of situations where ADHD had affected his life. He gave realistic solutions to solving some problems related to ADHD. Every parent with a child that has ADHD should read this! Teenager's with ADHD will also benefit from this book.ADHD & Me: What I Learned from Lighting Fires at the Dinner Table

One Person's Experience by SandyCB (Urbana, IL)

3 Stars
September 07, 2009
There is a lot to like about this book. The author seems to be an intelligent, well-intentioned person who wants to use his own experiences to help other kids. This is all to the good. What's not is the degree to which he presents himself as a typical kid with ADD/ADHD. His particular case is affected by many factors other kids with the diagnosis may not share (tics being one of the most obvious; although more common in kids with ADD, they do not afflict the majority), and he doesn't seem aware that his being a guy makes a difference. He comes from an extremely privileged background (housekeepers, executive parents, exclusive suburb, prep school, years of sailing camp) and suggests things like kids having their parents enroll them in a school where they will have smaller, more personal classes -- without even a hint of irony. (I had the definite sense that his parents never sweated over an IEP.) I found it peculiar that he stated many times that nothing/little was known about ADD when he was in school, but I find this almost impossible to believe, based both on copyrights of seminal books on ADD and the types of schools his background would make available to him. The bottom line is that this is a book worth reading, but I suspect it will be more helpful to boys than girls. An excellent book for girls is "Attention, Girls!: A Guide to Learn All About Your Ad/Hd by Patricia O. Quinn."

Fills a gap in the ADHD 'literature' for kids, parents, teachers by JackOfMostTrades (Washington, DC)

4 Stars
August 25, 2009
Have you ever seen those documentaries or commercials where the camera tries to give you the experience of a disorder as viewed from the perspective of the person who has it? They can be effective if done well, and ADHD & ME by Blake Taylor is a book that tries to do the same thing from the POV of a teenager with ADHD. I'd say overall it's a good representation. You can read all the clinical cases you want and memorize the DSM-IV diagnostic rubrics, but it won't give you a sense of the ADHD cognitive style and lifestyle the way this book does. The subtitle is perfect. If you have ADHD you probably know why; if you don't have it, you're probably scratching your head. After reading this book though, maybe you'll just be smoothing down your hair. Luckily Blake has the skill to write clearly, ably, and without hyperbole to give you a literal 'insider's view' as a teenager with ADHD. The distractions, fascinations, associations, and perceptions are well-documented and easy to grasp. This is a book where 'less is more': it's a short book but it fulfills its purpose. It's not intended as a diagnostic tool, a guide for physicians or even parents of or kids with ADHD. It's not even meant to be a tool. And that's what makes it good. It's a 'this is my world' explanation with personal examples, anecdotes, and a bit of advice. LUCKILY Blake is what you might call 'high functioning' person with ADHD although I don't like that term because of its complementary associations (who wants to be labeled 'low functioning'??). The good thing about this, however, is that the author shows and states that most people can function well if given the right guidance (and I won't use the word 'therapy'--people with ADHD are not 'sick'!)--And he's correct. That's not to say the book is perfect. This is the perspective of one young man with ADHD; one size doesn't fit all, and what you read is the result of someone finding the right balance of treatments. I'm sure the author didn't start out this way. And in the future, there may be issues that arise that need to be dealt with. But that's the point of the book. They can be dealt with for the most part. Maybe not everyone can attain the balance of the author at this point in time, but then again, there have been generations of treatments for people with chronic headaches and they don't work for everyone either. Maybe best of all, this book provides evidence that the old fashioned view of ADHD as an excuse for 'not getting with the program' needs to be jettisoned once and for all. With understanding, encouragement, and common sense, young people with ADHD won't just 'get with the program' they just might help create a new one that's a lot more rewarding and innovative than the old one. In fact, you may not know it, but they've been doing it for a while now.

Insider's view of ADHD by Grandma, GG (Orlando, FL)

5 Stars
August 14, 2009
This book gave me a lot of insight into how children with ADHD viewed the world and how it affected their behavior. It has halped me to be more understanding with children with this problem.

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

	The Gift of ADHD Activity Book: 101 Ways to Turn Your Child's Problems into Strengths (Companion) by Lara, Ph.D. Honos-Webb (Author) The chapters of the book are organized by strengths that can be developed in a child. There is a short discussion of the importance of each strength, and then the book offers simple activities that parents do with their child-often in just a few minutes-to help develop them. Throughout the book strikes a positive note, stressing things that parents can do themselves to encourage and support their child rather than things they should discourage or avoid.
	One Boy's Struggle: A Memoir: Surviving Life with Undiagnosed ADD by Bryan L. Hutchinson (Author) As an educator and mother of a child with ADHD, I have gained a lot of medical information about this condition. Bryan s book however, helped me understand my daughter s disorder in a new, insightful way. I never considered her point of view before, with concern to ADHD, and how it must be affecting her. Bryan coming forward like this and bravely revealing his struggles with ADD has benefited me and my family beyond measure. Thank you, Bryan - Jennifer Williams, an ADHD mother with BA in Early...
	The Gift Of ADHD: How To Transform Your Child's Problems Into Strengths by Lara Honos-Webb (Author) Attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is thought to affect between 3 and 6 percent of school-aged children. The symptoms of the disorder-difficulty paying attention, impulsivity, and agitation-lead others to brand them as difficult, unfocused, and unruly. But the clinical studies and experiences of the author of this compassionate book suggest that many of the traits that label kids with ADHD may be an expression of deeper gifts: powerful imagination, searching insight, and...
	Teenagers with ADD and ADHD: A Guide for Parents and Professionals by Chris A. Zeigler Dendy (Author) (2006 ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award, Bronze Finalist in Parenting category). The newly updated and expanded guide to raising a teenager with an attention deficit disorder is more comprehensive than ever. Thousands more parents can rely on Dendy's compassionately presented expertise based on the latest research and decades of her experience as a parent, teacher, school psychologist, and mental health counselor. Her book looks at key areas that make adolescence--an already challenging...
	Cory Stories: A Kid's Book About Living With Adhd by Jeanne Kraus (Author), Whitney Martin (Illustrator) In short statements and vignettes, Cory describes what it's like to have ADHD: how it affects his relationships with friends and family, his school performance, and his overall functioning. He also describes many ways of coping with ADHD: medication, therapy/counseling, and practical tips for school, home, and friendships.