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.

My almost seven-year-old son has not been officially diagnosed with ADHD, but he has a lot of indications that he might have ADHD. He, more than my other two children, has prompted me to study and learn about child development. I just haven't figured out why he struggles so much in a few key areas. When his Pre-K4/MDO teacher suggested he might have ADHD at the age of 5, I immediately rejected the idea and thought he was just being a boy and boys having trouble sitting still and such. Well, fast forward about 2 years, and I've done a good bit more research, plus had more time to observe him, and I think she might be right. So much of ADHD and what he's going through seems negative. When I came across a video by The Holderness Family about ADHD, Penn talked about the book they co-wrote called ADHD is Awesome. I immediately added it to my TBR list. I initially listened to the audiobook version of this book, but I have since purchased a kindle edition to own.I am so thankful for Penn and Kim writing this book. Penn shares his experiences of having "a raging case of ADHD" with this book. Having an adult be able to describe what happens in his own brain helps me so much to relate to my son. I've never understood why he can never remember where his shoes are or why an item ceases to exist in his brain when he puts it down. How he can not remember so much has always baffled me. And I've often thought and even accused him of lying to me. And I can easily say that doing so has damaged our relationship. Penn's candor has provided me with some relief. Similar to the relief he felt after being diagnosed. I feel relief in learning more about and understanding more about things my child struggles with or deals with and how his brain works. I cried. Multiple times. From guilt over how I've handled things in the past, sadness over the struggles he has and why everything feels harder for him, hope for the future, and fear for the same.Penn and Kim do a wonderful job of presenting ADHD as it is. They don't sugarcoat things. Penn's struggles and the negative side of having ADHD are there in all its ugliness. But there are positives to having ADHD or being close to someone who has ADHD, and those positives are essentially never pointed out. They want everyone to know that it isn't all bad. And I can so appreciate that. As someone whose child is still very young, I feel like we have an uphill battle in front of us, but there is hope. They offer coping strategies. This was one of the most practically applicable books I've ever read on a similar topic (not ADHD specifically). I appreciate that so much. And I appreciate Penn and Kim Holderness for putting this book out there. I needed it. And I'm sure so many others do too.The humor kept the topics light enough that this didn't feel like a heavy book even though I was quite emotional through portions of it. I suppose if it were heavy or dull the ADHD brain would abandon it, most likely. Penn definitely wrote with other ADHDers in mind.I also loved the discussion of the name ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The name truly doesn't describe the condition. And that contributes to the condition being so highly misunderstood. Addressing the misconceptions around ADHD was really helpful for me, and it helped me see that I had a lot of unfounded preconceived ideas of what ADHD is that are completely false.I can tell you that I would have had way too many quotes highlighted if I'd read this on my Kindle, but since I listened to the audiobook, I don't have any to share. I have purchased a digital copy of this book to have for myself to read again and probably even more than once. The audiobook version is wonderful being narrated by Penn and Kim directly. I don't know how much sidebar-type stuff they added to the physical book. It almost seemed like some things were added in their audio narration that wouldn't be in a physical copy, but I couldn't tell you that for sure without comparing the two. But their narration made the audiobook fun and easy to listen to (the goal). The only reason I wanted a physical copy for myself and not the audio version to own is that finding a passage for reference is much easier in a physical copy.If you have ADHD or have a loved one with ADHD, I think you should definitely check out ADHD is Awesome by Penn and Kim Holderness. If nothing else, you can commiserate with someone who understands your struggles. ADHD is Awesome gets 5 Stars from me. Have you read (or listened to) ADHD is Awesome? What did you think? Let me know!