Customer Reviews

ADHD and Me: What I Learned from Lighting Fires at the Dinner Table

5 star:		(26)
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3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am the mom of a young child with ADHD and we've been down a long road with this condition. I was excited when I heard about this book because while there is a wealth of information out there about ADHD from a medical perspective, what I really craved was a better understanding of my son's perspective. There have been so many times I've wondered, "What can't he just ___?" (sit still, do what he's told, etc.) This book explains things wonderfully. My eyes teared up when the author shared his experiences because it really clarified things for me.

It was also fascinating to hear about how the medications helped him. We've also seen what a difference medications can make in improving quality of life and it's nice to hear what it does from the patient's perspective (our son can't quite explain it to us at his age), rather than just from doctors or the pharmaceutical companies.

I also like the fact that he offers real-life tips for kids with ADHD. The tips are very consistent with what we've learned ourselves from the doctors and personal experience, and I've also learned some new ideas from the book.

This book is an easy read, too, which is a plus for parents of ADHD kids, who tend to have very little down time.

As the parent of a 13-year-old boy who has been diagnosed with ADHD since the age of three, I feel like I've read hundreds of books that were guaranteed to help me understand and be a better parent. This book delivers on that promise like no other has. Why? Because it's different. It's not research written by a bunch of ivory tower researchers. It's written by a young man who has been through it all.

Blake Taylor, currently a freshman at U.C. Berkeley, wrote this book in his last two years of high school. With a great deal of humor (I laughed out loud frequently) he tells stories illustrative of the problems faced by young people who live with ADHD. But this book goes far beyond a simple memoir. It is cleverly organized in chapters each containing three parts. Each begins with a funny and poignant retelling of a particularly illustrative story from Taylor's childhood and youth. Each story is followed by a section called "Cause & Effect" which explains in plain language what is behind the particular behavior being discussed. But perhaps the best part is that each chapter ends with a list of realistic solutions or coping mechanisms. Some we have tried in our family, but most were revelations.

I immediately took this to my son's guidance counselor at school, and now we're planning on using this book to begin a group for students, parents, and teachers who work with or have been impacted by ADHD. And in our family, we plan to read each chapter together and talk about ways we can all benefit by using the solutions.

Do yourself a favor and dive into this book. It's an easy read, but I guarantee it has the power to change your perspective and your parenting or teaching. I can't recommend it highly enough.

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."

What a wonderful book this is for anyone diagnosed with ADHD or for anyone who lives with, works with or teaches a child with ADHD! As the friend in the book who first suggested that Blake be taken to a specialist and as a children's librarian I HAD to read the book. I was a little skeptical. Would I just feel it was wonderful simply because Blake's mother, Nadine, has been one of my closest friends since our freshman year at Vassar? This proved not to be true. I would be enthusiastic about the book whether I knew the family or not. I am also the mother of a son with ADHD who is now 27. We have experienced together the roller coaster ride of ADHD with it's highs and lows and the cruelty that is sometimes heaped on children with this "invisible disability" at school and from family and friends who do not understand that ADHD is a reason and not an excuse.

If you are a teen with ADHD or the parent or teacher of a child with ADHD do yourself a favor and read this book. Blake's writing style is sweet and vulnerable. Reading between the lines will both break your heart and give you hope. His descriptions of his parents and his grandparents were so wonderful that I could hear their voices in my mind as I read and had to laugh as it was so easy for me to envision his mother's reactions to some of the things he did. However, Blake's ideas at the end of each chapter are excellent advice and not to be missed. Blake has truly turned his disability into a gift. Read this book and you will undoubtedly agree.

I read this book in about two hours because I couldn't stop reading it!! I have a seven year old son who has ADHD. Blake E.S. Taylor gave me a window into my son's life, my son's emotions, and my son's struggles with ADHD. This is a book that everyone who has ADHD and anyone who knows anyone with ADHD should read. It is an easy read -- the words of a boy who really is aware of his emotions. The only thing that I would have liked to learned more about from Mr. Taylor were his experiences with the medications in relation to his appetite, emotional ups and downs, and other side effects that he might have experienced. The information about the tics was great as my son has been "clearing his throat" (a typical tic seen in ADHDers) for months now and I didn't know it was likely a tic until I read Mr. Taylor's book. Anyway, I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it. Thank you, Kim (California)

This book is marvelous for developing more of an understanding what life is like for ADHD and ADD kids. As I was reading, I had many "AH-HA!" moments. I also like the fact that the author gives practical tips for coping with ADHD. It was touching as a parent, seeing this young man struggle but funny as well. Best of all, I believe it's a book older children can read and find useful. Parents of younger kids can read it with them. It was heartening to see that this young man was successful academically and socially as a young adult. It's a fun read and informative as well, plus it's a nice change from books by the "experts."

This book is written more for the person who has ADHD. I am supportive of this author because I know how hard it must be to complete such a job. I wish I could get my son, who is now an adult with ADHD, to read it. I know he could identify with alot of the problems accociated with this disorder and maybe not feel so alone with it. I'm sure Blake Taylor has a successful road ahead of him and I wish him all the luck.

It was really nice to read something that was written by someone who understands and has experienced everything that goes along with ADHD. It applies more so to teenagers than my son who is 7. Although it was very informative for me as parent to read. Each chapter addresses a certain characteristic of ADHD and ways to cope with it. Definitely recommend if you have a teenager.

I picked up this book and wanted my ADHD son to read it, thinking maybe it could give him some insight. I absolutely love this book! Blake does a great job giving a story, explaining why, and some things to do if someone finds this happening to them. It is an easy to understand and entertaining resource to help understand what someone with ADHD goes through.

I have recommended this book to parents of other ADHD children who have also found hope in Blake's words. My son (a year later) still picks up the book once and a while for tips on how to deal with something specific.

I recommend this book to anyone who has a child with ADHD or even PDD syndrome. Like many others who have placed their comments on this site, I wasn't looking for the medical version of what happens to kids with ADHD, I wanted to find out how a child was feels.

I felt very connected, while reading this and it has given me such an insight, that I finally feel like I can actually help my son. The stories were relatable, the solutions that Blake recommends are practical and age appropriate. The best part, it is written by someone who's been there, and came out the other side a success.