Customer Reviews

Beyond ADD: Hunting for Reasons in the Past and Present

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

So many books look at ADD as a "problem" that must be diagnosed and dealt with. Thom Hartmann looks at ADD another way, a way that makes a lot of sense! This book is a MUST read for anyone who has ADD or anyone who knows someone with ADD and wants to understand. The Hunter/Farmer explanation puts it all into perspective. I am an adult with ADD, and the parent of a child with ADD. I often use Hartmann's theory when explaining ADD to other people. It is positive and empowering.

Far be it for me to even read a book. At 41, I started and run a public company. My 10 year old son was diagnosed with ADHD at age 4. This book not only helped me understand my son, it helped me understand myself. The result, I finally understood a logical explanation on why I thought I was different for so many years, and my son and I have never been closer. The challenges and the theories found in the book are incredible. I felt I was reading an explanation of how I think and act (or react). I wasn't looking for something to believe in, or to justify certain behaviors. However, almost every sentence drew me closer to the edge of my chair - just to see how my son and I operate. Thank you Dr. Hartmann!

This book does a great job of explaining the symptoms of ADD.

The explanations are detailed, well written and easy to read. Recommend this book for anyone, if they want to really understand ADD.

This book has a special ability to make a non-ADD person empathize with the behavioral aspects of an ADD person.

Gives various reasons for ADD, some traditional and some not as traditional. Very helpful to the self-image of people with ADD and clarifies that society is part of the problem. Some key points include;

1) Education is conditioning and is particularly hostile to children with ADD.

2) ADD is now an industry with victimization and illness now fashionable.

3) The industrialized world provides an environment particularly challenging for people with ADD for reasons such as lack of exercise, lack of exposure to sunlight and too much television.

This review appeared in the Annotated Bibliography of Learning A Living, A Guide to Planning Your Career and Finding A Job for People with Learning Disabilities, Attention Deficit Disorder and Dyslexia

This book really drills deep into the topic of ADD - why we're seeing it, what it is, why so many diagnoses, what can be done. Very impressive depth.

Excellent introduction to the topic of ADD. Hartmann sets forth in a highly accessible and concise manner many possible causal factors (i.e., genetics, social adaptation, nutrition, toxic environment) leading to ADD and ADHD. Hartmann also cites possible aggravating factors or factors which may not necessarily cause ADD but which may make the condition worse for those who suffer from it; the possible aggravating factors include lack of sufficient sunlight, lack of exercise and excessive exposure to television.

I applaud Hartmann's willingness and desire to advocate in favor of child-centered education which takes into account how each individual child learns and processes information. In this regard, Hartmann is keen on shifting education to meet the child's style of learning rather than labeling a child "ADD/ADHD" because the child does not conform to a rigid or prescribed method of instruction. He points out that children as well as adults have a need to be challenged but not to the point that are completely frustrated. Accordingly, a reasonable level of challenge will stimulate an interest in learning and in participating in academics.

Hartmann does not believe ADD/ADHD is necessarily "bad." Instead, he emphasizes the idea that supposedly high levels of distractibility and impulsivity---characteristics associated with ADD---may also be beneficial in a highly dynamic environment so perhaps the ADD individual so should seek academic and work situations that capitalize on these characteristics.

Ultimately, Hartmann shares with the reader what he terms as "nourishing food for thought" on the subject showing not only his knowledge and insights about the matter but also his sheer fascination with it. I highly recommend this book, especially to someone who is relatively new to the subject matter.