Customer Reviews

Odd One Out: The Maverick's Guide to Adult ADD

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book is clearly written from and for the perspective of an extroverted, upwardly mobile class of people living with adult AD(H)D. For those who have suffered from more than being late to business meetings and having a messy desk, it falls a little short. While the author shows some keen insights on what we commonly deal with, she often speaks and writes as though it manifests in the same way in all people. Spelling errors and murky phrasing suggest that more careful editing was needed, but it gave it an "ADD moments" charm for me.

That said, I expect that any adult with AD(H)D will find validation, helpful suggestions, and an uncommon candor for the BS we often encounter in society. Few others have touched on the intense guilt and shame that often cripple people with AD(H)D to the extent Koretsky has.

I read Odd One Out in two days but got years' worth of good, solid advice, strategies and insights. This is a book that cuts to the chase. Jennifer doesn't spend page after page walking you through various theories, wordy thoughts and ideas; she grabs you and TELLS you what will work by giving you specific tools to help you become a Maverick- someone who embraces their ADHD and moves forward in spite of it.

Throughout the book, she peppers it with her own personal experiences, which immediately gives a feeling of warmth and connection to the reader. The tips and tools work, thus offering a nearly immediate sense of empowerment to the reader.

I especially liked the chapter, "Live Out Loud." Here, she explains what you need to do to live the authentic you and to move forward by embracing rather than fighting your ADHD.

This is a book that will help anyone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, whether it was a month ago or 10 years ago. If you are feeling stuck and unsure as to how to get your life on track, pick up this book, follow her tips and you, too will take charge of your life and begin living it as a warrior.

I will be recommending this one to all of my clients!

Terry Matlen, ACSW
Author, "Survival Tips for Women with ADHD"
Director, ADD Consults
www.addconsults.com

For those with ADD, Jennifer Koretsky offers solutions in "Odd One Out" for living with the challenges of ADD. Embracing simplicity, breaking the cycle of overwhelm and better organization through planning the time to plan are straight forward concepts the reader can put into action immediately for results.

For ADD outsiders, maverick Koretsky offers a glimpse into life within the world of ADD for better understanding and communication. Not exclusive advice for only those with ADD, her principles for simplification for a happier life are good reading for all.

For you Adult ADDers:

A great person-to-person conversation of a book. Get it! Jen Koretsky "gets it" and has really practical insights and advice that go beyond "Driven" and "Delivered". Wanna break out? Wanna get past all the stuff that keeps you from being who you want to be? Get the book. Easy read, low stress, high value. Go on, Add to Cart. You won't regret it!!!

For The Rest Of Us:

"How to Be Happy and Successful By Breaking The Rules..." No, Odd One Out isn't for anarchists. Or even for Counter-Culture Rock 'n Rollers. In this case, Koretsky is talking about the sometimes implied, sometimes imposed rules that folks with ADHD tend to follow and, as a result, limit their personal and professional potential. Know someone who struggles with Adult ADHD? This is a great resource for them. A great gift. Hey, a useful book they'll actually read!!! How can you go wrong?

I was hesitant to buy this book, because it contained the word "Maverick" in the title (and my inner BS meter went off). I was persuaded by the positive reviews however, and one click purchasing all happens so fast...

First: This book is extremely short. It makes use of large font, wide margins, and wide spacing to fill more pages than it should. Additionally, it is padded with a lot of filler to stretch what would be an excellent booklet to a full book.

Second: If you have ADHD- you will probably find several passages in this book that make your heart race- she nails several common experiences and feelings on the head- and it is rewarding to see others have similar challenges.

Third: He whole premise is to be a "Maverick," and I get that she's trying to put positive light on ADHD and encourage people to use it to their advantage instead of seeing it as a handicap- but many of her examples of success are people who couldn't make it in the "real world" and instead became ADHD coaches or pursued some other non-traditional employment. The author herself couldn't hack it at her job and got fired, then became an ADHD coach. For the majority of us that isn't a real solution- we have to maintain real jobs. If the author couldn't find a way to succeed in the 9-5, what effective advice can she offer us?

Finally: Too much of this book is dedicated to fluffery. If you want a fast and light read, with a few good insights- perhaps this book is for you. If you are looking for specific concrete advice and strategies for success, or a deeper understanding of ADHD, keep looking. I would recommend the (extremely lengthy and overly thorough): More Attention, Less Deficit: Success Strategies for Adults with ADHD.

I read this book in one sitting and found it to be very appealing yet simple and to the point. Jennifer has a way of clearly communicating the symptoms while encouraging useful solutions. Along the way she clearly identifies the obstacles that often contribute to ADHDers accomplishing goals. I liked her style and straight forward approach with little nonsense.

Odd One Out: The Maverick's Guide to Adult ADD
Absolutely the best book I have read on dealing with Adult Add and all the ups and downs and little perks we all have. Jennifer gave me great hope and encouragement for the future in all ways...I would highly highly recommend this book to others struggling with this disorder...

I loved this book. It has so many suggestions that don't follow the regular mold of "use a calendar, make to do lists..." I liked the author's original take on ADD and have found it very helpful.

I'm what I guess could be called an "expert volunteer" on behalf of ADHD awareness and management. This book speaks to me. For adults with ADHD Jennifer Koretsky offers real-world tools for getting on with our lives and leaving behind the negatives of being and "ADDer". Since we can't get rid of it we may as well learn to love it! Koretsky show us how.

This review refers to the Kindle Edition of Odd One Out.

I actually can't say anything about this book without commenting on the unbelievably atrocious job of converting the book to Kindle format. It seems to have been done by some kind of untested software with no human intervention, and certainly no human proofing. There are constant errors in spellng, caPitalizatiOn, spa cing, wordsrunningtogether, and all sorts of others all of which made this edition at times incomprehensible and generally almost unreadable. I couldn't help wondering if this was just an ADD/ADHD thing, and the author was so excited about getting this one published that she simply forgot to finish. I know I've been guilty of this.

That said, Odd One Out is not a bad book but it suffers a bit too much from the fact that the book's author has ADD/ADHD and seems to lack an editor who doesn't. This means that the book had an incoherent jumping around quality to it that left me unsure of what I had just read and where I might be going. No part of the book ever felt complete.

The author does offers a number of useful suggestions, perhaps the best are two big ones: Set your personal expectation levels appropriately based on a solid understanding of your real abilities, and stop being either ashamed or embarrassed because your brain is wired differently. I'm always on the side of any author who takes the position that this is ADD/ADHD is not a deficit but a difference. The book's Live Out Loud is a nice idea, and a good mantra for someone to grab hold of.

The time management stuff is okay, and the idea that prioritization is paramount is useful, but she stops short of telling us what to do about it. She tells us that to-do lists are essential but fails to mention tips on the best way to use them (which, by the way, is not the same way other people do.

I've read almost every ADD/ADHD book out there (it's one of my own coping mechanisms) and there are others I'd read before this one. That said, if you had an hour or two to spare, this one, because of it's unique style, might appeal to you in just the right way and offer some help.