The Pretenders: Gifted People Who Have Difficulty Learning [Hardcover]

Barbara P. Guyer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0965374416 | ISBN-13: 978-0965374415 | Publication Date: February 1, 1997 | Edition: 1st

An estimated 25 million Americans struggle with learning disabilities. The Pretenders tells the stories of eight adults who have achieved success in their careers and in their daily lives by overcoming the incredible obstacles created by learning disabilities such as dyslexia and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These profiles of intelligent, determined adults who have grown up unable to learn as easily as their peers are inspirational, engaging, and informative. The shame and heartache they experienced through having learning differences that no one understood will move and enlighten you. The Pretenders is a unique book in that it addresses the question of what happens to these people once they've grown up.

Editorial Reviews

From Scientific American

Positive, upbeat, written in plain English, The Pretenders creates a new glimmer of hope for all who are concerned about the declining effectiveness of our schools. With insight, sensitivity, and the wisdom gathered through unusually thorough training and years of classroom experience, Dr. Guyer gives clear explanations of why some of our current educational practices are perpetuating the very problems they are intended to solve. Her suggestions offer a new perspective on teaching techniques and classroom management. There is no question that the secrets she shares can lead all learners to a dramatically increased level of achievement.

Barbara Guyer is the master of straightforward solutions carried out with elegant simplicity. Readers will find a refreshing new approach to problem-solving as well as a vast array of specific, practical ideas for helping students resolve the difficulties that prevent them from succeeding in today's schools. Those committed to helping the functionally illiterate, non-readers, and poor readers will find encouragement and inspiration on every page.

Review

The Pretenders conveys a deep understanding of the challenges of dyslexia and other learning disabilities. Family members, friends, and especially teachers will find this book enlightening and rewarding. -- Gaston Caperton, Governor of West Virginia

The Pretenders will offer inspiration and hope for students starting down this difficult path toward growth and success. It will also help parents, educators, and health and mental health professionals to understand the emotional pain and academic struggles caused by unrecognized learning disabilities. -- Larry B. Silver, M.D., Director of Training in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Georgetown University

Barbara Guyer is one of the truly special people in the world, and this is an equally special book. The Pretenders conveys a telling lesson about the need to deal with special children with greater creativity and sensitivity. This is an important book for all those who love or care about children with special needs and abilities. -- Robert E. Shepherd Jr., Professor of Law, University of Richmond Law School

The stories [in The Pretenders] tug emotional heartstrings. They make us joyful that these persevering young people are successful, but sad for the many who are not recognized, told they have no learning disabilities or ADHD, and that all they need to do is try harder or get their act together. (The knowledge of the author, and her warmth, are reflected in the writing.) As readers, we wish we could study with her, have our young or adult children work with her, or in some way have her wisdom rub off on us. -- Regina Cicci, Ph.D., reviewed in Perspectives, the magazine of The Orton Dyslexia Society

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 197 pages
• Publisher: High Tide Press; 1st edition (February 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965374416
• ISBN-13: 978-0965374415
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,363,713 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Encouraging series of vignettes for those with ADD and LD., May 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Pretenders: Gifted People Who Have Difficulty Learning (Hardcover)

This excellent book is a must for those with family members suffering from ADD and LD problems. Such readers will recognize a thread in common with the adult "pretenders" whose stories the author artfully presents. Each vignette recounts a heroic struggle to succeed against imposing odds. A good read!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life inside the world of learning disabilities., April 11, 2003

By 

Rocco B. Rubino "Rocco R." (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pretenders: Gifted People Who Have Difficulty Learning (Paperback)

This book "hooked" me at chapter one when the author recounts her story about how she got into the field. After you read the first chapter, you get the impression that once you enter the world of LD, you have entered the region of the damned, regardless of whether or not you are a student w/the diagnosis, a parent, or a teacher. LD carries a "stigma" that is akin to having the mark-of-the-beast, in some circles. Students are treated like second class citizens, or as if they were going to school in a third world dictatorship, parents are dissed and disregarded, the teachers never get the materials, respect from admin. or peers, and the administrative support they need to make sure these dear children have a decent shot at success.

The Pretenders will open your eyes into this little understood world. At times, it may even make you cry as you reflect upon the pain that students and parents (and adults w/LD) have to endure on a daily basis.