17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jumping Invisible Hurdles, January 12, 2000
SMART BUT STUCK
What if Horatio Alger had been a dyslexic?
Sure, he's only a fictional character, but his bootstrap mentality and "work hard and you'll succeed" ethics have become what America believes is reality. If he had been a real American, there would have been a one-in-five chance that he would have had some type of learning disability. If he had, his handiwork in certain areas would have only been met with frustration, shame, and the "chasm".
Dr. Myrna Orenstein, in her book "Smart but Stuck", challenges the American myth that a person's strengths and weaknesses are determined solely by intelligence, motivation, and hard work. Orenstein has learned from her own experience and the experiences of others that many extremely intelligent people are unable to learn conventionally in certain areas.
Through the stories of twenty very different and very bright Americans who grew up with undiagnosed learning disabilities (ULD), she explores the painful and trying emotional journey these individuals were forced to go on in order to come to terms with themselves and their learning disorders.
Dr. Orenstein's book compelled me to go down a difficult, but in the end wonderful, road of self-discovery. I have always been a slow reader - not to the point of being diagnosed with a learning disability, where most weekends of college have been spent solely in the library. It frustrated me to no end. Was I not trying hard enough? Could I be tugging those bootstraps a little higher? Was I just plain stupid? Who could explain why I excelled in things such as writing, painting, problem solving, and math and yet read as slow as the children I babysat for?
The first important thing Orenstein's book gave me was the realization that I was not alone. I unquestionably saw myself (my experience and emotions) within the stories and voices of her twenty case studies. The second invaluable thing I learned was that I wasn't going to be able to get rid of my slight disability, but that it was nothing that I should be ashamed of. My slow reading was a weakness within me that I was going to have to accept and learn to effectively live with. Myrna Orenstein's book inspired me to search for new ways to compensate for my reading speed.
SMART BUT STUCK invigorated me to use the people around me and my strength in creative problem solving to find solutions to compensate for my weakness.
In SMART BUT STUCK, Orenstein provides a powerful portrait of the emotional journey undergone by many American adults who have grown up with undiagnosed learning disabilities. Her book illustrates that if a person approaches their learning disability with the right attitude and the necessary support, they can learn to effectively live with it so that it in no way imprisons their intelligence, strength, and success.
Through the powerful accounts of real Americans, Orenstein makes it clear that it is possible to expand America's traditional myth of the path to success. Her book shows that, as both a culture and as individuals, we must be open at certain times to creatively approach conventional learning in order to compensate for learning disabilities. SMART BUT STUCK combines an approach that I appreciate with an in-depth manual for professionals, including therapists, counselors, and educators, to use when measuring the impact of undiagnosed learning disabilities on their clients and students.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Learning About Learning, August 15, 2000
I picked up Myrna Orenstein's book knowing little about LD and nothing about undiagnosed learning disabilities (ULD). Her clear and personal writing style makes it easy for the average reader to understand some of the struggles people with ULD face.
The book becomes increasingly meaningful as Orenstein calls for better methods for teachers to identify children having academic trouble, and to give a second thought to the class clown or the disorganized and constantly late student. Orenstein's message is supported further throughout the book, as she urges parents, teachers and therapists to work together; to recognize that this disability is attatched to developmental issues inside AND outside of learning in the classroom. Attention is called to bridge the gap between LD specialists and psychotherapists, so that these smarter-than-average children can reach their potential.
Her personal experiences, reseach, and writing introduce the everyday reader to the world where people are wrongly labeled "lazy," or "unmotivated." Her focus on adults and ULD gives insight for LD specialists, therapists, and, like myself, the average reader.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
facing the chasm, August 7, 2000
By A Customer
For several years I have been searching for information related to my personal experience with LD. There are many excellent books that have helped me understand and cope with a diagnosis that came unexpectedly into my life when I was in my 40's.
I discovered "Smart but Stuck" quite by accident as I searched a database of doctoral dissertations. When I called to find out how I could get a copy of a dissertation about adult diagnosed LD, I was told it had recently been published. Immediately I came to Amazon and ordered a copy for myself.
Dr. Orenstein's book gave me an understanding that is fundamental to anyone trying to put all the pieces of their personal LD puzzle together.
Her concept of the "chasm" is an essential building block for LD's trying to understand their disability in the long view. We all cope with self-defining events from our childhood. Often these events have been pushed into the recesses of the subconscious mind because they are unpleasant reminders of how we were seen by peers and adults whose subtle and not so subtle negative reactions permanently altered our self images.
"Smart but Stuck" has had a liberating effect on me. I deal with the obvious issues related to my LD every day. Using this book, I have begun to go back and reaccess my experiences as a student in a more positive way.
I would recommend this book to anyone with LD at any age or stage of their diagnosis and treatment. While it is specifically related to adults, it will add another dimension at any stage of the LD learning process.
Dr. Orenstein's book should be required reading for parents and counselors as they seek to understand and support someone with LD.
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