Customer Reviews

View from the Cliff: A Course in Achieving Daily Focus

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is an excellent book; the structure basically consists of three part scenarios. A scenario is presented wherein an ADD person performs an act "outside the socially/cognitively/emotionally acceptable box; this is followed by a "mock" internal appraisal (usually a self-denigrating put-down by the individual); then an explanation of why the ADD mind responds to his/her unique response negatively; and finally a step-by-step cognitive/behavioral approach to thinking about the event in a more affirming context. Issues include disordered lifestyles, environments, impulsive acts, overidentification with suffering and injustice, etc. This stuff works! And it's written in a style that is neither too pedestrian that a discerning reader would be turned off nor in the often fulsomely upbeat manner along the lines of "Wow, I'm so lucky I have ADD!" ONE bit of ADVICE, however. This book should NOT be read as an introduction to ADD behavior. It should be read after you've read some of the basic popular books like Hallowell and others. Lynn Weiss, a psychologist who has ADD, is assuming you come to the book with a fairly broad understanding of the issues confronting people with ADD-behavior. That is reasonable, although it would have been nice if she had mentioned it.

I, too, was offput by the cover, but once I opened it and read the Table of Contents, I spent the next two hours locked in my room highlighting text and tabbing pages for quick reference.
I absolutely love the way the chapters are formatted. As Weiss points out, ADD people - or so we're labelled by society - are big-picture, bottom-line people. She wastes no time getting to the point. Each chapter is bulleted as: Here's the problem; here's why; here's what TO do; what NOT to do; challenges you might face while attempting this. Perfect.
She also notes in the introduction that each reader is designed differently, and in putting the book together she realizes that no one is going to identify with ALL of the troubles she seeks to address. She recommends that each person use the book as s/he needs and not get hung up on anything there that might seem another label or that might not fit the individual. Actually, the introduction is one of the best parts of the book - it deals the most inclusively with the psychology of ADD; the rest deals with tools to handle it day-to-day.

Many adult ADD self-help books claim the "you're not damaged, you're just different" philosophy -- and then proceed to prescribe ways to "fix your problem" with conventional time management and organizing methods. Fortunately, Weiss's approach is more creative, constructive, and strengthening. The author's tone reflects an acceptance of what's generally pathologized and "handled" as a limiting or disabling condition. Noting both strengths and challenges, Weiss succinctly covers many different areas affected by adult ADD, also acknowledging some of the underlying personality issues and emotional aspects. These plusses more than outweigh the inevitable and relatively innocuous happy-talk/pop-psych quotient. I was diagnosed last year, and have taken a great deal of useful support from the book.

I read this book after being diagnosed with ADD at the age of 52, and I feel like I have been given wings and set free. With the understanding of what ADD is and is not that this book provides, I can look at myself and my life with more compassion. I can understand and sympathize with the little girl who day-dreamed her way through grade school and the teen who felt totally ostracized from others. Even though I knew I was a smart kid, I know now why I had to work three times as hard as others to get through college, and I understand the bosses who fired or refused to promote a ditzy person who managed to screwed up even the simplest of repetetive tasks. I can even understand the failed and inappropriate relationships that have plagued me my entire adult life.
With the knowledge of what ADD is and the understanding of its impacts, I have been able to successfully modify my job to be one which can capitalize on my strengths instead of floundering on my ineptnesses. For the first time ever I actually LIKE my job instead of being bored to tears by it, and I am able to do it well enough to have received a promotion.

My continuous struggles and frequent failures at things I knew I was smart enough to do I can now see in a different light and can forgive myself. This book has changed my life.

There may be some useful information in this book, but the writing style and design are so off-putting that I don't have the patience to dig it out.

First off, the subtitle "course in achieving daily focus" implies that one chapter will build on another. This is not the case.

In stories used to illustrate a point, the author uses "you" rather than a third person. I felt as if the author was presuming too much about me, and it put me on the defensive. Lay out an example, and let me decide whether it pertains to me.

The book is peppered with long, convoluted phrases such as, "difficult for those people with a large number of analog processing attributes." What the heck is that supposed to mean?

In the "what to do" sections, instructions are given only in paragraphs. There are no one-line summaries in bold type, no sidebars. The text just all runs together, making it hard to pick out the main points.

Instructions are labeled numerically, as if they are separate ideas to consider and not a hierarchy. In fact, #1 is always a very general statement that is fleshed out under the other numbers. Before I realized this, I found myself getting very frustrated with statements like "Learn how to express your friendliness while taking another person's preference into account." I kept thinking, yes, but how? I finally realized that the following numbered paragraphs will suggest the how.

Another problem is that there are no references to books, websites or organizations that might help in carrying out some of the suggestions. At one point the author suggests learning pain management techniques, with absolutely no clue about where to learn about them.

Finally, there is no index.

If you primarily need help with time management and organization, I would highly recommend ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life (by Kolberg and Nadeau) or Organizing for the Creative Person (by Lehmkuhl and Lamping).

This 278 page paperback book by Lynn Weiss Ph.D. is essentially a field guide for adults with ADHD, but without pushing the ADHD part. Dr. Weiss who is one of adult ADHD's pioneering authors and a champion of the brain diversity model of ADHD has done a solid job of presenting her arguments and strategies in this book. The first portion of the book looks at the emotional consequences of growing up with this specific type of brain wiring (ADHD) and suggests several strategies for undoing damage to self-esteem and identity.

The rest of this book focuses on a wide variety of essential life skills and is definitely geared towards adults who are suffering from ADHD related difficulties such as organizing, time management, and financial skills to name but a few. The Strategies Sections have been well organized and broken down into five main topic areas; Organizing in New Ways, Following through to Success, Behaving Yourself, Using and Protecting Your Sensitivity, and Succeeding at Work.

Although I do not completely share the author's views, I have found this book to be extremely valuable, both personally and with clients. The breadth of the book is outstanding in that it covers such a wide range of topics, and they are extremely easy to locate and understand. The book is laid out in a way that allows readers to flip through it and pick out whatever topic is of importance or interest. For example, if you are experiencing issues around clutter you can just pick up the book, open it and go to the section that tells you how to deal with clutter. As is always the case the book is certainly not a panacea, but it will help jumpstart the reader's ability to better manage their negative symptoms, as well as build on their strengths.

In terms of presentation and lay out the author has done a very good job, the pages are all two columned with well bolded and italicized portions, and there is also ample room for note taking in the margins.

This book definitely makes my top 10 list of adult ADHD books and is an essential part of any well stocked adult ADHD library.

In terms of criticisms I only have one and it is that there is no index in the book, which is an oversight I just do not understand. Though the book is well laid out and has a well developed table of contents indexes are still vital, because they help individuals who have a hard time making their way through entire books, allowing them to hone

This was as very insightful book. It helped me to understand just how my brain works. It was as if it were written about me. It was enlightening. This book does not make a person with ADD feel deficient in anyway. It points out the strengths and weaknesses and how to harness them. The suggestions were very helpful and easy to follow. I intend to read it again just to help keep me on track.

This is actually a very good book for ADHD, but needs a better introduction to explain how to use it. It also isn't for the 'neuotypical' who reads things beginning to end.

Dr. Weiss, for all her patience, understanding and compassion needs to have someone explain to her that medication is not the antichrist. Taking meds doesn't mean you're 'giving in', or handing yourself over to the majority brainwiring. It's like wearing glasses (borrowed from Dr. Holliwell (sp?) who could use some of this explained to him as well). She also needs to know that most people don't experience ADHD as a gift, and it doesn't make people who experience it more special, artistic, creative or better than anybody else. She seems to feel that because people have ADHD and feel the world differently, that means that our way is somehow better or more meaningful. It isn't. It's just different, and a lot of adults and children will get along much better once they accept that. Along with this book, I recommend any number of books that talk about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT). These can supplament this book in helping people accept the world and themselves, so the process of maturing can be assisted along; seeing as maturing is something everybody needs and ADHD goes double. You're NOT special for experiencing ADHD, just different, like everybody else.

I've been researching ADD for over a year now and was in need of some practical suggestions to cope...and found it in this book...written in a down-to-earth, amusing manner, it is one of the best books I've run across for help in a while. I recommend it.

I have to admit I was somewhat turned off by the cover and title of this book. I thought it was going to be hard to read. I was very mistaken though. The book is set up so that somebody who has ADD can easily follow along. There are some great suggestions for just about every ADD related problem there is. I highly reccomend reading this book.