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Reviews tagging 'Fatphobia'
Taking Charge of Adult ADHD: Proven Strategies to Succeed at Work, at Home, and in Relationships by Russell A. Barkley
3 reviews
samarakroeger's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
2.0
this would have been much more helpful to me within the first year of being diagnosed (at age 17, which was 7 years ago now). As of now, I didn’t need to hear about the diagnostic criteria, ways ADHD might be hindering my life (I know already…), or why medication might improve my symptoms (it does). However, before I was able to even accept that I really did have ADHD (and that it was not my personal failing), this may have been much more helpful.
I would still recommend this to adults (especially cis men with impulsivity problems, lol) who are potentially seeking a diagnosis or are newly diagnosed, those who are curious about ADHD, and for those who want to learn how to better accommodate people with ADHD. That said, I think there are better resources out there (i.e. How to ADHD on youtube, which Barkley does mention a few times. Jessica is hopeful and way more approachable and accessible than Barkley). However, I do not fit those categories despite being an adult with ADHD.
I also think that the author’s tone veered into condescension more times than could remotely be deemed necessary, especially when addressing a group of people who have probably spent a good chunk of their lives already feeling othered and/or different. He also seems to have a fat phobic viewpoint, especially when discussing the benefits of stimulants. Again, this is not helpful.
Barkley presents ADHD as almost exclusively the hyperactive (male) type, which anyone who isn’t a cis het white man probably doesn’t need to hear about more. Personally, I check every single box on the inattentive type list and next to none of the hyperactive one. The majority of those diagnosed as adults, regardless of race or gender, also probably have majority inattentive or combined type, because hyperactivity is seen as ~disruptive to others~ and thus something that needs immediate attention. He doesn’t address one of the main problems in ADHD research — that the diagnostic criteria is based off of young (disruptive) boys! The fact that a respected researcher in the field perpetuates the most common stereotype about ADHD is NOT HELPFUL.
I have a deep hatred of the self-help genre. However, I actually think that the self-helpy tips in here are by far the most useful aspect. So much of the self-help out there is incredibly useless and invalidating to neurodivergent people, and the incessant focus on productivity at all costs is not doing us any favors. Many undiagnosed ND folks get sucked into the self-help trap, where the tips don’t work for them and they blame themselves for being failures, leading to potentially more useless self-help advice. The steps in here are fairly ADHD friendly (as they freaking should be), but fall into the somewhat generic category.
Finally, I don’t think this book translated well into audiobook format. It constantly references different chapter and section numbers, which is great in a physical book where you might only read the relevant chapters, but is not helpful without a visual reminder of what was covered there. Also, the reading aloud of CHARTS (which typically rely on visual organization…) and URLS could have been relegated to a PDF appendix. There were anecdotes read like the author had experienced them, without saying who it was from. The narrator read in a dry tone and was very slow. That’s not the most engaging for someone with ADHD. I was left wishing that I could speed Libby up past 3x, but alas, that is the fastest available.
I would still recommend this to adults (especially cis men with impulsivity problems, lol) who are potentially seeking a diagnosis or are newly diagnosed, those who are curious about ADHD, and for those who want to learn how to better accommodate people with ADHD. That said, I think there are better resources out there (i.e. How to ADHD on youtube, which Barkley does mention a few times. Jessica is hopeful and way more approachable and accessible than Barkley). However, I do not fit those categories despite being an adult with ADHD.
I also think that the author’s tone veered into condescension more times than could remotely be deemed necessary, especially when addressing a group of people who have probably spent a good chunk of their lives already feeling othered and/or different. He also seems to have a fat phobic viewpoint, especially when discussing the benefits of stimulants. Again, this is not helpful.
Barkley presents ADHD as almost exclusively the hyperactive (male) type, which anyone who isn’t a cis het white man probably doesn’t need to hear about more. Personally, I check every single box on the inattentive type list and next to none of the hyperactive one. The majority of those diagnosed as adults, regardless of race or gender, also probably have majority inattentive or combined type, because hyperactivity is seen as ~disruptive to others~ and thus something that needs immediate attention. He doesn’t address one of the main problems in ADHD research — that the diagnostic criteria is based off of young (disruptive) boys! The fact that a respected researcher in the field perpetuates the most common stereotype about ADHD is NOT HELPFUL.
I have a deep hatred of the self-help genre. However, I actually think that the self-helpy tips in here are by far the most useful aspect. So much of the self-help out there is incredibly useless and invalidating to neurodivergent people, and the incessant focus on productivity at all costs is not doing us any favors. Many undiagnosed ND folks get sucked into the self-help trap, where the tips don’t work for them and they blame themselves for being failures, leading to potentially more useless self-help advice. The steps in here are fairly ADHD friendly (as they freaking should be), but fall into the somewhat generic category.
Finally, I don’t think this book translated well into audiobook format. It constantly references different chapter and section numbers, which is great in a physical book where you might only read the relevant chapters, but is not helpful without a visual reminder of what was covered there. Also, the reading aloud of CHARTS (which typically rely on visual organization…) and URLS could have been relegated to a PDF appendix. There were anecdotes read like the author had experienced them, without saying who it was from. The narrator read in a dry tone and was very slow. That’s not the most engaging for someone with ADHD. I was left wishing that I could speed Libby up past 3x, but alas, that is the fastest available.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism and Fatphobia
adrizeuza's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
3.25
The content is as factual as it can get and the narration is good, although in some sections it becomes a bit tedious. However, for someone who has previously consumed other resources about ADHD it is not groundbreaking. Also, the author has many biases (namely, fatphobia) and views ADHD as a hinderance that we have to fight agianst so we can better fit in. I am currently more interested in liberation perspectives that problematize this assumption of neurodivergents having to adapt to society without demanding that society becomes less ableist. Also he inserts pretty outdated jokes that just made me cringe
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia
babajana's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Fatphobia
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