Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Unmasking Autism: The Power of Embracing Our Hidden Neurodiversity by Devon Price

27 reviews

jcinf's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

5.0

As much as I wanted to breeze through this, I had to take my time to fully digest everything the author said. 

So many good, actionable “worksheets”/charts in here. I left them blank so I can go back to them and take my time filling them out. 

The author’s recognition of multiply marginalized people and not applying blanket advice to unmask was good to see. And just acknowledging that it’s not always safe to unmask is great. Nuance makes me so happy. 

Also with nuance: the awareness of getting a professional diagnosis and how it can be helpful or harmful, I love. 

And the recognition of the value of self-diagnosing — or as the author says “self-realizing” made me feel seen. 

One pet peeve: he called an individual Autistic person “neurodiverse” — instead of “neurodivergent.” One person cannot be neurodiverse. 

Neurodiverse is a term that describes the diversity of neurotypes. Aka: a group of people. 

Neurodivergent is a term that describes an individual who diverges from dominant societal norms. 

All trigger warnings are mentioned but do not go into descriptive detail. They’re merely mentioned to create a well-rounded discussion on the intersecting “issues” surrounding Autism. 

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Extended review:
Favorite quotes below. They’re long, but I like to write them down. 

“I absorbed the idea, common to many “gifted” children, that a person’s intellectual potential belongs to society, not to themselves, and that they owe the world greatness to justify their oddness.”

“Neurotypical brains engage in sensory adaptation and habituation; the longer they are in the presence of a sound, smell, texture, or visual cue, the more their brain learns to ignore it, and allow it to fade into the background. Their neurons become less likely to be activated by a cue the longer they are around it. The exact opposite is true for Autistic people: the longer we are around a stimulus, the more it bothers us.”

“You cannot craft a comfortable or worthwhile life if you don’t know who you really are, or if your self-image is shaped entirely by rules imposed upon you by other people. Thankfully, it is possible to step away from defining yourself by the approval of other people, and by your adherence to society’s rules.” 

“‘It’s neurotypical who categorized autism as a social disorder.’ Autistic people don’t lack communication skills, or a drive to connect. We aren’t doomed to forever feel lonely and broken. We can step out of the soul-crushing cycle of reaching for neurotypical acceptance and being reject despite our best efforts. Instead, we can support and uplift one another, and create our own neurodiverse world where everyone — including neurotypicals — is welcome.”

“We all deserve to take a step back and ask whether our lives line up with our values, whether the work we do and the face we show to others reflects our genuine self, and if not, what we might want to change.
When we accept individuals as they are, instead of warring with their unique needs and challenges, life can move at a more relaxed, accepting pace. A world that allows all Autistics to safely unmask is a world where anyone with strange interests, passionate emotions, environmental sensitivities, social quirks, or other differences is still seen as worthy and whole.”

“The opposite of alienation is integration. The psychological sense of connection and wholeness people whose identities are integrated can see a through line, connecting the many selves they have been across various times and places.”

“Stepping back and taking a look at my key memories and core values, I can see that I’m a dynamic powerful clearheaded person… I’m so different from the inept, powerless, clueless, needy, figure that I have always worried people might see me as I’m also nothing like the frigid passive intellectual, I’ve often masked myself as.”

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Content Warnings

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

michaelion's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative tense medium-paced

4.5

I didn't read this book. Page after page after page, this book read me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism and Grief

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Gaslighting, and Classism

waybeyondblue's review against another edition

hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism

Moderate: Addiction, Eating disorder, Transphobia, Outing, and Gaslighting

Minor: Alcoholism

spacekee's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Addiction, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Police brutality, and Medical trauma

nat_montego's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Transphobia, and Alcohol

ryyyaaan's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book is wonderful. To any autistic person or anyone with friends, family members, or loved ones who are autistic, you should read this. I feel so seen. I feel like I understand myself and my disability better. I feel more okay with myself.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Mental illness, Sexism, and Classism

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Dysphoria, and Classism

zosiablue's review against another edition

hopeful informative medium-paced

4.0

I read this because a friend suggested I might recognize myself and I did. While I don't need to lean into another diagnosis, I felt seen by many of these autistic/neurodivergent traits (especially as a kid), and also disabused of what autism is typically depicted as (white, male, middle class, nerdy). Mostly, whether it's autism or anxiety or what, this helped me pay attention to how I mask in the world, the ways I've adapted so I seem quirky but not off putting, bubbly but not annoying, and self-preserved but not too distant. I wonder what it would look like if I stopped the balancing act? Would I have more energy? Would I feel less cognitive dissonance? This is a good book to help you figure that out. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism

Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, and Eating disorder

kjoli's review against another edition

challenging informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria

charlinem's review against another edition

hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism

Minor: Addiction, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

returningb00kworm's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Racism, and Self harm