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Here's to Not Catching Our Hair on Fire: An Absent-Minded Tale of Life with Giftedness and Attention Deficit - Oh Look! A Chicken!
Did you know that if you forget to pay a speeding ticket you WILL get arrested—in front of your kids, the neighbors—the dog—and anyone else who happens to be there? And if someone tells you to give Bob Dole a lap dance you shouldn’t listen because you WILL get in trouble?
These and other nuggets of wisdom are imparted to offer those suffering from ADHD some hope in knowing that they are not alone. A hysterical romp through a life so convoluted and chaotic you know it has to be true, Stacey Turis’s debut gives a voice to the genius yet tormented souls suffering from giftedness, ADHD, or a combination of both (a condition known as twice-exceptional).
Chronicling her life journey from a state of self-loathing to one of self-acceptance, the stories flow timelessly, incorporating the resulting lessons and reflections gleaned from each adventure. Including both the tragic details of a horrifically abusive time in her childhood to comic adventures such as deciding to dye her hair plum the day before an important presentation only to have it turn out purple, her life has never suffered from a dull moment. And though she often thought Karma was the reason she found herself in so many “pickles,” a friend explained that when you put yourself out in the world more than anyone else, it’s really just a matter of statistics. Lucky for Turis and the rest of us, she’s put herself out there again to allow us all to look at life through her pair of less-struggle-more-sass glasses.
With over three hundred million people suffering from ADHD worldwide and experiencing many of the same debilitating symptoms, Turis’s goal is to share her experiences so others can rid themselves of the shame of hiding their behavior. A rip-roaring and bracingly honest look at a twice-exceptional life, Here’s to Not Catching Our Hair on Fire: An Absent-Minded Tale of Life with Giftedness and Attention Deficit—Oh Look! A Chicken! is a rollicking depiction of a life that seems to be constantly going off the rails.
These and other nuggets of wisdom are imparted to offer those suffering from ADHD some hope in knowing that they are not alone. A hysterical romp through a life so convoluted and chaotic you know it has to be true, Stacey Turis’s debut gives a voice to the genius yet tormented souls suffering from giftedness, ADHD, or a combination of both (a condition known as twice-exceptional).
Chronicling her life journey from a state of self-loathing to one of self-acceptance, the stories flow timelessly, incorporating the resulting lessons and reflections gleaned from each adventure. Including both the tragic details of a horrifically abusive time in her childhood to comic adventures such as deciding to dye her hair plum the day before an important presentation only to have it turn out purple, her life has never suffered from a dull moment. And though she often thought Karma was the reason she found herself in so many “pickles,” a friend explained that when you put yourself out in the world more than anyone else, it’s really just a matter of statistics. Lucky for Turis and the rest of us, she’s put herself out there again to allow us all to look at life through her pair of less-struggle-more-sass glasses.
With over three hundred million people suffering from ADHD worldwide and experiencing many of the same debilitating symptoms, Turis’s goal is to share her experiences so others can rid themselves of the shame of hiding their behavior. A rip-roaring and bracingly honest look at a twice-exceptional life, Here’s to Not Catching Our Hair on Fire: An Absent-Minded Tale of Life with Giftedness and Attention Deficit—Oh Look! A Chicken! is a rollicking depiction of a life that seems to be constantly going off the rails.
230 pages, Paperback
First published January 11, 2011
99 people are currently reading
1149 people want to read
About the author
Stacey Turis
1 book19 followersAs an adult living with ADHD and Giftedness, Stacey's an expert on being weird. After thirty-five years of daily battle with her quirks, she finally decided it was time to hug it out and accept her differences for a more peaceful existence. Stacey has successfully learned to view the world of AD(H)D and Giftedness through her "special eyes" and maneuver through life accordingly. She no longer feels like offing herself on a daily basis, and realizes that both gifts allow her a magical perspective on life that comes from intimately engaging with the universe in ways that don't meet the eyes and can't be explained. She considers that a good thing.
Stacey Turis is an adult living with ADHD and giftedness who earned her degree in broadcast journalism from Wichita State University. She co-produced and hosted a TV show for a FOX affiliate before pursuing a career in advertising, then graphic design, then market research, then photography, then IT, then acting, then...
In 2006, she became certified to teach Yoga but didn't, then founded pawsforpeace.com, an online, holistic pet-health site, with an iPhone app called Dr. Shawn's Natural Pet Therapies to match. In 2010, she developed a course to teach families how to live more natural lifestyles, which she taught for about a month. She then started a Facebook page called ADHD - Tales of an Absent-Minded Superhero, for wacky folks like herself. That is still exciting enough to hold her interest.
She has, through the years, unsuccessfully started twenty-seven businesses but can't remember most of them. She loves speaking to groups of the same kind of wacky folks, where she's not afraid to stop mid-speech and ask, "What was I talking about?" She lives in Texas with her husband, two kids, a dog, three cats, and eight goldfish.
Stacey Turis is an adult living with ADHD and giftedness who earned her degree in broadcast journalism from Wichita State University. She co-produced and hosted a TV show for a FOX affiliate before pursuing a career in advertising, then graphic design, then market research, then photography, then IT, then acting, then...
In 2006, she became certified to teach Yoga but didn't, then founded pawsforpeace.com, an online, holistic pet-health site, with an iPhone app called Dr. Shawn's Natural Pet Therapies to match. In 2010, she developed a course to teach families how to live more natural lifestyles, which she taught for about a month. She then started a Facebook page called ADHD - Tales of an Absent-Minded Superhero, for wacky folks like herself. That is still exciting enough to hold her interest.
She has, through the years, unsuccessfully started twenty-seven businesses but can't remember most of them. She loves speaking to groups of the same kind of wacky folks, where she's not afraid to stop mid-speech and ask, "What was I talking about?" She lives in Texas with her husband, two kids, a dog, three cats, and eight goldfish.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
August 7, 2012
From the title (I have caught my hair on fire! And I've been distracted by a chicken too!) I thought this would be a fun read.
It was not. I'm really not sure why I finished it. I would not spend that much time listening to a person in real life who could not go 6 sentences without a string of swear words. It's even less endearing in a book. Her stories of abuse, being drugged, drinking too much, flitting from job to job, and drug use were just not funny. Her life wasn't funny. Her book isn't funny. The author thinks her life is a riot.
This book is like sitting down with a person you vaguely know, only to get their entire torrid life story, all with the attitude that none of what happens to them is in their control. Life just happens, and all the scatterbrained inability to keep a job is from a medical diagnosis, NOT from the weed they smoke. Or all the times they get drunk. Getting arrested is great fun, an adventure! (Yes, she really says this - in great detail. She also thought getting drugged was a laugh fest too, since nothing bad happened while she was drugged.)
Her inability to make a list is just how her brain works, nothing can be done about it.. and yet the same person can write an entire book.
There were parts of this book I could honestly relate to. Many of the symptoms of her ADHD, or "how her brain works", were achingly familiar to me. But those tidbits were hidden in so much junk and disaster (not funny disaster - more like "grow up already" disaster) that I found myself trying to distance myself even from the parts I could relate to. It's her life, her story, and she has a right to tell it.. I just really wish I had not wasted my time reading it.
It was not. I'm really not sure why I finished it. I would not spend that much time listening to a person in real life who could not go 6 sentences without a string of swear words. It's even less endearing in a book. Her stories of abuse, being drugged, drinking too much, flitting from job to job, and drug use were just not funny. Her life wasn't funny. Her book isn't funny. The author thinks her life is a riot.
This book is like sitting down with a person you vaguely know, only to get their entire torrid life story, all with the attitude that none of what happens to them is in their control. Life just happens, and all the scatterbrained inability to keep a job is from a medical diagnosis, NOT from the weed they smoke. Or all the times they get drunk. Getting arrested is great fun, an adventure! (Yes, she really says this - in great detail. She also thought getting drugged was a laugh fest too, since nothing bad happened while she was drugged.)
Her inability to make a list is just how her brain works, nothing can be done about it.. and yet the same person can write an entire book.
There were parts of this book I could honestly relate to. Many of the symptoms of her ADHD, or "how her brain works", were achingly familiar to me. But those tidbits were hidden in so much junk and disaster (not funny disaster - more like "grow up already" disaster) that I found myself trying to distance myself even from the parts I could relate to. It's her life, her story, and she has a right to tell it.. I just really wish I had not wasted my time reading it.
July 30, 2012
This book had my attention as soon as I read the title - it's different, it's fun, it's honest and it's a fantastic read.
Never before have I read a book and felt like yelling out 'me too' on so many occasions! I laughed, I cried and I began to understand more about the ADHD brain. This is a fantastic story, super readable, super hard to put down. One of few books I've had to stay up into the wee small hours reading because I just *had* to finish it.
If you know someone with ADHD and want some insight into their way of thinking, I'd definitely recommend reading 'Here's to Not Catching Our Hair on Fire'.
Never before have I read a book and felt like yelling out 'me too' on so many occasions! I laughed, I cried and I began to understand more about the ADHD brain. This is a fantastic story, super readable, super hard to put down. One of few books I've had to stay up into the wee small hours reading because I just *had* to finish it.
If you know someone with ADHD and want some insight into their way of thinking, I'd definitely recommend reading 'Here's to Not Catching Our Hair on Fire'.
January 2, 2013
[NOTE: for the GoodReads 2013 Reading Challenge this book is considered to be the first book I read of 2013; however, I read all but the last 2-3 chapters and epilogue in 2012 and finished the book on New Year's Day 2013.]
I was made aware of this book by ADD Crusher on Facebook, which shared a link for a free Amazon Kindle download of it in mid- to late-2012. The price was right, and since I was in the midst of an effort to explore and come to grips with my own AD(H)D issues, I figured I'd read it to see if it had any useful advice or insights to offer.
I am tempering my remarks somewhat as I don't intend to insult a vaguely-kindred spirit: Ms. Turis and I have a number of symptoms, behaviors, etc. in common resulting from whatever our true psychological/neurological issues are (ADHD or otherwise). I see bits and pieces of my own life experiences in hers (the ones she shares here, anyway), and I'd be surprised if she didn't feel the same way upon reading mine (if I were to publish them).
OK, so: in an nutshell, this is NOT a great book/memoir by any reasonable measure.
Writing is *NOT* Stacey Turis's strong suit, and she really needs an editor (or a better one if someone actually did "edit" this for her). Maybe Stacey is one of those people who is a compelling oral storyteller (i.e., in-person) who was encouraged by others to write down and share her stories with a wider audience. If that's the case, she should stick to the oral/in-person type of storytelling (or get a better editor, as I said above), but dictating one's life story into a digital tape recorder then running Dragon speech recognition software to convert it to text and printing it as-is does not a great memoir make.
There's a thread of narcissistic personality disorder suggested (or perhaps proven) by her accounts of herself and her experiences. I'm sure Ms. Turis thinks her life makes for great reading (a sentiment likely echoed back to her by her support system of family and friends), but for objective/indifferent readers, this memoir (or perhaps more accurately, the manner in which she tells it) makes for a tiresome reading experience.
There are bits of insight and advice in this book which have some value, but they are few and far between, diluted by a preponderance of meandering and then this happened, and then this and this and this and OMG aren't I a hilarious fucking mess?!? storytelling.
[Aside: Stacey says "fuck" a lot in this book, explaining that this is her "true voice" -- or some such nonsense -- and that anyone who's bothered by it needs to get over it. Whatever. My advice: Publishing "fuck" repeatedly in your memoir doesn't make your life story any more true or "better"; being a better writer and making your life more compelling through better writing makes it "better."]
Near the end of this book, Ms. Turis says (or perhaps threatens?) that she has enough material/concepts for a 2nd book; should she go ahead and publish it someday, I certainly will NOT be among those to read it, unless she really improves as a writer (or she gets a world-class editor to rein in her worst tendencies of self-expression and who can extract a worthwhile story out of whatever she writes).
I applaud Stacey Turis for marshaling the discipline, commitment, and fearlessness from exposure to publish this memoir; however, given the amount of time I spent reading the 230 pages or so which comprise this book, I wish my time had been spent on worthier material. If GoodReads.com allowed half-stars in their reviews, I might give this 2.5, but since that's not the case I'm giving it two stars only, as a three-star review might suggest that there's more worthwhile to read here than I actually found there to be.
I was made aware of this book by ADD Crusher on Facebook, which shared a link for a free Amazon Kindle download of it in mid- to late-2012. The price was right, and since I was in the midst of an effort to explore and come to grips with my own AD(H)D issues, I figured I'd read it to see if it had any useful advice or insights to offer.
I am tempering my remarks somewhat as I don't intend to insult a vaguely-kindred spirit: Ms. Turis and I have a number of symptoms, behaviors, etc. in common resulting from whatever our true psychological/neurological issues are (ADHD or otherwise). I see bits and pieces of my own life experiences in hers (the ones she shares here, anyway), and I'd be surprised if she didn't feel the same way upon reading mine (if I were to publish them).
OK, so: in an nutshell, this is NOT a great book/memoir by any reasonable measure.
Writing is *NOT* Stacey Turis's strong suit, and she really needs an editor (or a better one if someone actually did "edit" this for her). Maybe Stacey is one of those people who is a compelling oral storyteller (i.e., in-person) who was encouraged by others to write down and share her stories with a wider audience. If that's the case, she should stick to the oral/in-person type of storytelling (or get a better editor, as I said above), but dictating one's life story into a digital tape recorder then running Dragon speech recognition software to convert it to text and printing it as-is does not a great memoir make.
There's a thread of narcissistic personality disorder suggested (or perhaps proven) by her accounts of herself and her experiences. I'm sure Ms. Turis thinks her life makes for great reading (a sentiment likely echoed back to her by her support system of family and friends), but for objective/indifferent readers, this memoir (or perhaps more accurately, the manner in which she tells it) makes for a tiresome reading experience.
There are bits of insight and advice in this book which have some value, but they are few and far between, diluted by a preponderance of meandering and then this happened, and then this and this and this and OMG aren't I a hilarious fucking mess?!? storytelling.
[Aside: Stacey says "fuck" a lot in this book, explaining that this is her "true voice" -- or some such nonsense -- and that anyone who's bothered by it needs to get over it. Whatever. My advice: Publishing "fuck" repeatedly in your memoir doesn't make your life story any more true or "better"; being a better writer and making your life more compelling through better writing makes it "better."]
Near the end of this book, Ms. Turis says (or perhaps threatens?) that she has enough material/concepts for a 2nd book; should she go ahead and publish it someday, I certainly will NOT be among those to read it, unless she really improves as a writer (or she gets a world-class editor to rein in her worst tendencies of self-expression and who can extract a worthwhile story out of whatever she writes).
I applaud Stacey Turis for marshaling the discipline, commitment, and fearlessness from exposure to publish this memoir; however, given the amount of time I spent reading the 230 pages or so which comprise this book, I wish my time had been spent on worthier material. If GoodReads.com allowed half-stars in their reviews, I might give this 2.5, but since that's not the case I'm giving it two stars only, as a three-star review might suggest that there's more worthwhile to read here than I actually found there to be.
May 21, 2012
I have to admit that I had no intention of reading this book and merely pick it up because it was free and I loved the title. I don't know about the H part but I have at least ADD and am super easily distracted. I can't even have ordinary conversation as the slightest thing will catch my eye and I will lose where I was or where the conversation was going. I heard someone call the distractions "shiny things" and had adopted that theme for my life. My husband understands and can go with the flow of my concentration or lack thereof. When I told him about the title of this book he started calling the distractions "shiny chickens."
This morning I put the Kindle book in my 'Need to Review' category. It seems the categories of Currently Reading, or Now, or Really Currently Reading and other tries to know what I am reading, for sure didn't work. I feel I owe a review and so I will read it quicker than any other way. I knew I wanted to read it right away as I had it on my 'currently reading' shelf on GoodReads. And every time I read the title I knew I wanted to read the book. So I spent the day with it. Thank goodness it is text-to-speech enabled so when my eyes got tired or I needed to be more distracted I could let it continue to read to me.
What a marvelous book! It is always nice to know there are others like us out there. I related to so much that Stacey Turis tells about herself and her journey. Phone calls, secretary jobs, boring mundane jobs, procrastination, "if she would only apply herself", and so many of the things Stacey went through, I went through. Even the sensitivities to environments, emotional climates, pharmaceutical drugs are so much a part of my daily life. The need to be alone yet loving a social life, the depressions...so much spoke to me.
I applaud Ms. Turis for getting the book written and out into the hands of those of us who need this kind of reassurance that we are not alone or entirely weird. And the book had personality and flavor that a lot of books on the subject lack. I look forward to book two as I am sure there is more in there!
That you, Stacey Turis for being brave and gifting this book to all of us!
This morning I put the Kindle book in my 'Need to Review' category. It seems the categories of Currently Reading, or Now, or Really Currently Reading and other tries to know what I am reading, for sure didn't work. I feel I owe a review and so I will read it quicker than any other way. I knew I wanted to read it right away as I had it on my 'currently reading' shelf on GoodReads. And every time I read the title I knew I wanted to read the book. So I spent the day with it. Thank goodness it is text-to-speech enabled so when my eyes got tired or I needed to be more distracted I could let it continue to read to me.
What a marvelous book! It is always nice to know there are others like us out there. I related to so much that Stacey Turis tells about herself and her journey. Phone calls, secretary jobs, boring mundane jobs, procrastination, "if she would only apply herself", and so many of the things Stacey went through, I went through. Even the sensitivities to environments, emotional climates, pharmaceutical drugs are so much a part of my daily life. The need to be alone yet loving a social life, the depressions...so much spoke to me.
I applaud Ms. Turis for getting the book written and out into the hands of those of us who need this kind of reassurance that we are not alone or entirely weird. And the book had personality and flavor that a lot of books on the subject lack. I look forward to book two as I am sure there is more in there!
That you, Stacey Turis for being brave and gifting this book to all of us!
September 5, 2012
As an adult with ADHD, I loved reading this book! I could really relate to many of Stacey's experiences, such as switching jobs a lot, being forgetful, and having difficulty with subtle social skills like the expectation that when someone is crying you should hug them. (Spontaneously hugging someone who is neither a child or a pet goes against my nature, so it usually never occurs to me to try and comfort someone that way!)
People who DON'T have ADHD may sometimes be confused while reading this book, because it tends to jump from topic to topic. This is a lot like how my own mind works. I can start out thinking about a particular TV show or a certain memory, and my brain just goes off on a string of somewhat related thoughts, until I am contemplating whether chipmunks eat grapes and I have no idea how I got there.
The style of this book is a lot like someone having a conversation with you, or writing you a letter. By the time you finish, you will feel like Stacey is a personal friend of yours.
So, whether or not you have ADHD, I think you should read this book!
PS... After reading some of the other reviews, I wanted to warn you that the author does swear a lot. If this is traumatizing to you, you might want to skip it. ;)
People who DON'T have ADHD may sometimes be confused while reading this book, because it tends to jump from topic to topic. This is a lot like how my own mind works. I can start out thinking about a particular TV show or a certain memory, and my brain just goes off on a string of somewhat related thoughts, until I am contemplating whether chipmunks eat grapes and I have no idea how I got there.
The style of this book is a lot like someone having a conversation with you, or writing you a letter. By the time you finish, you will feel like Stacey is a personal friend of yours.
So, whether or not you have ADHD, I think you should read this book!
PS... After reading some of the other reviews, I wanted to warn you that the author does swear a lot. If this is traumatizing to you, you might want to skip it. ;)
April 17, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. It was a freebie from Amazon Kindle so I figured I had nothing to lose by downloading it. I'm really glad I did. If you know anyone that suffers from ADD/ADHD this book will help you understand how their brain processes things. Her writing style is almost manic in its pace. Her thoughts are jumbled and tend to take off in different directions without warning (to you OR her). I found her memoir to be delightful! I think she is an extraordinarily brave person to have written it and expose her vulnerabilities. I found it fascinating how she has developed coping skills for working WITH her disorder.
My son has ADD and I believe I have it too, although not to the extent of him or the author. All I can say is I admire anyone who has this and has learned how to live a reasonably normal life. I cannot imagine the frustration they must feel when judged by people who have no idea of their inner battles. It reminds me of the old saying "Be kind...everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." So true.
Stacey Turis' memoir is a gift to all those who suffer from ADD/ADHD. After reading it, they will realize they are not alone.
My son has ADD and I believe I have it too, although not to the extent of him or the author. All I can say is I admire anyone who has this and has learned how to live a reasonably normal life. I cannot imagine the frustration they must feel when judged by people who have no idea of their inner battles. It reminds me of the old saying "Be kind...everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." So true.
Stacey Turis' memoir is a gift to all those who suffer from ADD/ADHD. After reading it, they will realize they are not alone.
November 11, 2012
Content warning: This book contains stories of child abuse.
Alternating between laugh-out-loud hilarity and tear-invoking "I can totally relate to that" moments, this is certainly not a boring book. The difference between being a total disaster and keeping some sanity seems to be having a good support system. Turis has this, especially in her husband, but also her parents (before their divorce, apparently).
"...when someone tells you that you can do anything (as my parents did), then you truly believe you can do anything, and if you believe you can do anything, there is nothing you can't do. If you don't believe me, just try it for yourself; you'll be shocked at your own superpowers!"
Of course, Turin also seems to be a little hyperverbal, but that's to be expected.
For the most part, the appeal of this book is that I could identify with so much of what's in it. About procrastination:
"Without stress and pressure, it's a free-for-all in this brain. "Oh... just do it tomorrow...you need to relax. It'll still be there tomorrow"...on and on, until three years later nothing is accomplished."
On career goals (although I don't do everything I want to do):
"I've finally come to the conclusion that what I want to do "when I grow up" will be a constantly evolving idea, and I simply have to evolve with it. That way when it's all said and done, I will have done everything I've ever wanted to do, instead of wasting time and energy focusing on finding that one elusive thing that will never appear."
On hiding your true self to make others happy (I've spent 12 years trying to be what someone else thinks I should be. Trust me, it's much less stressful to be able to be yourself rather than hiding your true nature.):
"Being myself comes much more naturally to me. Isn't that a ridiculous statement? You would think that would be common sense, but it isn't! Look at all of the people in the world either asking someone else to change or trying to change for someone else."
If cursing offends you, you don't want to read this book, but otherwise it's a very interesting, and fairly quick, read.
Alternating between laugh-out-loud hilarity and tear-invoking "I can totally relate to that" moments, this is certainly not a boring book. The difference between being a total disaster and keeping some sanity seems to be having a good support system. Turis has this, especially in her husband, but also her parents (before their divorce, apparently).
"...when someone tells you that you can do anything (as my parents did), then you truly believe you can do anything, and if you believe you can do anything, there is nothing you can't do. If you don't believe me, just try it for yourself; you'll be shocked at your own superpowers!"
Of course, Turin also seems to be a little hyperverbal, but that's to be expected.
For the most part, the appeal of this book is that I could identify with so much of what's in it. About procrastination:
"Without stress and pressure, it's a free-for-all in this brain. "Oh... just do it tomorrow...you need to relax. It'll still be there tomorrow"...on and on, until three years later nothing is accomplished."
On career goals (although I don't do everything I want to do):
"I've finally come to the conclusion that what I want to do "when I grow up" will be a constantly evolving idea, and I simply have to evolve with it. That way when it's all said and done, I will have done everything I've ever wanted to do, instead of wasting time and energy focusing on finding that one elusive thing that will never appear."
On hiding your true self to make others happy (I've spent 12 years trying to be what someone else thinks I should be. Trust me, it's much less stressful to be able to be yourself rather than hiding your true nature.):
"Being myself comes much more naturally to me. Isn't that a ridiculous statement? You would think that would be common sense, but it isn't! Look at all of the people in the world either asking someone else to change or trying to change for someone else."
If cursing offends you, you don't want to read this book, but otherwise it's a very interesting, and fairly quick, read.
July 19, 2012
Wish this was better written, but I laughed out loud at parts and I talked to at least two clients about this book, so it's worth the quick read. I loved the inside look into the life of a "functioning" ADHd-er....it annoyed me that she also insisted on "diagnosing" herself as "Gifted" as if that somehow qualified her to write this book, instead of just relying on her own crazy stories and unique sense of self. By the end, I began to wonder if her "diagnosis" of Gifted was just another way of saying she is a narcisist!
June 22, 2012
I wanted to love this book, and for the first half, I did. It's funny and poignant. But somewhere around the midpoint, it becomes loopy, random and self-satisfying. Turis goes from a smart sympathetic and important heroine to a whiny absentee participant in her own life, constantly blaming her ADHD for all of life's problems. The first half is amazing, the second not so much.
March 15, 2015
I have followed Ms. Turis and her Facebook groups for years. Her short posts are always poignant and on target for anyone with ADHD. We frequently poke fun at ourselves and do our best not to take our problems too seriously - that was the draw for me.
This book is funny for the first few chapters, particularly if you share the same "affliction" and tendencies that affect Ms. Turis. The problem is that she never seems to find her writing flow - as if more than a paragraph throws her off. She writes the way, I'm sure, she talks. By that, I mean she begins a story, stops in the middle and says, "Wait, let me back up - here is the background you need to know in order to understand the story," continues the story, adds some irrelevant commentary in the middle, wanders off on a tirade about something completely unrelated, and then several pages later comes back to the story you forgot you were reading in the first place.
I'm sure this is charming over tea, but in book form it's tedious and frustrating.
My other problem with this book - and this is a purely philosophical difference - is that I felt like Ms. Turis uses her ADHD diagnosis as an excuse for poor behavior. She gleefully and unapologetically inconveniences her husband and children (and believe me, I can relate) and untold other people. This book is filled with stories of job interviews and work/personal situations that suffered hilariously (although I imagine if we were to interview some of the other people involved, they would not be quite so hilarious) because of her disorder. As near as I can tell, Ms. Turis just seems to chalk these situations up to "things that happen when you have ADHD."
I have spent 10 years teaching my son that this label - which I share with him - does not excuse poor behavior. It is a tool to help you understand why your brain processes things the way it does, and you are required to learn from these situations. I can say with wholehearted agreement that I share Ms. Turis's experiences. I live in a chaotic household and my life is filled with too many exciting ideas and unfinished projects to count. But I do not accept this as a status quo. When I am late for work, I apologize and do my best to find ways to make sure it doesn't happen again. When yet another one of my ideas destroys my home or affects my husband and children, I take responsibility for that and make it clear to my husband that it won't happen again.
I have never shrugged my shoulders and nonchalantly blamed my "disorder" for the problems I bring upon myself, and it concerns me to see Ms. Turis doing this in her book. If you are looking for guidance because of a new ADHD diagnosis, this is not the book for you. If you are looking for insight into Ms. Turis's hilarity, read this with the caveat that it's *hard to read*. You're going to spend a lot of time asking yourself, "What we were talking about? How did we even get here?" Again, it might be fun in person, but it doesn't translate well into book form.
This book is funny for the first few chapters, particularly if you share the same "affliction" and tendencies that affect Ms. Turis. The problem is that she never seems to find her writing flow - as if more than a paragraph throws her off. She writes the way, I'm sure, she talks. By that, I mean she begins a story, stops in the middle and says, "Wait, let me back up - here is the background you need to know in order to understand the story," continues the story, adds some irrelevant commentary in the middle, wanders off on a tirade about something completely unrelated, and then several pages later comes back to the story you forgot you were reading in the first place.
I'm sure this is charming over tea, but in book form it's tedious and frustrating.
My other problem with this book - and this is a purely philosophical difference - is that I felt like Ms. Turis uses her ADHD diagnosis as an excuse for poor behavior. She gleefully and unapologetically inconveniences her husband and children (and believe me, I can relate) and untold other people. This book is filled with stories of job interviews and work/personal situations that suffered hilariously (although I imagine if we were to interview some of the other people involved, they would not be quite so hilarious) because of her disorder. As near as I can tell, Ms. Turis just seems to chalk these situations up to "things that happen when you have ADHD."
I have spent 10 years teaching my son that this label - which I share with him - does not excuse poor behavior. It is a tool to help you understand why your brain processes things the way it does, and you are required to learn from these situations. I can say with wholehearted agreement that I share Ms. Turis's experiences. I live in a chaotic household and my life is filled with too many exciting ideas and unfinished projects to count. But I do not accept this as a status quo. When I am late for work, I apologize and do my best to find ways to make sure it doesn't happen again. When yet another one of my ideas destroys my home or affects my husband and children, I take responsibility for that and make it clear to my husband that it won't happen again.
I have never shrugged my shoulders and nonchalantly blamed my "disorder" for the problems I bring upon myself, and it concerns me to see Ms. Turis doing this in her book. If you are looking for guidance because of a new ADHD diagnosis, this is not the book for you. If you are looking for insight into Ms. Turis's hilarity, read this with the caveat that it's *hard to read*. You're going to spend a lot of time asking yourself, "What we were talking about? How did we even get here?" Again, it might be fun in person, but it doesn't translate well into book form.
December 7, 2013
Great book for a sick day!
This book made me feel a little bit better about my chaotic brain. There are so many things in here that I have said verbatim towards my own experiences. I wish she would've wrote more about the gifted side of herself and what that means.
I understand the frustrations voiced about the style. It does indeed read like a splatter of insight and rambling stories and random tangents. It read like a never ending journal or blog entry, using all the expressive punctuation except the loving comforting period. There seemed to be a lot of ranting and raving about various topics. I think the only reason why I could hold on for so long is because my brain is just like hers. To many it would seem overwhelming, but I do not criticize that part very much because she clearly states that she's naturally unfocused and all over the place. She's a walking contradiction and it's exhausting. "I'm exhausting," she says. And that's just her. There were many places where an edit could've made the point or concept more cohesive and effective. If you're going to write a book, you can't ignore the editing process. There were many times where I kept saying, "that doesn't really need to be in there." Heck, she even says she should edit sentences but instead leaves it in, and I think she did it for humor, but there's a part of that that I found tiresome and unprofessional. There were also some pieces that seemed self-indulgent.
The strongest part of the book is definitely the beginning. I was pulled into her story and wanted to see how this little girl would overcome the obstacles. It starts to unfurl a little after the Reality TV thing. It became less cohesive and more random and loopy which is completely normal when you have a non-linear brain, but it doesn't read well unless you have specific boundaries and and a main point to work within and around. With all of this, I still really enjoyed reading the book. Forgetfulness, anxiety, laziness, sensitivity, being unorganized, living for experiences, passion, pushing on, relationship problems, and even the "dead place", I can relate to. I also enjoyed reading that according to some cultures and how my brain works, that I'm really just closer to enlightenment than most. ;)
I don't think she blames all of her problems on her ADHD as one commenter said. She keeps pushing on regardless of resistance and unrealistic expectations. It's a little like being left handed in a right handed world, being an introvert in a society that admires extroverts, having a chaotic brain when our society functions on structure and schedules and deadlines. It's hard. It's very very hard to not feel hopeless and "wrong" most the time, and people that don't understand or don't accept who you are naturally don't seem to mind telling you those things either. It's hard to believe in yourself sometimes when your brain doesn't seem to "fit the mold." This is why she says find your cheerleaders and hold on to them if you can.
This book made me feel a little bit better about my chaotic brain. There are so many things in here that I have said verbatim towards my own experiences. I wish she would've wrote more about the gifted side of herself and what that means.
I understand the frustrations voiced about the style. It does indeed read like a splatter of insight and rambling stories and random tangents. It read like a never ending journal or blog entry, using all the expressive punctuation except the loving comforting period. There seemed to be a lot of ranting and raving about various topics. I think the only reason why I could hold on for so long is because my brain is just like hers. To many it would seem overwhelming, but I do not criticize that part very much because she clearly states that she's naturally unfocused and all over the place. She's a walking contradiction and it's exhausting. "I'm exhausting," she says. And that's just her. There were many places where an edit could've made the point or concept more cohesive and effective. If you're going to write a book, you can't ignore the editing process. There were many times where I kept saying, "that doesn't really need to be in there." Heck, she even says she should edit sentences but instead leaves it in, and I think she did it for humor, but there's a part of that that I found tiresome and unprofessional. There were also some pieces that seemed self-indulgent.
The strongest part of the book is definitely the beginning. I was pulled into her story and wanted to see how this little girl would overcome the obstacles. It starts to unfurl a little after the Reality TV thing. It became less cohesive and more random and loopy which is completely normal when you have a non-linear brain, but it doesn't read well unless you have specific boundaries and and a main point to work within and around. With all of this, I still really enjoyed reading the book. Forgetfulness, anxiety, laziness, sensitivity, being unorganized, living for experiences, passion, pushing on, relationship problems, and even the "dead place", I can relate to. I also enjoyed reading that according to some cultures and how my brain works, that I'm really just closer to enlightenment than most. ;)
I don't think she blames all of her problems on her ADHD as one commenter said. She keeps pushing on regardless of resistance and unrealistic expectations. It's a little like being left handed in a right handed world, being an introvert in a society that admires extroverts, having a chaotic brain when our society functions on structure and schedules and deadlines. It's hard. It's very very hard to not feel hopeless and "wrong" most the time, and people that don't understand or don't accept who you are naturally don't seem to mind telling you those things either. It's hard to believe in yourself sometimes when your brain doesn't seem to "fit the mold." This is why she says find your cheerleaders and hold on to them if you can.
October 15, 2016
Sometime in 2015 I stumbled upon Stacy Turis's Facebooks page, "ADHD - Tales of an Absent-Minded Superhero" and discovered that she had written a book that everyone on the page was raving about. I bought the Kindle book in June 2015, and started reading it right away. It was very engaging, but as usual, I got distracted by other good reads around me. At the time, I was reading about 6 books at once, and this wonderful book got lost in the shuffle. Recently though, I was stuck waiting somewhere, and, having my trusty Kindle with me, started reading it again. It was like reconnecting with an old friend! From then on, I read it whenever I was stuck in line or waiting somewhere, until I finished it. The author was engaging, honest, funny, and jumped from subject to subject, just like I did. I think that this jumbled way of writing, with the abundance of swear words that the author uses is a way for the reader to see her personality. I could see how people without ADHD might find this annoying and hard to read though.
From an early life of abuse, to randomly winging her way through life, Stacy Turis writes fearlessly and humorously about growing up and living with ADHD and high-sensitivity. I think the author is brave to put herself and her life out there for the world to see and critique. I admire and find it interesting how she figured out her own unique way of doing things while growing up, in order to function and work around her ADHD. She struggled with many thngs, such as getting through anxiety and depression, being forgetful, making impulsive decisions, procrastinating, and staying focused. I love how she got past her self-loathing and celebrated her uniqueness.
When I thought of giftedness with ADHD, I thought that combination would mean creative ways of getting into trouble. There were plenty of those situations, and the author wrote them in a way that made them adventurous, amusing, and educational. I now know what happens when you forget to pay a traffic ticket, and what can happen when you try a new hair color the day before an important business presentation. But the author also started businesses, worked on her own TV show, and jumped into many different jobs and made them work. She showed how having ADHD can impact a life both negatively AND positively. This book is not does not give advice on how to live better with ADD/ADHD, but I highly recommend it as a glimpse into the mind and life of a person who lives with it, and who celebrates the person that they are.
From an early life of abuse, to randomly winging her way through life, Stacy Turis writes fearlessly and humorously about growing up and living with ADHD and high-sensitivity. I think the author is brave to put herself and her life out there for the world to see and critique. I admire and find it interesting how she figured out her own unique way of doing things while growing up, in order to function and work around her ADHD. She struggled with many thngs, such as getting through anxiety and depression, being forgetful, making impulsive decisions, procrastinating, and staying focused. I love how she got past her self-loathing and celebrated her uniqueness.
When I thought of giftedness with ADHD, I thought that combination would mean creative ways of getting into trouble. There were plenty of those situations, and the author wrote them in a way that made them adventurous, amusing, and educational. I now know what happens when you forget to pay a traffic ticket, and what can happen when you try a new hair color the day before an important business presentation. But the author also started businesses, worked on her own TV show, and jumped into many different jobs and made them work. She showed how having ADHD can impact a life both negatively AND positively. This book is not does not give advice on how to live better with ADD/ADHD, but I highly recommend it as a glimpse into the mind and life of a person who lives with it, and who celebrates the person that they are.
August 1, 2012
This book was a somewhat interesting read from a woman who has ADHD. My husband also has ADHD, and I found myself wanting him to read many of the parts. She mentions at one point that she had been "mis-diagnosed" with bipolar disorder at some point, and I can see how this could happen based on some of the things she shares in the book. As a mental health professional, I was interested in what led to the ADHD diagnosis instead, which she didn't get into. Darn.
The author herself admits that she cusses a lot, and there was a fair amount of it in the book, which dumbed down its otherwise okay literary style. ("...even though I curse a bit, there are jewels of wisdom amidst the colorful language.") Organizationally, it is somewhat disjointed and tangential, but this is attributed to the specific disorder its addressing, so I suppose that's forgiveable. ;)
The author herself admits that she cusses a lot, and there was a fair amount of it in the book, which dumbed down its otherwise okay literary style. ("...even though I curse a bit, there are jewels of wisdom amidst the colorful language.") Organizationally, it is somewhat disjointed and tangential, but this is attributed to the specific disorder its addressing, so I suppose that's forgiveable. ;)
February 26, 2014
This is a tragic, funny, true tale of one woman's experience with ADD and giftedness. Not for the faint of heart, the story covers an abusive stepfather, drug use, and so many unlikely incidents that would leave an ordinary person exhausted - but the author, with the help of supportive family and friends navigates them all, and will frequently have you in stitches as she recounts the details. What makes this book great is the author's ability to convey in the truest sense, what it's like to have ADD, how much of a struggle some of life's seemingly simplest tasks can be, and how heartbreaking it can be to let down family and friends over and over without intending to. If only I could convince some people in my life to read this book so they could see inside my head and understand my struggles.
January 28, 2013
Stacey gives a rundown of her life through her ADHD colored glasses. How she struggled with her own limitations and gifts, but learned to work with them over the course of her life. This is a humorous account of her life as she sees it, and she laughs out loud a lot.
If you have ADHD or know someone with ADHD, you will appreciate this book - and possibly see a bit of that person in her story.
The book flows just like her brain - kind of jumping from one topic to the next. In the end, it all seems to come together - except for the life of me, I couldn't remember who Ying Yang was!
I will be looking for that second book!!!
If you have ADHD or know someone with ADHD, you will appreciate this book - and possibly see a bit of that person in her story.
The book flows just like her brain - kind of jumping from one topic to the next. In the end, it all seems to come together - except for the life of me, I couldn't remember who Ying Yang was!
I will be looking for that second book!!!
March 11, 2012
Having married into a family of ADHD sufferers, and the mother of two children with ADHD, I found this fascinating and informational. The author lets the rest of us in on her lifelong battle with ADHD and Giftedness. The realization of how the brains of people with this disorder function so differently from the accepted norm was a real eye-opener. As I read the book I kept catching myself nodding my head and saying "yes, yes, there they are".
I recommend this book to anyone who lives/loves/works with ADHD sufferers!
I recommend this book to anyone who lives/loves/works with ADHD sufferers!
October 1, 2012
At times we all may feel as if we have Attention Deficit Disorder. The author very honestly tells about her life being gifted and having ADD. It is at times hilariously funny yet terribly sad. I have focus issues possibly related to menopause...I get horribly frustrated when I can't remember what I was saying or where I was going or what I am doing in a certain room. Living with ADD would be like having a too much noise in your head.
July 22, 2013
Her book is terrible. Her opinion of herself is way too high, and she is obnoxious. She constantly talks about how great she is and how ' this brain of hers ' is so special. I don't need play by play recounts of her boring stories. They had nothing to do with ADHD and she is so caught up in blaming everything else for her problems.
July 26, 2020
Reading your own brain is an incredible thing. To know you're not crazy, you're not invisible, and most of all, you're not alone. Stacey Turis has always seemed way too collected to me for an ADHD woman, but reading this has shown me that she is just as much a whirlwind mess as the rest of us, and that I too can achieve things with my life.
October 16, 2016
Got about half-way through and just could not finish it. The introduction started out great but it turned out to be too much of a play-by-play memoir than essays or any sort of "lesson" on how to live with AD(H)D.
July 4, 2012
It's like reading about my long-lost twin, except that she swears a lot. Easy autobiographical reading, maybe not professional-level, but it's a vivid glimpse into an ADD/Gifted girl's mischeivous and occasionally tormented head.
Want to read
February 27, 2012I should maybe read this book....I did read the summary on my Kindle and it sounds like she is talking about me.
August 13, 2012
Uh oh, I can totally relate to the introduction.........damn!
July 22, 2017
Relatable self-acceptance for ADDers.
Not entirely linear, which is what my brain loved about it. Good read if you want to feel less floundering and alone.
Not entirely linear, which is what my brain loved about it. Good read if you want to feel less floundering and alone.
March 26, 2019
Knowing a few adults like Stacy is the reason I read the book and it was full of interesting views and funny moments.
January 6, 2021
not as good as i though it'd be. definitely written by someone with ADD or ADHD. entertaining tho.
-i stepped on my laptop more than two years ago and still havent replaced the cracked screen. i know it might sound like i'm a little lazy, but i'm not. as soon as i power down and flip the laptop closed, the crack leaves my mind, never to return until i open the laptop once again. then i groan because of the big ass crack that has once again surprised me with its presence.
-i'm an empath. its kind of like a grocery scanner. you cant imagine the amount of information i receive by doing that. its not like it pours slowly in though. its more of an immediate knowing of many things all at once. i pick up information i dont want when i dont want it. its mostly feelings. someones negative mood or emotion can hit me in the stomach and just dig and dig until its raw and achy, and i have to leave their presence. i'm like a radar gun picking up every wave in my range. i get blasted from every direction. thats what it feels like too - a continuous attack, not only mentally but physically. smells, sounds, every sense is on fire every second of every waking day.
-apparently, in an abusive situation where stress hormones, activated by your fight or flight response, are released on a consistent basis, your brain creates a new 'baseline', where your new normal of functioning is now you functioning with a higher level of anxiety. basically, constant anxiety and fear train your brain to consistently stay in that fight or flight mode. you can imagine how that might affect a person's quality of life.
-resentment is the act of stabbing yourself in the heart with a knife, hoping the other person dies.
-when someone is always told what to be, they never really know who they are or what their gifts are.
-fortunately for me i'm not afraid to tell someone that i dont understand what they're talking about. i've had lots of practice.
-the [punishment] was not enough motivation to keep me out of trouble. it sounds like i was bad just to be bad, but that really wasnt it. it was more of a curiosity thing with me. if i do this, what will happen with this? i still get into pickles to this day due to my never ending curiosity.
-if i would have had to pay for the torture of college myself, i cant promise that i would have stayed.
-i spent an enormous amount of energy trying to psyche myself up to be able to deal with it, which makes me hate it even more.
-if patience is a virtue, then i'm a filthy whore, because once i get going on something, it takes a jedi knight to stop me in my tracks.
-i learned, absorbed, and implemented things that people later told me can take years to learn. i did it all in less than six months. welcome to another of my superpowers: the ability to understand and excel at anything i put my mind to. that is, as long as my mind is interested or motivated.
-i came to the conclusion that when i add the idea of generating revenue to something i'm passionate about, it completely takes the fun out of it.
-i've finally come to the conclusion that what i want to do 'when i grow up' will be a constantly evolving idea, and i simply have to evolve with it, instead of wasting time and energy focusing on finding that one elusive thing that will never appear.
-he respects my ability to constantly put myself in the face of failure and then gracefully fail. i think its because i just dont consider failure as failure... its more of a lesson. and theres nothing i love more than learning, so i cant imagine any other way to spend my time.
-i love you, and because i love you, i would sooner have you hate me for telling you the truth than adore me for telling you lies. - pietro aretino
-missing a sensitivity chip. i've left a path a mile wide of people i've hurt by my seemingly insensitive actions. i forget birthdays. i detest talking on the phone. i'm not affectionate... blah blah blah. it isnt that i am deliberately being insensitive; its just that sometimes things dont occur to me. its not like there was an action that i just chose not to take, it just never even entered my freaking brain!
-there are very few people who know me on a deeper level, and i guard that space with my life. there is a 99 percent chance that you'll be hurt in this relationship, as i will most likely disappoint you first and then hit the road. and thanks to my radar, i'll feel your bitterness and disappointment in me seeping from your pores when i talk to you. you can see why its easier for me to stay distant. nobody gets hurt, and i dont have to feel the shame.
-because my imagination is far worse than reality, i'm a communicator. i like to get it all on the table. i like to know facts. i dont want to have to guess, because as i said, what i imagine is almost always worse than the true situation. the quicker something is resolved, the quicker you move forward. its less messy and more productive.
-with my permission to freak out when necessary, it became less necessary for him to freak out.
-i was used to the left and right side of my brain arguing. it causes difficulty for me sometimes because i see and understand both sides of an issue, logically and emotionally, so its hard to come to any conclusion.
-i promised to be myself per her request. i loved that she said that to me. my whole life people have been telling me not to be myself, and she was telling me that my success was riding on being the person i actually was. it gave me an enormous, and much needed, amount of relief.
-be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind dont matter, and those who matter dont mind. -dr seuss.
-i forget things every day. i can remember something and then forget about it before i even think of writing it down. i just get little magic poofs of thought, and then they disappear as quickly as they who up.
-i broke into tears from the trauma of someone throwing a monkey wrench in my day.
-i have to be able to cope with living in a constant state of sensory stimulation and chaos. some days i have more coping skills than others.
-you feel great because you're taking it (the medication) dumbass, not because you've suddenly been cured.
-eastern indian culture considers those with AD(H)D to be old, wise souls that are coming to the end of their reincarnations, so they must pack as many life experiences and lessons into their few remaining lifetimes as possible. "in our religion, we believe that the purpose of reincarnation is to eventually free oneself from worldly entanglement and desire. in each lifetime we experience certain lessons, until finally we are free of this earth and can merge into the oneness of god. when a soul is very close to the end of those thousands of incarnations, he must take a few lifetimes to do many, many things, to clean up the little threads left over from his previous lives. this man is very close to becoming enlightened. we have great respect for such individuals, although their lives may be difficult." "in america we consider this behavior indicative of a psychiatric disorder. they may instead be our most creative individuals, our most extraordinary thinkers, our most brilliant inventors and pioneers. the children among us whom our teachers and psychiatrists say are 'disordered' may in fact carry a set of abilities, a skill set, that is necessary for the survival of humanity in our past, that has created much of what we treasure in our present, and that will be critical to the survival of the human race in the future."
-i stepped on my laptop more than two years ago and still havent replaced the cracked screen. i know it might sound like i'm a little lazy, but i'm not. as soon as i power down and flip the laptop closed, the crack leaves my mind, never to return until i open the laptop once again. then i groan because of the big ass crack that has once again surprised me with its presence.
-i'm an empath. its kind of like a grocery scanner. you cant imagine the amount of information i receive by doing that. its not like it pours slowly in though. its more of an immediate knowing of many things all at once. i pick up information i dont want when i dont want it. its mostly feelings. someones negative mood or emotion can hit me in the stomach and just dig and dig until its raw and achy, and i have to leave their presence. i'm like a radar gun picking up every wave in my range. i get blasted from every direction. thats what it feels like too - a continuous attack, not only mentally but physically. smells, sounds, every sense is on fire every second of every waking day.
-apparently, in an abusive situation where stress hormones, activated by your fight or flight response, are released on a consistent basis, your brain creates a new 'baseline', where your new normal of functioning is now you functioning with a higher level of anxiety. basically, constant anxiety and fear train your brain to consistently stay in that fight or flight mode. you can imagine how that might affect a person's quality of life.
-resentment is the act of stabbing yourself in the heart with a knife, hoping the other person dies.
-when someone is always told what to be, they never really know who they are or what their gifts are.
-fortunately for me i'm not afraid to tell someone that i dont understand what they're talking about. i've had lots of practice.
-the [punishment] was not enough motivation to keep me out of trouble. it sounds like i was bad just to be bad, but that really wasnt it. it was more of a curiosity thing with me. if i do this, what will happen with this? i still get into pickles to this day due to my never ending curiosity.
-if i would have had to pay for the torture of college myself, i cant promise that i would have stayed.
-i spent an enormous amount of energy trying to psyche myself up to be able to deal with it, which makes me hate it even more.
-if patience is a virtue, then i'm a filthy whore, because once i get going on something, it takes a jedi knight to stop me in my tracks.
-i learned, absorbed, and implemented things that people later told me can take years to learn. i did it all in less than six months. welcome to another of my superpowers: the ability to understand and excel at anything i put my mind to. that is, as long as my mind is interested or motivated.
-i came to the conclusion that when i add the idea of generating revenue to something i'm passionate about, it completely takes the fun out of it.
-i've finally come to the conclusion that what i want to do 'when i grow up' will be a constantly evolving idea, and i simply have to evolve with it, instead of wasting time and energy focusing on finding that one elusive thing that will never appear.
-he respects my ability to constantly put myself in the face of failure and then gracefully fail. i think its because i just dont consider failure as failure... its more of a lesson. and theres nothing i love more than learning, so i cant imagine any other way to spend my time.
-i love you, and because i love you, i would sooner have you hate me for telling you the truth than adore me for telling you lies. - pietro aretino
-missing a sensitivity chip. i've left a path a mile wide of people i've hurt by my seemingly insensitive actions. i forget birthdays. i detest talking on the phone. i'm not affectionate... blah blah blah. it isnt that i am deliberately being insensitive; its just that sometimes things dont occur to me. its not like there was an action that i just chose not to take, it just never even entered my freaking brain!
-there are very few people who know me on a deeper level, and i guard that space with my life. there is a 99 percent chance that you'll be hurt in this relationship, as i will most likely disappoint you first and then hit the road. and thanks to my radar, i'll feel your bitterness and disappointment in me seeping from your pores when i talk to you. you can see why its easier for me to stay distant. nobody gets hurt, and i dont have to feel the shame.
-because my imagination is far worse than reality, i'm a communicator. i like to get it all on the table. i like to know facts. i dont want to have to guess, because as i said, what i imagine is almost always worse than the true situation. the quicker something is resolved, the quicker you move forward. its less messy and more productive.
-with my permission to freak out when necessary, it became less necessary for him to freak out.
-i was used to the left and right side of my brain arguing. it causes difficulty for me sometimes because i see and understand both sides of an issue, logically and emotionally, so its hard to come to any conclusion.
-i promised to be myself per her request. i loved that she said that to me. my whole life people have been telling me not to be myself, and she was telling me that my success was riding on being the person i actually was. it gave me an enormous, and much needed, amount of relief.
-be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind dont matter, and those who matter dont mind. -dr seuss.
-i forget things every day. i can remember something and then forget about it before i even think of writing it down. i just get little magic poofs of thought, and then they disappear as quickly as they who up.
-i broke into tears from the trauma of someone throwing a monkey wrench in my day.
-i have to be able to cope with living in a constant state of sensory stimulation and chaos. some days i have more coping skills than others.
-you feel great because you're taking it (the medication) dumbass, not because you've suddenly been cured.
-eastern indian culture considers those with AD(H)D to be old, wise souls that are coming to the end of their reincarnations, so they must pack as many life experiences and lessons into their few remaining lifetimes as possible. "in our religion, we believe that the purpose of reincarnation is to eventually free oneself from worldly entanglement and desire. in each lifetime we experience certain lessons, until finally we are free of this earth and can merge into the oneness of god. when a soul is very close to the end of those thousands of incarnations, he must take a few lifetimes to do many, many things, to clean up the little threads left over from his previous lives. this man is very close to becoming enlightened. we have great respect for such individuals, although their lives may be difficult." "in america we consider this behavior indicative of a psychiatric disorder. they may instead be our most creative individuals, our most extraordinary thinkers, our most brilliant inventors and pioneers. the children among us whom our teachers and psychiatrists say are 'disordered' may in fact carry a set of abilities, a skill set, that is necessary for the survival of humanity in our past, that has created much of what we treasure in our present, and that will be critical to the survival of the human race in the future."
April 22, 2023
Here's to not Catching Our Hair on Fire is a hilarious and light hearted insight into Neurodiversity and how having a "spicy" brain can affect the way a person functions throughout their daily life.
As the parent of two beautifully neurodiverse children who have very differing attitudes and approaches to life, and react very differently to similar situations, I found Stacey's way of writing very informative. Her narrative is light-hearted and she has a seemingly unending ability to see the funny side of almost every situation in which she finds herself as she navigates the world in her haphazard way.
One of my favourite things about this novel is how easy it is to read, and apply STacey's experiences to every day situations. The way in which Stacey accepts her neurodiversity as part of who she is without feeling the need to constantly justify herself to the people she encounters is perfect.
This book has opened my eyes to some of the reasons behind things that occur in my own life, and given me some ideas of how I might try to support my children better. I've laughed out loud so many times while reading this, but also been moved to tears on more than one occasion.
A perfect read for anyone who supports a neurodiverse life, or simply wants to understand the perspective of a neurodiverse individual in a modern society.
Five stars from me, highly recommended.
As the parent of two beautifully neurodiverse children who have very differing attitudes and approaches to life, and react very differently to similar situations, I found Stacey's way of writing very informative. Her narrative is light-hearted and she has a seemingly unending ability to see the funny side of almost every situation in which she finds herself as she navigates the world in her haphazard way.
One of my favourite things about this novel is how easy it is to read, and apply STacey's experiences to every day situations. The way in which Stacey accepts her neurodiversity as part of who she is without feeling the need to constantly justify herself to the people she encounters is perfect.
This book has opened my eyes to some of the reasons behind things that occur in my own life, and given me some ideas of how I might try to support my children better. I've laughed out loud so many times while reading this, but also been moved to tears on more than one occasion.
A perfect read for anyone who supports a neurodiverse life, or simply wants to understand the perspective of a neurodiverse individual in a modern society.
Five stars from me, highly recommended.
October 23, 2020
Loved loved this book. I admit she's my friend. But when she gave a chapter almost 10 years ago before it came out... gently letting me see the inside of myself and knowing that I wasn't alone. It truly helped!! And it's a privilege to read her witty and brilliantly written words through this book!!!
July 8, 2017
I tried to read this book, but couldn't get past the first few pages. I found her to be just too self involved.
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July 20, 2019Interesting memoir with humor and examples. Real examples of the good the dark and the ugly sides of ADHD. Appreciate Stacey’s honesty.
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