A review by leahnoel
Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn't Designed for You by Jenara Nerenberg

5.0

4.5 stars. If you know or suspect that you, a loved one, or a colleague is yours is neurodiverse, this would be a useful book to read. If you are a person who feels you are “socially awkward,” or you never felt like you fit in with your peers, or you feel like “an outsider,” or people tell you you think too much or are way too sensitive: start here with this book. Also if you are in a management position at work, this would be a useful book about unlocking hidden potential in your workforce.

The author gives insightful examples of what the lived experience can be like, including examples of inner thought. She also includes checklists of symptoms/traits for neurodiversity that don’t sound like they come from the doctor’s office; whether or not you are neurodiverse, those lists are very interesting to read because they do give a snapshot of the lived experience.

The title of this book makes it sound like self-help, but in actuality I feel it’s more about defining neurodiversity in adults, discussing the pros/cons of diagnoses, explaining the difficulty of a neurodiverse individual functioning in a neurotypical environment, and making suggestions for self-regulation, healthy integration, and acceptance. For that reason I think anyone who is curious about understanding neurodiversity will find this book valuable for their research pile.

What I was hoping for, and didn’t find, was something that addressed neurodiversity in childhood and grade school classrooms.