Review: ADHD is Awesome by Penn and Kim Holderness

ADHD is Awesome: A Guide to (Mostly) Thriving with ADHD
written by Penn and Kim Holderness
narrated mostly by Penn Holderness and Kim Holderness
with small sections by Ann Marie Taepke, Lola Holderness, Tyrrell Harrell and Nathan Rosborough

My Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Non-fiction/ Self Help/ Neurodivergence

Blurb:
The engaging, uplifting antidote to traditional ADHD books (which, let’s be honest, if you have ADHD you’d never read anyway).

You live in a world that wasn’t designed for you. A world where you’re expected to sit still, stay quiet, and focus. Because of the way your brain is wired, you can feel like you’re failing at life. But you are not failing. You are awesome.

Award-winning content creators Kim and Penn Holderness are on a mission to reboot how we think about the unfortunately named “attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.” As always, they are doing it by looking in the mirror, because they don’t just study ADHD; they live it.

Penn was in college when he was diagnosed with ADHD, although the signs of having a brain that worked just a little bit differently had been there since he was a kid. Rather than view the diagnosis as a curse or give in to feelings of inadequacy or failure, he took a different approach, one that he wants to share with fellow ADHDers and the people who care about them.

Drawing on their often-hilarious insights and the expertise of doctors, researchers, and specialists; Kim and Penn provide fun, easy-to-digest advice and explanations, including:
What it’s actually like to live with an ADHD brain.How to find humor in the pitfalls, sob stories, and unbelievable triumphs (like the time they won The Amazing Race!) that come with ADHD.How to tackle the challenges ADHD presents with a positive outlook.Targeted tools and techniques to play to your unique strengths.Fun extras like ADHD Bingo, an ode to cargo pants, and what the world would look like if ADHDers were in charge.

Take it from Penn: Having ADHD can be scary, but it comes with incredible upsides, including creativity, hyperfocus, and energy. You might even say it’s kind of awesome. Whether you have ADHD or want to support someone else in their journey, this is the guide you need to make the life you want.

My Review

I like learning more about being neurodivergent and this one caught my eye. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect as I already know a lot about ADHD and I didn’t know the authors. As soon as I started the book I knew I didn’t have to worry, the style of this book was so fun and I immediately got into it. The book is narrated by both authors and they swap places and often even talk to each other in the book or seemingly go off scripts and add something extra to the audio.

The thing I liked most about this one was how fun it is. I felt like it was a very approachable and accessible book for people from a variety of ages. It was easy to read and cut up in smaller sections or sometimes there was just a fun game the authors played in the middle of the book. It gave the book a light and fun tone. I am not sure if all of this comes across the same way in ebook as in audio, but I can definitely recommend the audio of this one.

Despite it being fun and having a light happy positive tone, I also appreciated how the authors never downplayed how much of a struggle living with ADHD could be. While a lot of the examples are brought in a humorous tone and they can joke about it now, it was clear how much of a struggle these things were and how much they have gone through to find ways to deal with ADHD.

This book has practical tips, relatable examples and is fun to read. And I felt like I really got a view into how Penn Holderness ADHD manifested, both the hyperactive and inattentive sides. Not all of the tips work for everyone, but there are enough of them to give you a starting point. The focus is very much on Penn’s brand of ADHD and what he struggles with and what works for him, so the focus is smaller than you might find in other books. I thought that worked here as it’s clear that this is about his ADHD and sharing what might be helpful for others too.

While overall this book didn’t have as much new information for me, there were some parts I hadn’t read or heard in other videos or books before. I felt the way this book was presented just really added to my enjoyment of it and I can definitely recommend it to everyone who wants to know more about ADHD. I think this would be a great starting point for those who know little of it and even if you know more about ADHD this one still is a fun read.

To summarize: I really enjoyed this book and had such fun listening to it. The authors narrate this one together and it was presented in a very fun way with them joking with each other and them going seemingly off script now and then. I like the positive and encouraging tone of the book. I also appreciate that despite the humorous vibes it is clear how tough it can be living with ADHD and they don’t shy away from the hard parts and there are plenty of examples when Penn’s ADHD caused problems. While I already knew a lot about ADHD I am still glad I listened to this book as it was just so fun and there were some new relatable bits and interesting tips. The focus is on Penn’s brand of ADHD, but they share tips and advice that can be helpful for others as well. I would definitely recommend this book.

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon
– B&N
– Kobo

You can also read my review on Goodreads and Bookbub.