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The Trouble With Peer Pressure: A Simple "My ADHD Story" for Young Teens
When the world seems too difficult for a person with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) to cope with, peer pressure just seems to compound any situation. Somehow, some way we just need to figure out how to get along with everyone in this small world.
32 pages, Paperback
First published October 20, 2014
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 28, 2015
I was drawn to this book for a few different reasons. The first of which is because I'm in school to be a teacher, so gaining any additional insight into the minds of young people is a great help. The other reason is because my girlfriend has ADHD, and I often fail at learning to step into her shoes. She was only recently diagnosed in adulthood, though she's struggled with school and learning for a long time. So, I thought I'd check this book out in order to learn a thing or two.
The first thing that really draws the attention is the illustrations. They're really well done, with good, vibrant colors. This is good for keeping the attention. And I found that each illustration was well corresponded with whatever topic was being discussed in the book at that present moment.
This book is written in choppy, short sentences, but I think that's a good thing considering the subject matter and intended audience. It's also written in a first person narrative, so those who know what it's like to live with ADHD can easily relate, and those who do not know this life are forced to put themselves in that position. There's a lot of questions narrated in this book, making it easier to think out loud and to formulate a discussion.
That's actually how I think this book is best used- a discussion starter. It opens the doors to have a bigger, more meaningful conversation but leaves something to be desired in the actual story itself. I don't think that the themes of ADHD and peer pressure always blend together in this book, but I understood the point well enough. I think this is the type of book best shared between parents and children, used as a communication or educational tool. It's a solid book that I'm sure parents and educators alike will find useful.
Thank you to the author for my copy in exchange for my honest review. This review can also be found on my blog, Bitches n Prose.
The first thing that really draws the attention is the illustrations. They're really well done, with good, vibrant colors. This is good for keeping the attention. And I found that each illustration was well corresponded with whatever topic was being discussed in the book at that present moment.
This book is written in choppy, short sentences, but I think that's a good thing considering the subject matter and intended audience. It's also written in a first person narrative, so those who know what it's like to live with ADHD can easily relate, and those who do not know this life are forced to put themselves in that position. There's a lot of questions narrated in this book, making it easier to think out loud and to formulate a discussion.
That's actually how I think this book is best used- a discussion starter. It opens the doors to have a bigger, more meaningful conversation but leaves something to be desired in the actual story itself. I don't think that the themes of ADHD and peer pressure always blend together in this book, but I understood the point well enough. I think this is the type of book best shared between parents and children, used as a communication or educational tool. It's a solid book that I'm sure parents and educators alike will find useful.
Thank you to the author for my copy in exchange for my honest review. This review can also be found on my blog, Bitches n Prose.
February 10, 2015
review to follow
January 20, 2015
The young teen years are when most people first experience the development of cliques, where you are defined by your social standing within the group rather than anything else. For many, although they may have gone to school with some other children for years and been friends, that has vanished and they are no longer friends.
While every child experiences feelings of loneliness and wants to be noticed, those whose behaviors differ from the norm are especially troubled, specifically if they are considered as suffering from ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Most aspects of society are designed to pressure people into conforming to often ill-defined and sometimes fluid social norms and no place does this more than public schools. A teacher has a class of twenty or so students and they are all doing the same standardized lesson with little room for individualization of the curriculum. While part of this is peer pressure (from people your own age), there is also social pressure being applied to achieve at the general expectations of performance.
This book is a simple story written for the child that does not fit in, whether or not that oddness is due to a medical condition or simple circumstances. The story is presented from the perspective of a child diagnosed with ADHD where the medication did not seem to make a significant difference. He is a boy that wants to be part of the group, yet ended up responding by consuming drugs and alcohol and eventually had trouble with the law.
Humans are social animals and from our ancient tribal roots we have the ideas of social conformity deeply embedded into our mental structures. This means that there will always be peer pressure to conform to the social norms for the good of the group. Success cannot be defined by avoiding peer pressure but by how well we are able to cope with it
Expressed as a series of events and questions that he asks himself, the main character responds that he just wants to be himself and have friends without feeling pressure to move outside his core being. One of the best therapies for humans to work through their difficulties is to know that they are not unique and that other people have previously and are currently suffering through the same problems and difficulties that they are. The main character is one that all young teens will relate to, they ask themselves the same questions as they try to establish their core identities. This book is a good starting point for a conversation about being a young teen and taking your first strides towards individual identity.
This book was made available for free for review purposes and this review appears on Amazon.
While every child experiences feelings of loneliness and wants to be noticed, those whose behaviors differ from the norm are especially troubled, specifically if they are considered as suffering from ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Most aspects of society are designed to pressure people into conforming to often ill-defined and sometimes fluid social norms and no place does this more than public schools. A teacher has a class of twenty or so students and they are all doing the same standardized lesson with little room for individualization of the curriculum. While part of this is peer pressure (from people your own age), there is also social pressure being applied to achieve at the general expectations of performance.
This book is a simple story written for the child that does not fit in, whether or not that oddness is due to a medical condition or simple circumstances. The story is presented from the perspective of a child diagnosed with ADHD where the medication did not seem to make a significant difference. He is a boy that wants to be part of the group, yet ended up responding by consuming drugs and alcohol and eventually had trouble with the law.
Humans are social animals and from our ancient tribal roots we have the ideas of social conformity deeply embedded into our mental structures. This means that there will always be peer pressure to conform to the social norms for the good of the group. Success cannot be defined by avoiding peer pressure but by how well we are able to cope with it
Expressed as a series of events and questions that he asks himself, the main character responds that he just wants to be himself and have friends without feeling pressure to move outside his core being. One of the best therapies for humans to work through their difficulties is to know that they are not unique and that other people have previously and are currently suffering through the same problems and difficulties that they are. The main character is one that all young teens will relate to, they ask themselves the same questions as they try to establish their core identities. This book is a good starting point for a conversation about being a young teen and taking your first strides towards individual identity.
This book was made available for free for review purposes and this review appears on Amazon.
April 22, 2015
I was really excited to read this book because my daughter was diagnosed with having ADD/ADHD. I thought it would be nice to have a book that she can refer to when feeling like things weren't feeling okay in her life. Unfortunately, this book wasn't it. The story was nice. A boy who was struggling to get through life because of something he had to deal with that most people didn't understand. It showed how he had to go through life having one downfall after another, but later coming out on top, which is good. I liked that aspect of the story. Show children no matter how hard things get, they can still come out on the top.
The one major issue I have with the book, and believe me I hate writing negative things, is the part where the authour constantly repeats "peer pressure". It would have been nice if she could have explained a little more what different peer pressures he was going through and how he came out of it. Like one part of the story speaks about peer pressure, but talks about the boy going to the principals office with his family. I don't see what that has to do with peer pressure. Granted, I know fitting in is hard, I can see what my child has gone through, but to me there is more to ADHD then suffering with peer pressure. Now I know, that is part of the title of the book, but I feel like she could have gone deeper into it and gave us a better understanding of what he went through.
I still think it is a good book to read with your children who suffer from ADHD. It might make them realize that they are not alone in how they feel and what they go through.
The one major issue I have with the book, and believe me I hate writing negative things, is the part where the authour constantly repeats "peer pressure". It would have been nice if she could have explained a little more what different peer pressures he was going through and how he came out of it. Like one part of the story speaks about peer pressure, but talks about the boy going to the principals office with his family. I don't see what that has to do with peer pressure. Granted, I know fitting in is hard, I can see what my child has gone through, but to me there is more to ADHD then suffering with peer pressure. Now I know, that is part of the title of the book, but I feel like she could have gone deeper into it and gave us a better understanding of what he went through.
I still think it is a good book to read with your children who suffer from ADHD. It might make them realize that they are not alone in how they feel and what they go through.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews