Everything Is Going to Be K.O.: An illustrated memoir of living with specific learning difficulties

by Kaiya Stone

In Everything is Going to be K.O. Kaiya Stone writes about her own experiences of living with specific learning from struggling at school to being diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia while at university, to performing her own one-woman stand up show inspired by her journey. Always funny and unfailingly honest, Kaiya outlines the frustrations of having SPLDS but also the ways in which they have fuelled her creativity. She calls for neurodiversity to be celebrated and stresses that instead of questioning how we are 'supposed' to think we should take pride in our cognitive differences. Everything is Going to be K.O. is an uplifting book for anyone who has ever wondered what it is like to live with learning difficulties today.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

288 pages, Hardcover

Published July 1, 2020

Reviews

[G M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author was diagnosed with SpLD (specific learning disorders dyslexia, dyspraxia) while studying at Oxford University, and received ADHD and autism diagnoses later in life, conditions which turned out to have been running through the family. Having been able to mask all this (including her neuroqueer identity), her memoir points to the excruciating levels of conformism imposed on & expected from women and girls, as well as to the hidden psychological cost. Gripping plea for recognition of neurodiversity, Hannah Gadsby but with more detail about the differences and their impact. All teachers should read this.

[Rachel Bridgeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hugest of thanks to Martina at Midas PR for inviting me to read this debut book, Kaiya Stone’s autobiography, ‘Everything is going to be K.O’.It is out now in hardback from Head Of Zeus publishing.

I resonated with this book so hard-the sense of disclocation, feelings of being out of place and out of touch with the mainstream and hiding your worries is so familiar. I was diagnosed at the age of 44, on my second time at university, with dyslexia and dyspraxia after spending an entire lifetime tilting at windmills, at odds with life.

This is such a wonderful book in its exploration of neurodiversity, how it makes you feel in the context of a personal memoir, and how these traits are perceived by family and institutions alike. It is moving, hilarious, and incredibly brave and fierce. It might sound odd but this is such a readable book, everything about this publication is so well thought out-the font, the page size and the illustrations, all of it creates a book which is so accessible, moving and funny. I absolutely loved it, I will be sending it to my dyspraxic and dyslexic daughter-also working as a nurse diagnosed at uni-because she will be like me, so thrilled about this insight into what it is like to have a SpLD (Specific Learning Dificulty).

Her disarming honesty in being so open about her journey will be a beacon for those who have family members with these diagnoses, it will lead to a greater understanding of how our brains process information and most of all, do it with positivity. This will hopefully lead to greater empathy and patience with those who struggle with what should be otherwise straght forward daily tasks, and yet have so much to offer in lateral thinking skills and self deprecating humour. Outstanding!

[Rachel Merryweather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a lot. It’s a shame this isn’t reaching more people, and I’m grateful to have found it at my library book sale as otherwise it never would have reached me either.

I think Kaiya does a great job of writing in an engaging way—even if it doesn’t follow much of a narrative, it’s like listening to a friend tell anecdotes and jokes and meanwhile unearth profound observations on our education systems and their (dis)service to the neurodiverse.

[Lel Budge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Kaiya Stone’s memoir, telling of her slightly unconventional upbringing with her marvellously ‘hippy’ parents, to her life with Specific Learning Difficulties.

She writes with such humour and honesty it makes this a delight to read, but at the same time it deals with the seriousness of living with SLDs. I learned a lot and now have a greater understanding of the difficulties many people have to deal with on a daily basis.

It’s honest, open and illustrated with charming drawings, all of which make this a thoughtful and uplifting read. Brilliant.

Thank you to Martina at Midas PR for the opportunity to read this for free. This is my honest and unbiased review.

[Sama · Rating 4 out of 5]

i never know how to rate nonfiction books or just memoirs??? like i'm basically rating someone's life?? and anything less than 4 feels rude but 5 stars feels like too much????idk

[Maisy · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars. Having a partner with dyslexia made this an insightful and uplifting read and there were several phrases in this book which I’ve heard word for word from their mouth too…

[aqilahreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

imagine only finding out that you had disabilities when you were 19 years old – and at oxford university. for charismatic bookworm kaiya stone, it was a huge shock and she couldnt imagine what it meant. once she was able to get to grips with the discovery that she had dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD and was neurodiverse, everything started falling into shape. ✨⁣
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⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. having an invisible disability can be difficult to navigate as people have many misconceptions about disability. this book is quite an eye opener and makes me have a greater understanding of the difficulties many people have to deal even on a daily basis. ⁣
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just felt that some parts tend to be draggy but i personally really LOVE her illustrations that comes along with the story too oh my goodness SO CUTE!!! 😍😍😍 after reading this book, i also took the opportunity to see her short film and its so aesthetic 💯 ⁣
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overall its an important read and recommend if you would like to look at what it feels like to have invisible disabilities. and that regardless, its also important to accept yourself & do things that you are passionate about. ⁣ugh so inspiring :")
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"im making my own weird winding path. my brain has allowed me to take each little step to the life i want now. my achievements have occured not in spite of being neurodivergent but because i am". 💫⁣
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[Ci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kaiya Stone's sense of humor is so refreshing. I needed to read a book like this one after all the shit Atticus poetry i just put myself through. the comparison is wildly unfair, and having said that, this is a deeply satisfying read that more people need to read to be able to understand how differently the same world we share can be perceived. what i love most is how hopeful this book is and just how much struggle it was/is for the author to have achieved so much. the story is inspiring, intelligent, funny and hopeful, despite how narrow the world's accommodation of people with different intelligence is. the illustrations are pleasing also.

[Emily Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

So grateful to hear your story. I was diagnosed with dyspraxia last year and this book made me feel included

[Gabrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, it was a good read and there were so many good things going for it. It was witty and I feel like it spoke to an experience shared by so many people.

But I think what confused me about this book was where it sat in the literary canon. It isn't a kids book, the language is simpler but that doesn't mean anything. The story isn't a kids story but the cover, illustrators and stories rhythm all come together to give you that impression. I think that doesn't actually give credit to the story and actually serves to undermine the writers intention regarding neurodiversity.

I also think I would have liked a few more personal anecdotes that were shown instead of told. The parts I really enjoyed where the sections when it felt like it was being shown to me, rather than the narrator saying very bluntly what happened.

Regardless, I really enjoyed it and would recommend other people read it. I think it's comments on the education system are so well articulated, especially in the last couple chapters.

[Jenny Saltmarsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a professional book reviewer - I like what I like and I keep it simple. This book is superb - anyone who has worked through their own diagnosis of any form of neurodivergence and can bring hope, light, encouragement and positivity to this sphere should be celebrated. But this book is also beautifully written and has great depth and understanding that can only be created by someone very down to earth and real - it feels like a conversation (maybe this comes from Kaiya's performance background).
I have nothing remotely negative to say about this book - I think Kaiya should be made a life peer and permanently in charge of education. It is the one way we have of education being more than a sausage factory that fails those outside the 'norm'.
Well done Kaiya and good luck for whatever you go onto, your hard work and determination will see you through even if you take the circular route with all the distractions!

[Jayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This memoir was an absorbing, enjoyable read. It clearly highlighted how intelligent, hard working individuals can easily fall between the cracks in systems and establishments designed for one size fits all. I think the strength of the book is with the emergence of a clear and reasoned voice that will help others to see that achievement is not by bashing a round peg in a square hole but by demanding and providing different types of access that are recognised as equal. I am sure we will hear more from this author.

[David Gilani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book! Kaiya neatly describes her experience of living with an undiagnosed learning difficulty. I liked the scope of the book, how she struggled and overcame at school + how she lived at university. But I also really like how she took the time to not take her own successes as a sign that everything is fine. The book has plenty of important points about the failures of the education system / UK Government as a whole in terms of supporting those with learning difficulties.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Appreciated this more and more every chapter. British language (and school organization structures) may be a little confusing for those first encountering them, but otherwise a good option for teens as well as adults (and particularly educators).

[Sharmila Hevilambi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my piece of cake.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

love an autobiography and also really enjoyed the context this gave me about living w a learning disability!!!

[Georgina Hicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting memoir about disability and education with a touch of humour.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, funny and entertaining. I wanted to learn a bit about what it's like to have dyslexia. I didn't learn much but still enjoyed it.

[riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook, read by Kaiya Stone, last spring and it was easily one of my top books of the year.

In fact, I never shut up about it to the point that my educational coach purchased me the physical copy. So I am re-reading and annotating now.

I don't have dyslexia or dyspraxia, but I am a resource SPED teacher and work with students who qualify in the areas of reading and writing, therefore, nearly all of my caseload are students with dyslexia. I cannot ever pretend to understand what it is like to live with dyslexia, but I sure as hell will do absolutely everything I can learn how to support my students who do.

Stone's memoir is a comprehensive, funny, and honest account of growing up in a school system as a student with a learning disability. I plan to teach excerpts of this novel to my upperclassman next year. (Hence the re-read)

I cannot say enough amazing things about this book.