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Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey
Delivered from Distraction
Getting the Most out of Life with Attention Deficit Disorder
Ballantine, 2005
What's inside?
If you have ADD, you already know it can be a curse. Did you know it could also be a blessing?
Recommendation
All educators, HR professionals and parents should read this book, along with those who are concerned that they might have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Doctors Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey obviously know what they are talking about: Both have coped with ADD and flourished, in part due to it. They share case studies that illustrate how harrowing life with ADD can be, but they never relinquish their supportive tone. In fact, the book is so reassuring, and so consistently champions the possibilities of treatment and a successful life, that this advocacy is probably its main (though minor) weakness. The authors sound a positive note so strongly that it may overstate the case. This is most evident when cheering the successes of children with ADD, and schools that support them. That one fleck of salt aside, this book is very careful. It discusses the possibilities, even the likelihoods, of misdiagnoses. It reviews mainstream treatments, other treatments for which much professional experience but few studies exist, and new or experimental treatments for which little data exists, describing each and distinguishing among them. Given that it is organized to take the target audience’s needs into account, and full of rich metaphors and personal asides, getAbstract finds this book as pleasant as it is useful.
Summary
About the Authors
Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey are doctors who have ADD. Both served on the faculty at the Harvard Medical School. In 1995, they co-authored Driven to Distraction (also on ADD), and each has independently published other books and articles.
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