Free Spirit Publishing’s latest release, ADHD in HD: Brains Gone Wild is—by far—the coolest book about ADHD in existence. It’s so “melting your face off with the flames of awesomeness” cool, that I can’t imagine a cooler book coming along anytime soon. It’s written by Jonathan Chesner, a 27 year old surfer/actor/artist/entrepreneur from San Diego, who was diagnosed with ADHD at age seven (and hasn’t slowed down since).
Aimed at teens and young adults with “special brains,” the book is part dude-to-dude tete-a-tete and part eye-candy smorgasbord; a combination of short, humorous essays-slash-advice-columns embedded in edgy, imaginative artwork and illustrations, created by designer Tasha Kenyon, under Chesner’s art direction. The book’s fast pace and engaging format will appeal even to those teens who typically wouldn’t willingly touch a book—especially one about ADHD—with a ten foot pole.
Surfer-dude talk aside, Chesner’s guidance about thriving with a “special brain” and the often hard-earned wisdom he shares—about school, homework, friends, girls, diet, distractions, careers— is delivered from a unique angle, in a way never done before. Young adult readers will both learn and be inspired, while feeling like they’ve just made a new friend.
Here’s an example of Chesner’s pithy council:
“One of my favorite phrases is ‘You do you, I’ll do me.’…what ‘You do you, I’ll do me’ is meant for is when someone wants you to explain something—especially something personal—that really doesn’t concern him or her. Do I need to justify the color of my shoelaces? If after talking with my doctor and family, do I really need to defend to some random stranger why I’m taking a certain medication? Does the gas station attendant really need to know why I like eating honey out of a jar? People love to question anything and insert their opinion into things that don’t really affect them….you can bet your sweet britches that if you see me on the street and ask me, ‘Jonathan, why are you wearing a professional wrestling championship belt?’ you’ll hear: ‘You do you, I’ll do me.’” (from pages 14-15)
Pick up a copy of ADHD in HD: Brains Gone Wild. I promise; you’ll be slayed by its radness.
Kay Marner is a freelance writer and editor. Marner is the co-editor of Easy to Love but Hard to Raise and a frequent contributor to ADDitude magazine.
