ADHD & Me. What I Learned from Lighting Fires at the Dinner Table

Editorial Review

Blake Taylor's memoir, written when he was 17, offers, for the first time, a young person's account of what it's like to live and grow up with this common condition. Join Blake as he foils bullies, confronts unfair teachers, struggles with distraction and disorganization on exams, and goes sailing out-of-bounds and ends up with a boatload of spiders. It will be an inspiration and companion to the millions of others like him who must find a way to thrive with a different perspective than many of us.

The book features an introduction by psychologist Lara Honos-Webb, author of The Gift of ADHD, and a leading advocate for kids with ADHD.

Blake's mother first suspected he had ADHD when he, at only three years of age, tried to push his infant sister in her carrier off the kitchen table. As time went by, Blake developed a reputation for being hyperactive and impulsive. He launched rockets (accidentally) into neighbor's swimming pools and set off alarms in museums. Blake was diagnosed formally with ADHD when he was five years old. In this book, he tells about the next twelve years as he learns to live with both the good and bad sides of life with ADHD.

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Customer Reviews

AHDH and me

2008-10-01
Enjoyably insightful. More indepth than a lot of texts yet easy reading. Must reading for parents,teachers and disciplinarians of students with AHDH.

Giving an insight for parents

2008-09-09
I recommend this book to anyone who has a child with ADHD or even PDD syndrome. Like many others who have placed their comments on this site, I wasn't looking for the medical version of what happens to kids with ADHD, I wanted to find out how a child was feels.

I felt very connected, while reading this and it has given me such an insight, that I finally feel like I can actually help my son. The stories were relatable, the solutions that Blake recommends are practical and age appropriate. The best part, it is written by someone who's been there, and came out the other side a success.

Enlightening and Helpful

2008-07-03
I provide therapy to children with ADHD and their families. This book is extremely helpful in allowing parents to understand why their children sometimes act the ways they do. It is also something that parents can read with their children so they communicate with one another about the symptoms of ADHD. This allows other children with ADHD to see that they are not alone in their experience and to understand that there is a reason why they feel they way they do.

Amazing

2008-07-02
This book is amazing, so much wisdom from someone so young and with a disability such as ADHD. Blake has become an inspiration to both me and my son who has ADHD and is struggling with social skills in school. I would highly recommend this book to all children, adults, teachers, parents who has someone with ADHD. For we already know what remarkable and speacial people we have.

Special Gifts for ADHD people!

2008-06-04
Blake.E.S.Taylor is such a sophisticated young man, isn't he? I wasn't smart enough to tell you my ADHD logically based on my experiences when I was his age, and I am still not! And most of the symptoms written in his book are quite similar to my childhood. I could have clearly shown you the strategies not only on ADHD but also developmental disabilities like him if I had been diagnosed with ADHD and PDD(=Pervasive Developmental Disorder) earlier. I didn't know anything about developmental disabilities when I was younger. Besides, even in my college days, I couldn't eliminate my impulsiveness and hyperactivity, which often stood out in my English classes given by English-speaking teachers. One day I mumbled,"Jesus."during my class so nobody noticed it, because I was very cranky and stressed. However, the teacher recognized and blew up,"If you swear, please leave! I have to be strict on that and I'm pretty serious." I got so stunned that I had no choice but to apologize to him. How embarrassed! He implicitly told me how to learn from such a big mistake, though...
Anyway, Blake couldn't have written ADHD & Me: What I Learned from Lighting Fires at the Dinner Table, if he was less mature. Even though his ADHD still remains, I'm sure his experiences will reinforce the strategies to tackle ADHD!

ADHD & Me - A World Class Story

2008-05-20

The book features an introduction by psychologist Lara Honos-Webb, author of The Gift of ADHD, and a leading advocate for kids with ADHD.

great reference guide

2008-05-08
This is a great book! It is very down to earth and informative. I'm a clinical psychologist and also have ADHD, so I'm always on the lookout for books to give people who are trying to understand and deal with this disorder. I will definitely be recommending this one.

Shana

2008-04-27
Thought this effort was a bit disappointing.......It was trying to be dramatic but fell short of holding my interest.

ADHD & Me: What I learned from Lighting Fires at the Dinner Table

2008-04-15
This is the best book on ADHD I have read. I read it cover to cover in one day and felt that I really understood my son so much better after reading the perspective of a now young man who struggled through what my Son is going through now. I have a new appreciation and strength to make sure I am supporting what he needs in every way.

Informative

2008-04-14
It was really nice to read something that was written by someone who understands and has experienced everything that goes along with ADHD. It applies more so to teenagers than my son who is 7. Although it was very informative for me as parent to read. Each chapter addresses a certain characteristic of ADHD and ways to cope with it. Definitely recommend if you have a teenager.