Rating: 
Summary: Helped me, help me
Review: I am an adult ADHD sufferer. This book was recommended by a doctor/friend of mine - it is great. It gives examples of real people with ADD and ADHD and what they do, that characterize the ADD symptoms. As I read the book, I realized that I could replace my name with the person they would talking about. It helped me to realize that some of the things I do, are not that I am stupid, but are just due to my lack of focus and "need for speed" in they way my life runs. Because of this book I was able to get medicated to help my focus and have recommended it to many others seeking the answer.
Rating:
Summary: This is a good book
Review: I started to read this book two years ago, but I could never get past the first few chapters. I'd put it down and pick it up again, over and over. Then one day I read the last chapter. Took a walk came home and read the book cover to cover in one night. I recommend this hit because now I'm cured.
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Summary: The classic on the subject of ADD
Review: This book on tape changed my life. At age 41, I finally got the answers to why some things were always so difficult for me. This book is loaded with both diagnostic info to answer the question "Am I ADD?" and practical tips to living with ADD. ADD has become something of a fad disease, so I appreciate that this is a book written by one of the top psychiatrists in the field. While practical, the book stays factual and sticks to those things which have been clinically proven. See also the reader reviews for the paper version.
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Summary: This book helped change my life - Fantastic Book!
Review: 2 years ago, I was diagnosed with Adult ADD, and this book helped to understand that I am not the only one with this problem. It provided me with a complete understanding of what Adult ADD is, and that medication is only a partial treatment for dealing with this problem.
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Summary: excellent source for information
Review: A friend loaned me this book in hardcover, and I read the introduction, gave it back to her immediately and went out and bought my own copy. I wanted to underline like crazy, and didn't want to mark her book! I was labeled a "space cadet" and "lazy" all through elementary school. I knew I was smart, but just couldn't complete ANYTHING. When as a mother, I searched to discover why my son was not succeeding in school, I learned about Attention Deficit Disorder. I count it a family victory to finally know what the heck was going on with me,my son, and my over 70 year old father. This book is an excellent resource for learning you are not alone, that there are strategies that can assist with coping, and then you can show the world how brilliant you really are! Hurray, for John Ratey and Ned Hallowell. Maggie in Maryland
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Summary: A superbly balanced and rigorous text for all readers
Review: Whether lay public or professionals in the field, this is the best book you'll find on Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). I treat patients who have ADD; many come bearing a well-marked copy of this book to say they've found themselves in it. To the others, I routinely recommend they read it before we finalize the diagnosis or decide on treatment. The tone throughout is rigorously scientific yet informal, relatively free of jargon, approachable by anyone with a high school education, and very supportive to the sufferer without being patronizing. It contains no propaganda, a rare virtue in books about ADD. Although written by physicians (who themselves are sufferers), it does not shill for medication management at the expense of alternative treatments that have been scientifically validated as effective. This is the ideal book for sufferers and their families, for teachers and those who evaluate the learning problems of children and adults, and for all health care providers. For those who find it hard to read, another book by these authors, Answers to Distraction, is written in an easier, sound bite format. Both books are available on audiotape, often the best way for the ADDers to "read". -Phil Torrance MD (Diplomate in Psychiatry)
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Summary: A wonderful resource
Review: I wanted to get this book for weeks before someone finally picked it up for me. Of course this is also one of the signs of ADD, procrastination. It is well written and easy to follow. I definitely reccomend it.
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Summary: An must read for anyone with ADD
Review: I am a 23 year old college who has ADD and this is one of the best books I have ever read. I found out I had ADD 2 years ago, and then found that most people knew very little about it. Even my doctor had little knowledge of what it is really like to live with this disorder every day. The author himself has ADD, and can accurately relate what it is like. I found this book to be insightful, funny, and very informative. I was so absorbed in this book, I found myself reading 100+ pages in one sitting. When I was done reading, I was dismayed that there was no more to read. Thanks to this book, I now have a better grasp on my disorder, and know about it than my doctor.
Rating: 
Summary: Flowery nonsense
Review: If you've already been down the typical path with your child, namely: (1) Child has a problem in school, (2) Child fidgets in front of school "psychologist," (3) Referred to local pediatric physician, (4) received script for psychostimulants, and (5) started giving child the drugs, you'll like this book. It will make you feel good about yourself, your parenting style, and your decision. At least give yourself the chance to see the other side of the story. You only have one child - read the book "Unraveling the ADD/ADHD Fiasco" by David B. Stein, Ph.D. If you are still convinced that the drug route is the way to go, follow the "1-2-3 Magic" types of parenting techniques (or have a "family meeting" and solicit input from your little child who has no tools to solve this problem), and when that doesn't work, administer the drugs. OK - I've probably made some folks angry, and I'll concede that there are a relatively small percentage of children and adults that suffer from disorders (with symptoms like those attributed to ADD/ADHD) that are improved through these drugs, including Ritalin. But, keep in mind that in some schools 50% of the male childern are "ADHD" diagnosed and on Ritalin or similar drugs. No one in their right mind could possibly believe that 50% of children have something called ADD/ADHD that requires treatment with Schedule 2 drugs. I'm not writing for those few percent that maybe have a real disease that is helped by drugs. I'm writing for the 95% of children who are on Ritalin and don't need to be. This book will lead you in a direction that your child doesn't necessarily need to go. By the way, the book never mentions that Ritalin and similar medicines are "Schedule II" drugs, or what these are. As a parent, I hope you'll ask your doctor - or better still - do your own research on what Ritalin does in the body and its addictive and abuse potential. Rebut this information if you wish, but I didn't see anything in this book expressing outrage over 33 - 50% of little children being forced to take addictive drugs because some counseler, teacher, parent and doctor didn't want to do some hard work and rule out that the child's behavior can possibly be remedied by something other than drugs.
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Summary: The ONE & ONLY BOOK you need to read on the subject!
Review: After finding out that my youngest son had ADHD, I picked up this book and started reading. It was almost like looking into a mirror that showed my life: Further, it described many people in my family! I went to a Stanford psychiatrist for input and am now taking Ritalin. This book may have actually saved my life: I now understand my need for change, my attraction to violence, my Type-A behavior, even my claustrophobia--everything. It was as heartbreaking as it was a relief to find out that there was a name for what I was going through--that there was help available--and most important, that I was not alone. I will have to deal with this affliction for the rest of my life. If you or anyone you know may have either of these maddening disorders, please help by reading this book.
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