Uncommon Gifts

Rating:
Summary: Uncommonly Insightful
Review: James Evans' candid and clear testimonial about dealing with his ADD is an important story to be told. Autobiographically written, he manages to bring out his pain in the midst of struggling through ADD as well as his spiritual growth.

I never would've read the book had a dear friend not given it to me, just as I was learning about my own ADD. I thought it might be trite, but Evans' story of his life is filled with depth and passion. His life is far different from mine, but, boiled down, we have shared similar experiences.

Other books on ADD are out there, but for the spiritual person, especially Christians (Evans is a Presbyterian pastor), there are few sources for encouragement.

Balanced in his book, Evans shows his struggles were real, drawing him to question his gifts and wonder where God intended him to go. Through the help of a theater coach and a family who cared deeply for him, he learned how to manage his focus better.

Any person with ADD who can learn as Evans' learned to focus will see improvement in his or her job, relationships and internal life. Anyone with ADD or another LD issue knows the workplace is affected, but social (platonic) and romantic relationships are where the biggest hurts are felt. Jobs are easy to find. Friends and significant others are harder to replace. The pain of losing a job via ADD-related matters is minor when compared to losing a close friend.

The gift of this book didn't transform my life, but it did encourage me through the toughest diagnosis of my life. Like my friend realized, I needed to know other people could live successfully with ADD. Evans' shows it is a long road, but on the road is evidential growth.

I fully recommend this book.

Anthony Trendl

Rating:
Summary: well-written summary of the struggles of LD
Review: This is a well-written first person account of the LD experience. The author illustrates for the reader not only the academic difficulties experienced by the individual with LD, but also the effects of learning differently upon self-esteem, familial relationships and social relationships (often the pieces forgotten by us, the professionals). I feel that this book can be valuable for practicioners, parents and individuals with learning disabilities (particularly as they move throughout their lifespans and continuoulsy greet challenges unique to those with LD). Overall, this piece is well-written, difficult to put down and offers valuable insights that can benefit those who are LD and/or work with individuals with LD.

Rating:
Summary: well-written summary of the struggles of LD
Review: This is a well-written first person account of the LD experience. The author illustrates for the reader not only the academic difficulties experienced by the individual with LD, but also the effects of learning differently upon self-esteem, familial relationships and social relationships (often the pieces forgotten by us, the professionals). I feel that this book can be valuable for practicioners, parents and individuals with learning disabilities (particularly as they move throughout their lifespans and continuoulsy greet challenges unique to those with LD). Overall, this piece is well-written, difficult to put down and offers valuable insights that can benefit those who are LD and/or work with individuals with LD.