Description
Book SynopsisA newly revised and updated edition of the classic guide to reframing our view of ADHD and embracing its benefits
* Explains that people with ADHD are not disordered or dysfunctional, but simply “hunters in a farmer’s world”--possessing a unique mental skill set that would have allowed them to thrive in a hunter-gatherer society
* Offers concrete non-drug methods and practices to help hunters--and their parents, teachers, and managers--embrace their differences, nurture creativity, and find success in school, at work, and at home
* Reveals how some of the world’s most successful people can be labeled as ADHD hunters, including Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, and Andrew Carnegie
With 10 percent of the Western world’s children suspected of having Attention Deficit Disorder, or ADHD, and a growing number of adults self-diagnosing after decades of struggle, the question must be raised: How could Nature make such a “mistake”?
In this updated edition of his groundbreaking classic, Thom Hartmann explains that people with ADHD are not abnormal, disordered, or dysfunctional, but simply “hunters in a farmer’s world.” Often highly creative and single-minded in pursuit of a self-chosen goal, those with ADHD symptoms possess a unique mental skill set that would have allowed them to thrive in a hunter-gatherer society. As hunters, they would have been constantly scanning their environment, looking for food or threats (distractibility); they’d have to act without hesitation (impulsivity); and they’d have to love the high-stimulation and risk-filled environment of the hunting field. With our structured public schools, office workplaces, and factories those who inherit a surplus of “hunter skills” are often left frustrated in a world that doesn’t understand or support them.
As Hartmann shows, by reframing our view of ADHD, we can begin to see it not as a disorder, but as simply a difference and, in some ways, an advantage. He reveals how some of the world’s most successful people can be labeled as ADHD hunters and offers concrete non-drug methods and practices to help hunters--and their parents, teachers, and managers--embrace their differences, nurture creativity, and find success in school, at work, and at home. Providing a supportive “survival” guide to help fine tune your natural skill set, rather than suppress it, Hartmann shows that each mind--whether hunter, farmer, or somewhere in between--has value and great potential waiting to be tapped.
Trade Review“In this groundbreaking book, Thom Hartmann makes a unique contribution to our understanding of ADHD. In considering ADHD in an evolutionary context, Thom was the first to point out the survival advantages of ADHD in hunter-gatherer societies and also the first to identify the link between ADHD and creativity. As such, Thom will be recognized as a pioneer contributing to the reconceptualization of ADHD from being considered only a ‘disorder’ to being viewed as a ‘mode of thought’ characterized by enhanced flexibility and creativity.” * Richard Silberstein, professor emeritus of cognitive neuroscience at Swinburne University *
“It is refreshing to find a book that places ADHD in a framework that does not imply dysfunction. . . . The metaphor of a ‘hunter in a farmer’s world’ fits so many of the ADHD youngsters and adults with whom I have worked.” * Margaret (Peg) Dawson, Ed.D., NCSP, codirector of the Center for Learning and Attention Disorders *
“Why are attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and related conditions so common? Could they in some way be advantageous? These questions and some possible answers are woven through this book, providing basic factual information about ADHD with a twist that helps readers recognize the value--sometimes quite special--of people who have it.” * Dale E. Hammerschmidt, M.D., FACP, emeritus professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota *
“This book did for our family what years of being in and out of therapy failed to accomplish. It helped us to understand and appreciate each other’s unique way of doing and seeing.” * Janie Bowman, mother of an ADHD adolescent *
“A clear and positive view of our remarkable children with practical tips for the parent.” * Stephen C. Davidson, M.Ed., founding member of “Safe Kids” of Georgia *
“I highly recommend this book to parents and educators.” * Jack Neerincx, Ph.D., supervising psychologist of Gaston County Schools, North Carolina *
“This book helped me better understand ADHD and gave me practical strategies on how to deal with these children in the classroom.” * Anne Bennett, special education teacher, grades K-8 *
“ADHDers aren’t abnormal; they are uniquely gifted individuals in their own right. Thom Hartmann describes these ideas in a book that belongs in the hands of every educator, counselor, doctor, and parent.” * Learning Disabilities Newsletter *
Table of ContentsFOREWORD Re-affirming the Value of All Human Beings by Michael Popkin
PREFACE
From Minimal Brain Damage to Hyperactivity to ADHD
INTRODUCTIONHunters and Farmers Twenty Years Later
PART ONE UNDERSTANDING HUNTERS AND FARMERS
ONE ADHD as a State of Mind
TWO How to Recognize Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
THREE Hunters in Our Schools and Offices: The Origin of ADHD
FOUR “Normal” People: The Origins of Agriculture
FIVE Baseline States of Consciousness
SIX Could Someone with ADHD Have Survivedin a Primitive Hunting Society?
SEVEN Hunters and Farmers Vindicated by Science
EIGHT What Maslow Overlooked: The Need to Feel Alive
NINECan Parents’ Smoking Cause Childhood Behavior Problems?
PART TWO LIVING AND THRIVING IN THE FARMER’S WORLD
TEN How to Turn a “Disorder” Back into a Skill: A Survival Guide for ADHD Adults
ELEVEN
The Hunter’s Struggle: Impulse and Its Control
TWELVE How to Work with a Hunter: Practical Advice for Managers, Parents, and Teachers
THIRTEENStudying and Paying Attention
FOURTEEN Creativity and ADHD: A Brilliant and Flexible Mind
FIFTEEN ADHD and Sleep
SIXTEEN
Hunters on Drugs
SEVENTEEN Halfway to the Stars:How Unrealized ADHD Can Limit an Apparently Successful Life
EIGHTEEN A Disorganized Collection of “Hunter in a Farmer’s World” Anecdotes
NINETEEN
The Edison Trait: Hunters Who Have Changed the World
EPILOGUE Older and Younger Cultures: Further Thoughts on Cultural Anthropology and Our Future Acknowledgments
AFTERWORDA Legacy of Hope
by Ellen B. Littman About the Author
by Dave deBronkart Also by Thom Hartmann
Bibliography
Index
