The comedian Robin Ince was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 52. Suddenly, everything – his lifelong burble of anxiety, self-criticism, social discomfort and ‘mad’ racing thoughts – made sense. A burden had been lifted. It’s OK to feel that way. It’s normal, whatever ‘normal’ is.
A wise, witty, thoughtful, comforting and compassionate book, Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal: My
Adventures in Neurodiversity traces the author’s own story in sensitive tandem with a panoply of neurodiverse interviewees and academic research.
- Poetry is perfect for my ADHD mind – one that is after endless dopamine hits
- The relief of adult ADHD recognition
- From neurodivergent meltdown to lucid thinking: Understanding the mind of someone with ADHD
Ince never generalises, but common themes include childhood trauma, PTSD, bullying, a searing sense of justice and – more light-heartedly, but it’s all connected – a voracious passion for Doctor Who, horror films and accumulating a vast mountain of knowledge and ‘stuff’.
In his introduction, Ince declares (not at all seriously) that he will cure the reader of their anxiety. It’s not a self-help book, he just hopes it helps. It does. It’s a valuable piece of work.
Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal: My Adventures in Neurodiversity by Robin Ince is out now (Macmillan, £20). You can buy it from the Big Issue shop on bookshop.org, which helps to support Big Issue and independent bookshops.
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