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    Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn’t Designed For You
    Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn’t Designed For You
    Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn’t Designed For You
    Audiobook6 hours

    Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn’t Designed For You

    Written by Jenara Nerenberg

    Narrated by Tegan Ashton Cohan

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    A paradigm-shifting study of neurodivergent women—those with ADHD, autism, synesthesia, high sensitivity, and sensory processing disorder—exploring why these traits are overlooked in women and how society benefits from allowing their unique strengths to flourish.

    As a successful Harvard and Berkeley-educated writer, entrepreneur, and devoted mother, Jenara Nerenberg was shocked to discover that her “symptoms”--only ever labeled as anxiety-- were considered autistic and ADHD. Being a journalist, she dove into the research and uncovered neurodiversity—a framework that moves away from pathologizing “abnormal” versus “normal” brains and instead recognizes the vast diversity of our mental makeups. 

      

    When it comes to women, sensory processing differences are often overlooked, masked, or mistaken for something else entirely. Between a flawed system that focuses on diagnosing younger, male populations, and the fact that girls are conditioned from a young age to blend in and conform to gender expectations, women often don’t learn about their neurological differences until they are adults, if at all. As a result, potentially millions live with undiagnosed or misdiagnosed neurodivergences, and the misidentification leads to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and shame. Meanwhile, we all miss out on the gifts their neurodivergent minds have to offer.

    Divergent Mind is a long-overdue, much-needed answer for women who have a deep sense that they are “different.” Sharing real stories from women with high sensitivity, ADHD, autism, misophonia, dyslexia, SPD and more, Nerenberg explores how these brain variances present differently in women and dispels widely-held misconceptions (for example, it’s not that autistic people lack sensitivity and empathy, they have an overwhelming excess of it).

    Nerenberg also offers us a path forward, describing practical changes in how we communicate, how we design our surroundings, and how we can better support divergent minds. When we allow our wide variety of brain makeups to flourish, we create a better tomorrow for us all.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateMar 24, 2020
    ISBN9780062877499
    Author

    Jenara Nerenberg

    JENARA NERENBERG lectures widely on neuroscience, innovation, sensitivity, leadership, and diversity. Selected as a “brave new idea” presenter by the Aspen Institute for her work on re-framing mental differences, Jenara is also the founder and host of The Neurodiversity Project. She holds degrees from the Harvard School of Public Health and UC Berkeley. Her work has been published in Fast Company, New York magazine, Susan Cain’s Quiet Revolution, Garrison Institute, Elaine Aron’s HSP, Healthline, KQED, and elsewhere. In addition to her work as a journalist, Jenara is a frequent workshop facilitator, speaker, and event host for institutions including the Stanford Graduate School of Business and elsewhere in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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    Reviews for Divergent Mind

    4.5/5

    289 ratings33 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      This book is a sort of safe place to land for adhd women. With so few options for adult adhd literature, this one should be on everyone’s bookshelf.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This was fascinating. Really accessibly information and great narration. Recommend!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Mind blown listening to this! How has it taken 51 years to understand so much. Thank you so much ?

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Not necessarily a scientific book, no reference to research papers or biology in any way. It seems more like a very long personal essay where the author (a journalist) interviews people and discovers more about her own neural divergent. Lots of talk about “feelings” and “open mindedness”.
      Not what I was looking for but maybe you would be into it.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I can’t even put into words how this made me feel emotional and overwhelmed but in positive OMG this is MEEE ? I need my family to listen. Thank you so much for this book snd all the work put into the research Thank you!! ?

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Very well written, the pace was great too. Easy to follow. I bookmarked so many pages! Thank you for writing this book.
    • 4/5
      Very engaging and informative overview of neurodivergence and the advances being made in our understanding and approach to support for neurodivergent people.
      Gave me lots of places to deepen my personal exploration of this topic.
    • 1/5
      Disgusting and sexust writing. Chunks of loud key phrases and words being thrown at listener. No thank you..
    • 5/5
      Very suitable for neurodivergents, anyone feeling a bit different from childhood for whatever reason, entourage of neurodivergents, therapists, people & culture and HR professionals willing to actually embrace the word diversity companies claim to welcome.

      Finally a fresh take on neurodiversity begging to stop pathologising differences. Bold analogies with other diversity traits that used to be considered mental illnesses - such as homosexuality. Let's take the next step to understand and accept each other.
    • 5/5
      This is the perfect book to begin to discover your own or others neurodivergent minds. From autism to Sensory disorders, ADHD, you will feel seen and gain a deeper understanding of yourself and those around you
    • 4/5
      This is a good listen overall (audiobook), but there is too much opinion pressed in the early parts.
    • 5/5
      Life changing. Not many professionals know about this. It explains allot of things.
    • 5/5
      Amazing... I am definitely recommending this to everyone I know.
    • 5/5
      Even if this is your first introduction into the world of neuro divergency it is an amazingly written book. Even though it focuses on women I feel that every gender will benefit from this book.

      Not as scientific yet far more sociological. Putting the experience into an everyday perspective. As most others have mentioned. You really feel seen :)
    • 5/5
      Enlightening and beyond helpful. Especially as someone who is late diagnosed ADHD, and likely on the autism spectrum and (as I’ve now realized) a highly sensitive person, or HSP, this book helped me find definitions for things I’ve been experiencing for years and language to help me communicate these things at home and at work.
      10/10 definitely recommending this book to everyone—even those who don’t think they know anyone who is neurodivergent.
    • 4/5
      Really great overview of the nuances of neurodiversity and how it can be understood and improved in society. However, i really feel like the focus on the experience of this from a woman’s perspective is short-sighted and really could speak to all people with neurodivergence.
    • 5/5
      Community, celebration of self, and informed growth. I love it!
    • 5/5
      Well written and thoroughly researched. It is packed full of useful information from language, labels and diagnoses to simple tools that those who are neurodivergent can utilise to adapt and manage in this sensory-overloading world.
      I am not neurodivergent, but learnt such a lot in reading this that will help me better support those with neurodiversity in my life.
      A fascinating reframing of ‘disorder’ to welcome difference and the wonder of human skills and perceptions. Well worth a read.
    • 5/5
      Brilliant! Should be made mandatory for all educators, doctors, healthworkers. Everyone who work with kids and young adults. To be honest, all parents too. Amazing!
    • 5/5
      This book is very concise in how being nuerodivergent presents differently in AFABs (A female at birth). The author gives many examples as well as stories from people they have interviewed.
      I found myself making a little mental check mark to almost every autistic marker. This book is a great starting point and will be beneficial when I seek my own ADHD/Autism diagnosis.

      The author really made it a point to not feel shame or guilt over being different. Instead, they changed language around from “disorder” to “difference” which really helped readers to think differently about sensory processing. I’m going to listen to this book again and go back to bookmarked areas. So many places of helpful ideas.

      A definite read and/or listen to anyone suspecting they might be autistic, ADHD, SPD, etc.
    • 5/5
      Be prepared to be hurt mentally of you identify as female
    • 5/5
      A very clear and open look into a wider perspective on HSP, Autism and ADHD for women. Great insight, thank you.
    • 5/5
      My God, what a great book! I had no idea that my adhd, spd and synaesthesia was related to my long standing anxiety and feelings of being different to everyone. Excellent read.
    • 5/5
      I felt Heard, for the first time in my life. At 51 I found answers to my life looking like it does and the challenges I have faced.
    • 5/5
      true, informative, and a hope that what is said does become the reality that is necessary!
    • 5/5
      Really insightful! Learned so much. Definitely recommend!!! There is so much to adhd than I ever knew. I honestly always thought it was hyper disorder. Than I found this book.
    • 5/5
      Incredible book that has taught me so much about neurodiversity in women. Read this because my daughter has been “diagnosed” as on the spectrum and this book gave me so much insight into what her daily experience is like. Highly recommended, especially for teachers and parents with neurodiverse kids.
    • 5/5
      It truly gives you insight into what it means to be neurodivergent. Those of us who think differently and view the world differently. I love all the resources. Half way through i purchased the physical book.
    • 2/5
      Light on research, heavy on opinion. The author is very stuck on labels and a sort of victim heroism attitude. Some good interviews and info on occupational therapy. Lots of anecdotes that seem to be mostly from people in the author's own social network for neurodivergence activism -- a relevant subgroup, but hardly a representative one.

      5 people found this helpful

    • 3/5
      written with good intentions but it mixes information about ADHD, autism, being sensitive without care for the differences between those. It may be a good starting point for exploration of what it means to be neurodivergent but afterwards you may be confused when other books speak differently about it. Focusing on women is very important since they are truly forgotten when talking about mental disorders so points for that

      3 people found this helpful