ADHD for Smart Ass Women: How to Fall in Love with Your Neurodivergent Brain

Otsuka adapts her podcast of the same name into an accessible debut guide aimed at helping women to harness their neurodivergent traits to achieve their goals. She begins by explaining what ADHD is (and isn’t), why women struggle to get diagnosed, and how it affects them differently from men—for example, women are more likely to experience inattentive-type ADHD, which is typified by a quiet demeanor and difficulties with focus and organization. Elsewhere, Otsuka helps readers “determine your personal values, strengths, skills, passions, and purpose,” explaining that defining for oneself what “a life of meaning” looks like can help those with ADHD to “pursue work, activities, or ambitions that align with who [they] truly are.” While the advice sections are far-reaching in scope, they sometimes lack the depth that listeners of Otsuka’s podcast may expect, especially in the author’s abbreviated discussion of ADHD in relationships. Still, those new to their diagnoses will glean as much valuable insight from Otsuka’s strategies (for example, how to use diet and exercise to reduce certain ADHD symptoms) as from her explanations of such matters as why emotional regulation is more difficult for neurodivergent women than neurotypical women. Delivered in lucid and unpretentious prose, this is a solid starting point for those just beginning to learn about ADHD and its effects on the brain. (Dec.)