Book Reviews

As a therapist, I often suggest books to my clients to help them understand their struggles and know they’re not alone. Cynthia Hammer's Living with Inattentive ADHD, which describes her journey from grieving to healing, is such a book.

Cynthia vividly describes how ADHD confounds and, at times, paralyzes her. You'll grieve alongside her as she discovers the truth about her diagnosis and the “new” reality of living with ADHD as an informed person.

If you have ever questioned whether you have Inattentive ADHD, Living with Inattentive ADHD will bring you clarity and a deep understanding of this topic. Cynthia’s story shows that it's never too late to create a new path in life.

Lisa Rabinowitz, LCPC, Certified Gottman Therapist ,Specializing in couples with ADHD

Cynthia Hammer’s Living with Inattentive ADHD is a compelling and, at times, harrowing journey through a life lived with the disorder. Filled with valuable insights based on Cynthia’s professional knowledge and personal experience, it is a tale of struggle, tragedy, growth, and, ultimately, hope. It deserves a place next to the most important scholarship on ADHD, as well as indelible personal memoirs.

Brendan Mahan, M.Ed., M.S., Host, the ADHD Essentials podcast.

Cynthia Hammer has written one of the best personal accounts of the realities of adult ADHD. No matter where you are in your ADHD journey, you can learn much from her struggles—some of which are heart-wrenching—and her many insights and solutions. This memoir is indispensable for those who want to learn to live with ADHD.

Alan P. Brown, ADHD/Productivity Coach

Cynthia has turned a lifetime of challenging emotions and behaviors into a highly relatable memoir, in which those with ADHD will clearly recognize themselves. After reading her memoir I no longer feel alone or ashamed of my missteps because from understanding comes growth.

Caroline Stokes, CEC, PCC, Executive Business Sustainability Coach

Cynthia Hammer’s brave memoir shows readers the ups and downs, the heartbreaks and thrills, of a life lived well, with purpose, and with ADHD.

J. Russell Ramsay, Ph.D., ABPP, Professor of Clinical Psychology in Psychiatry,

University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine

Cynthia Hammer has spent decades immersed in the science and politics of ADHD, but her most powerful contribution is the bravery, humor, and skill that she has brought to illuminating her lifetime struggle with the disorder. Read this book for powerful insights into what it really feels like to live with this vexing, perplexing condition.

Katherine Ellison, Author and Pulitzer Prize-winning Journalist

Cynthia Hammer has packed a lifetime of pain and joy into this page-turner of a memoir. She tells the poignant story of how she discovered later in life that she had ADHD, and came to terms as best she could with all the damage it did (as well as the blessings it bestowed). This slim volume, written with precision and breath-taking honesty, is an inspiring tale, understated but as clear as the trumpets of Jericho.

Dr. Edward Hallowell, Founder, Hallowell ADHD Centers

In a world where ADHD is misrepresented by the media, social influencers, and the anti-psychiatry movement, it is refreshing to read Cynthia Hammer's candid and illuminating account of her struggles with inattentive ADHD and her path to recovery. Anyone who wants to know what it means to live with ADHD, especially inattentive ADHD, needs to read this book.

Stephen V. Faraone, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor and Vice Chair for Research

Department of Psychiatry, Norton College of Medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical University

With wisdom and humor in equal measure, Cynthia Hammer has written a highly readable and useful book on ADHD. She never spares the reader from the pain of this devastating disorder, and yet she offers a positive and optimistic view on how to live with ADHD. I highly recommend this book to lay and professional readers alike.

Rakesh Jain, MD, MPH, Associate Clinical Professor,

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Medical School

This book is wonderful. Cynthia’s honesty, insight, and sense of humor about her lifelong ADHD will be both a comfort and inspiration to others.

Kathleen G. Nadeau, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist