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Divergent Mind

Thriving in a World That Wasn’t Designed For You

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Divergent Mind

By: Jenara Nerenberg
Narrated by: Tegan Ashton Cohan
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About this listen

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.

©2020 Jenara Nerenberg (P)2020 HarperAudio
Mental Health Neuroscience & Neuropsychology Autism Human Brain Inspiring
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What listeners say about Divergent Mind

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Will listen again and maybe again!

I was drawn in by the very accurate early descriptions and issues surrounding being a neurodivergent. I listened, took notes and replayed chapters ….. it has broadened and help balance the understanding I have of myself.
A book of good sense, great awareness and inspiration. If you want insight at a digestible and intelligent level …. This is good all round information.

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1 person found this helpful

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Everyone should read this

An amazing resource, especially for neurodiverse women, but would interest anyone supporting a sensitive person.

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Thank you for writing this book

As a 38 year old woman recently diagnosed with ADHD last year I can not tell you how impactful this has been for me, it's given me a language I have needed to articulate thoughts and feelings I've had all my life and to ask for the adaptations I need to thrive

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Highly recommended!

Topics I've not been familiar with before l, very informative and eye opening book.

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Validating but monotonous

Interesting and probably a book that will feel very validating to its target audience. Had to struggle the last 2-3 hours to finnish it thought, as the intonation of her voice became a bit too monotonous and the subject matter was just more of the same.

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Neurodivergence as a gift

Full of information and created with thought and feeling. Listening is so worthwhile, it may change your life and help you to understand yourself .

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Robotic voice spoils this interesting book

It’s a shame about the robotic automated audio, as the book itself sounds really interesting. Just hard to engage with it properly when you don’t have a real person reading it. Especially to people with sensory processing issues! Ironic.

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Thank you!

I have recently been going through a journey of discovery into my own neurodivergence including reckoning with the impacts this has had on my own life- both good and bad and everything in between.

Upon finishing listening to this I felt an overwhelming rush of emotion (not great at identifying what - hello neurodivergence in action).

I felt seen.I felt understood. I felt that everything that I had been thinking and debating inside my own mind had been put into words for me.

Thank you so much for this book

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great

I've listened to many neurodiversity books and this one described my personal experience the best. it gave me the vocabulary to voice my experience

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New insights

The book has really helped me understand a life time struggle of reactive behaviour when over stimulated, exhaustion and over empathy that has pulled me to work tirelessly for others. I have a need to be alone that my family and friends don't understand and nor did I until reading Divergent Minds. Thank you

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4 people found this helpful