Diane M. Kennedy

I was quite disappointed in this book, which I was drawn to by the intriguing title. First, the book is authored by two women who draw heavily on their personal experiences as mothers. While nothing is wrong with memoirs or anecdotal stories, I felt that this book was trying to pass itself off as written by experts, especially with Temple Grandin having consulted on the book. Second, I found the writing quite biased and preachy, especially as regards ADHD and medication. Finally, the book show more was written in 2011, and there has been a lot of research in this area since then, including significant revisions to the DSM regarding autism, that make some of their arguments dated and erroneous. show less

This was pretty fascinating to me. I wish I could stockpile copies to give out to physicians, parents, teachers--anyone dealing with children! We really need to increase awareness and UNDERSTANDING of autism spectrum disorders, and I think the connection between autism and ADHD is definitely worth further research as the author suggests.

Also, as a Christian myself, I appreciated the author's interjection of scripture. Her references from Corinthians and Romans about people being "one body" show more struck me. Travis Nay cites Romans 12:4-8: "Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully." This rings so true to me! Our differences--autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, or otherwise--are important because of what they allow us to do and how they enable us to help each other. We all need each other, disabled and non-disabled alike, and increased understanding can only benefit us all. show less

Book Title: "Bright Not Broken”
Author: Diane M. Kennedy & Rebecca S. Banks
Published By: Jossey Bass an imprint of Wiley
Age Recommended: 17+
Reviewed By: Kitty Bullard
Raven Rating: 5

Review: This is a wonderful book that takes you on a journey in which the reader is taught that having a child with Autism, ADHD, ADD, or any other behavioral or mind challenging disease is not the end of the world.
This book gives hope for those that feel there is none. Being a mother of a child with ADD, I can show more honestly say this book is well worth the buy.
Whether you have a child or grandchild that suffers from one of these afflictions it is still a great book that has an endless amount of valuable information. show less

I loved about half the book, the rest didn't speak to me. Some excellent suggestions but too ambitious for me in the end.