Normal Sucks: How to Live, Learn, and Thrive, Outside the Lines

Mooney writes to encourage people who have been trapped in the 'special ed' label to find what they are passionate about and follow that to let their true selves emerge. This may entail they--or their parents--demand the accommodations they need to succeed.
He includes a lot of history on the creation of 'normal', and shows that it really isn't a real conditon. He argues that our society is increasingly trying to narrow the range of diversity which will only end up causing us to lose the creativity and inventiveness that comes with differences. Luckily he mixes a lot of his own experiences, which makes the facts easier to move through. He also tells us of the despair felt by kids who keep trying to act normal, but can't live being a show more square peg in a round hole. You don't expect a middle schooler to feel the kind of hopelessness that leads to suicide, but it is real.
My published copy came with at least 3 dyslexic substitutions that his spellcheck didn't catch: "Interrupted" instead of "interpreted", "even" instead of "ever", and a repeated word. I still came away with the impression that this is a very intelligent person, which just goes to show that the educational labels don't mean that much.
Actually, the only value in the labels is if they get you the help you need, identify what kinds of approaches will help you learn best. Even tho a lot of his examples relate to his own expeiences of ADD and dyslexia, he includes an example that is closer to how I believe my son is: William, labelled mentally retarded, rarely speaks and barely maintains self-care, spent his class time watching the birds out the window and ignoring requests to get settled in his desk. Yet when he gives his classmates hugs, they break into smiles. Mooney describes him as having the emotional IQ of Gandhi, the spiritual intelligence of Jesus (p. 152). And these are qualities we need in this world. show less

This book made me cry, but--in, uh, a good way?