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BOOK REVIEWS
“Mr. Polis’ Book will help
so many parents who keep asking, ‘Why do you do that?’
Parents have told me that his explanations have given
them new insight into their children. Despite hundreds
of books on the disorder, adolescents have written few,
if any… Until Now…
-- New York Times
(Article by Laurie Tarkan)
‘I’ve
read so many books and articles written by
professionals, but this book makes it all come together.
Among the most revolutionary points for parents, she
says: Polis description of why kids with ADHD have after
school tantrums, with often explosive and destructive
results.”
-- USA Today
(Article by Karen Thomas)
"Diagnosed
at age eight with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD), Australian Polis bullies classmates, downs a
power line with a fishing spear on a family vacation
and is suspended for stunts like molding a face that
resembles a penis in art class. "ADHD kids just
don’t understand the concept of being subtle,"
he observes. The first two-thirds of this book, written
when Polis was 19, recall his harrowing school days
and family life in Melbourne. The last third, written
more recently (he’s now 23), is more a primer
for parents of ADHD kids, particularly boys. Now better
able to cope, Polis discusses how and when to use medication,
how to teach ADHD children to enjoy reading, and other
related issues. Many of Polis’s former teachers
and classmates are surprised that he graduated from
college and is now an author. "It only took six
schools, five thousand detentions, three hundred days
of suspension and a case of Ritalin," he says dryly.
He also had a supportive family, good private school
teachers and a caring psychiatrist. There are many guides
to managing ADHD, but this powerful inside account is
unique."
--
Publisher's Review Weekly
"ONLY
A MOTHER COULD LOVE HIM is a book to make you understand--understand
people you read about, people you live with, maybe understand
yourself. In his funny, honest, and moving account of
growing up with ADD, Ben Polis speaks with the wise
voice of a young man who has struggled hard with invisible
demons--but also with the wisecracking voice of a smart
and perceptive child, who has understood more than anyone
might have expected. He makes you laugh, and he makes
you admire his courage, his talent, his tenacity, and
his sense of humor."
--
Perri Klass, MD, Medical Director and President, Reach
Out and Read National Center Associate Professor of
Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine
"[Only a Mother Could Love Him is] a wonderful
and very poignant view of ADD from the inside looking
out. The book has a wisdom that can only come from someone
who has lived it. Mr. Polis' combination of honesty
and perceptiveness makes it an inspirational book for
anyone who has ADD, but especially for anyone who must
deal with an ADD child. It was a great pleasure to read."
-- Anthony E. Wolf Ph.D
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