Curated Resources
a collection of books and tools to support your growth and well-being.
Non-fiction books on Autism, ADHD, & neurodivergence
A deep dive into the spectrum of Autistic experience and the phenomenon of masked Autism, giving individuals the tools to safely uncover their true selves while broadening society’s narrow understanding of neurodiversity.
Dr. Devon Price shares his personal experience with masking and blends history, social science research, prescriptions, and personal profiles to tell a story of neurodivergence that has thus far been dominated by those on the outside looking in.
Clinical expertise & lived experience. Authored by Devon Price, PhD.
An empowering lived-experience guide to celebrating and supporting neurodivergence from 24-year-old actor and disability advocate Chloé Hayden.
A moving and funny story of how it feels to be neurodivergent, as well as a practical guide. Includes insights on how autism and ADHD present differently in females, advice for living with meltdowns and shutdowns, tips for finding supportive relationships, communities, workplaces and much more.
Lived experience. Memoir authored by Chloé Hayden.
A brief introduction to autism, written by self-taught artist and autism advocate Remrov. A useful book for understanding oneself, as he shares some of his insights about his own inner experience of autism.
Also an excellent guide for both autistic and allistic / neurotypical folx regarding communication. Provides easy communication strategies, as well as steps to avoid misunderstandings by teaching how to recognize biases and correct them. Helpful insights about talking (and listening) so you can make your interactions more transparent, meaningful, and rewarding for all.
Lived experience. Authored by Casey “Remrov” Vormer.
Over decades of research and work with thousands of families, Dr. Russell Barkley has become a leading authority on ADHD. He has learned what a huge difference parents can make in supporting their children's success - as well as how overwhelming it can be.
By cultivating a mindset of acceptance and compassion - together with an understanding of the executive function deficits of ADHD - you can strengthen your loving connection with your child and help your whole family thrive. Filled with practical suggestions and quick-reference lists and tips, this is the perfect book to read cover to cover or pick up any time you need extra support.
Clinical expertise. Authored by Russell Barkely, PhD.
Why is it so hard for me to stay on top of housework? What's wrong with me? Perhaps it’s worth considering if this may be related to depression, anxiety, ADHD, parental trauma, chronic illness, postpartum, bereavement, lack of support.
Cooking, cleaning, laundry, and sometimes hygiene can become almost impossible during these struggles, yet that's rarely the focus of books about these mental, physical, and social barriers. Until now, as therapist KC Davis unpacks the concept of strugglecare.
How to Keep House While Drowning introduces six life-changing principles that will revolutionize the way you approach home care…without endless to-do lists. Presented in short, readable chapters, this compassionate guide will help you begin to get free of the shame and anxiety you may feel over home care.
Lived experience and clinical expertise. Authored by KC Davis, LPC.
From early childhood, Laura James knew she was different, but it wasn't until her mid-forties that she found out why. A successful journalist and mother to four children, she had spent her whole life feeling as if she were running a different operating system to those around her.
This book charts a year in her life and offers a unique insight into the autistic mind and the journey from diagnosis to acceptance. Drawing on personal experience, research and conversations with experts, she learns how 'different' doesn't need to mean 'less' and how it's never too late for any of us to find our place in the world. Laura explores how and why female autism is so under-diagnosed and very different to that seen in men and boys and explores both the difficulties and benefits neurodiversity can bring.
Lived experience. Memoir authored by Laura James.
Cynthia explores all the quirks of living with Autism in this accessible, witty and honest guide looking from an insider POV at some of the most challenging and intractable aspects of being autistic. Her own life presents many rich examples. From being labelled nerdy and shy as an undiagnosed child to redefining herself when diagnosed with Autism as an adult. She describes how her perspective shifted to understanding a previously confusing world, and combines this with the results of extensive research to explore the 'why' of ASD traits. She explains how they impacted everything from self-care to holding down a job without her realizing it until much later, and offers typically practical and creative strategies to help manage them, including a section on the vestibular, sensory and social benefits of martial arts for people with autism.
Well known in the autism community and beyond for her popular blog, Musings of an Aspie, this book is rich with personal anecdotes and useful advice. This intelligent insider guide will help adults with ASDs and their partners, family members, friends, and colleagues, but it also provides a fresh and witty window into POV Autism.
Lived experience. Memoir authored by Cynthia Kim.
An insightful memoir by Dr. Temple Grandin, an accomplished and world renowned animal scientist and professor who shares her perspective as an individual with autism. Through vivid and detailed descriptions, Grandin explores the way her mind processes information in visual images, providing readers with a compelling glimpse into her mind.
The book delves into her experiences growing up, the challenges she faced due to her neurologically-based differences, and her journey to understand and navigate a society that often struggled to comprehend her neurodivergent mind.
Grandin also discusses her successful career in animal science (Temple has designed one-third of all the livestock-handling facilities in the United States), emphasizing how her visual thinking has contributed to her innovative work in designing humane livestock-handling facilities. Overall, the memoir serves as a powerful narrative that not only sheds light on the complexities of autism but also highlights the immense potential for unique perspectives to contribute to society.
Lived experience. Memoir authored by Dr. Temple Grandin.
Fictionalized novels centered around Autism, ADHD, & neurodivergence
Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals, but often struggles with understanding and communicating with other humans. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow.
This improbable story of Christopher’s quest to investigate the suspicious death of a neighborhood dog makes for “one of the most captivating, unusual, and widely heralded novels in recent years”.
A novel by Mark Haddon.
Eve Brown has a reputation for being a hot mess, and at the start of the novel, she’s given up. At least, until she becomes determined to help B&B owner Jacob, who has broken his arm but definitely does not want any assistance. Their contrary natures put them instantly at odds, but Eve’s charisma and charm just might smooth things over in the end.
Author Talia Hibbert is a powerhouse in the space of neurodiverse representation, and this book (the third in the series) is an excellent example. The author herself is neurodiverse, and her insights on adhd and autism are evident on the page.
A novel by Talia Hibbert.
On the Edge of Gone
Three friends, two love stories, one convention: this fun, feminist love letter to geek culture is all about fandom, friendship, and finding the courage to be yourself.
Charlie likes to stand out. She’s a vlogger and actress promoting her first movie at SupaCon, and this is her chance to show fans she’s over her public breakup with co-star Reese Ryan. When internet-famous cool-girl actress Alyssa Huntington arrives as a surprise guest, it seems Charlie’s long-time crush on her isn’t as one-sided as she thought.
Taylor likes to blend in. Her brain is wired differently, making her fear change. And there’s one thing in her life she knows will never change: her friendship with her best guy friend Jamie—no matter how much she may secretly want it to. But when she hears about a fan contest for her favorite fandom, she starts to rethink her rules on playing it safe.
A novel by Jen Wilde.
That’s the day the comet is scheduled to hit—the big one. Denise and her mother and sister, Iris, have been assigned to a temporary shelter near their hometown of Amsterdam to wait out the blast, but Iris is nowhere to be found, and at the rate Denise’s drug-addicted mother is going, they’ll never reach the shelter in time.
Then a last-minute encounter leads them to something better than a temporary shelter: a generation ship that’s scheduled to leave Earth behind and colonize new worlds after the comet hits. But each passenger must have a practical skill to contribute. Denise is autistic and fears that she’ll never be allowed to stay. Can she obtain a spot before the ship takes flight? What about her mother and sister?
When the future of the human race is at stake, whose lives matter most?
A novel by Corinne Duyvis.
Marcelo Sandoval hears music no one else can hear - and he's always attended an affirming school where his Autism has been supported and resourced. But the summer after his junior year, his father demands that Marcelo work in his law firm's mailroom in order to experience "the real world." There Marcelo meets Jasmine, his beautiful and surprising coworker, and Wendell, the son of another partner in the firm.
He learns about competition and jealousy, anger and desire. But it's a picture he finds in a file - a picture of a girl with half a face - that truly connects him with the real world: its suffering, its injustice, and what he can do to fight.
Reminiscent of "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" in the intensity and purity of its voice, this extraordinary novel is a love story, a legal drama, and a celebration of the music each of us hears inside.
A novel by Francisco X Stork.
Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases - a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.
It doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice - with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan - from foreplay to more-than-missionary position...
Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but to crave all the other things he's making her feel. Soon, their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic.
A novel by Helen Hoang.
This dark, spellbinding literary debut opens with a murder and shines a spotlight onto life in fictional small-town Japan. Ren Ishida is nearly finished with graduate school when he receives news of his sister Keiko's sudden death. She was viciously stabbed one rainy night on her way home, and there are no leads. Ren heads to Akakawa to conclude his sister's affairs, still failing to understand why she chose to abandon the family and Tokyo for this desolate town years ago.
But Ren soon finds himself picking up where Keiko left off, accepting both her teaching position at a local cram school and the bizarre arrangement of free lodging at a wealthy politician’s mansion in exchange for reading to the man’s catatonic wife.
As he comes to know the figures in Akakawa, from the enigmatic politician to his fellow teachers and a rebellious, alluring student named Rio, Ren also delves into his shared childhood with Keiko and what followed. While trying to piece together what happened the night of her death, he is haunted in his dreams by a young girl who is desperately trying to tell him something, Ren struggles to find solace in the void his sister has left behind.
A novel by Clarissa Goenawan.
Aster dances to the beat of her own drum, immersing herself in her passions and embracing her distinctive nature. Others label her with terms like "ogre" and "freak," yet she remains unfazed, yearning for a deeper understanding of herself.
Aster resides in the low-deck slums on the HSS Matilda, a celestial vessel mirroring elements of the antebellum South. For generations, this spaceship has carried the remnants of humanity toward a mythical Promised Land. Yet, the ship's leadership imposes stringent moral codes and unjust treatment upon individuals like Aster, who, due to their dark skin, are unjustly considered less than human.
As Aster delves into the mystery linking the recent demise of the HSS Matilda's captain to her mother's tragic past, she embarks on a journey retracing her mother's steps. Aster discovers a potential escape from the ship's confines - provided she is willing and able to confront the challenges that lie ahead and to persist, resist, persist ad infinitum until she is free.
A novel by Rivers Solomon.