Nowhere Girl

byCarla Ciccone

Life as a Member of ADHD’s Lost Generation

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For Carla, the feeling of not knowing how to perform adult life was all too familiar. At 39 years old, she was diagnosed with ADHD after a lifetime of shame and self-blame. Yet while the diagnosis came as a relief, the knowledge that a significant brain disorder, historically framed as a condition for restless little boys, had gone unnoticed didn't sit right with her.

Understanding the ways in which ADHD has been framed scientifically and historically made Carla realise how she had created a narrative where her ADHD symptoms were deep personality flaws and left her ashamed and feeling unworthy.

Through research and interviews with international experts, Carla's deeply personal account explores how science gendered the disorder, allowing girls to struggle for years in silence, and serves as a source of validation and solace for all women with ADHD embarking upon their own discoveries.

Nowhere Girl is at once lucid, captivating, poignant, terrifying, and ultimately uplifting. Once I opened it, I literally could not put it down. In captivating prose, Ciccone conveys four-decades of non-diagnosed ADHD, replete with unanswered questions, shame, trauma, dashed efforts at coping, and periods of despair, deftly interweaving current science into the story. This lifespan account surges with pain but also with hope, given that an accurate diagnosis after becoming a mother has forged a hard-won sense of peace and acceptance, along with finding optimal supports. Five stars, highest recommendation.

Stephen P. Hinshaw, Ph,D., Distinguished Professor of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley; author, Straight Talk about ADHD in Girls: How to Help Your Daughter Thrive

About Carla Ciccone

Carla Ciccone is a freelance writer who has written essays, reported features and humor pieces for Harper's Bazaar, The New Yorker, The Cut, Catapult, Bon Appétit, Romper, Chatelaine, Elle Canada, The Walrus and more. Originally from Toronto, Carla grew up near the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, and now lives in Toronto with her partner and daughter.
Details
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • ISBN: 9781405957236
  • Length: 320 pages
  • Price: £9.99
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