Fall Reads for ADHD Awareness Month

In the days of short-form content and instant AI, we often forget the wisdom waiting to be discovered on the pages of a good book. With October being National ADHD Awareness Month, we wanted to introduce five great reads catered to the ADHD community.  

Can’t stand paragraphs of overview? Skip to the bullet points to find which book best suits your interests! 

1. How To Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by KC Davis (2022) 

How to Keep House While Drowning is about professional therapist KC Davis’s approach to daily self-help and attitude reframing, with plenty of practical advice for keeping your space clean. Many readers with ADHD found the book uniquely helpful. While most ADHD books focus on structuring tasks, Davis explores mindset and attitude to alleviate stress, guilt, and action paralysis, making task completion healthy and achievable. 

This book is… 

• Short and simple 
• Not specifically about ADHD, but… 
• Highly recommended specifically by readers with ADHD 

2. The Adult ADHD Toolkit: Using CBT to Facilitate Coping Inside and Out by Anthony L. Rostain and J. Russell Ramsay (2014) 

The Adult ADHD Toolkit is praised for its practical advice, and effective, detailed techniques often absent in other ADHD self-help books. The book discusses how to start and finish tasks, as well as common mental roadblocks, and how to approach life in an ADHD-friendly way. If you’re looking for concrete step-by-step advice for organizing yourself to best complete tasks, this book is a great place to start. 

This book has… 

• Usable frameworks for task completion 
• How to start doing, in detail 
• Focused on the attention-deficit aspect of ADHD

3. Driven to Distraction by John Ratey and Edward Hallowell (1992) 

Driven to Distraction was often cited as a go-to read for better understanding ADHD. However, in recent times, it’s been fairly criticized for being written from a neurotypical perspective and not being particularly helpful to those who have been living with the disorder. With that said, many friends or family of those with ADHD have cited Driven to Distraction as a fantastic tool for helping them better understand the condition. 

This book is… 

• Best for family or friends of those with ADHD 
• Useful for those newly diagnosed 
• Informational, not self-help focused 

4. How to ADHD: An Insider’s Guide to Working with Your Brain (Not Against It) by Jessica McCabe (2024) 

How to ADHD is centered primarily on how to best work in a neurotypical society as someone who is neurodivergent. She writes in a conversational style, often through short anecdotes, while throwing in practical tips and advice. McCabe also has a YouTube channel by the same name where she goes over much of the same information, which many people have found just as helpful as her written work. Some common critiques are that the book is lengthy and occasionally surface-level, so this work might be best suited for someone newly diagnosed or looking to start with an easier read. 

This book is… 

• Straightforward, engaging, even entertaining 
• Written by an author diagnosed with ADHD 
• Best for those unfamiliar with ADHD 

Some with ADHD have noted that Jessica McCabe’s YouTube videos work better for them. If this book interests you, try starting there! 

5. Dog Man (Series) by Dav Pilkey (2016) 

The Dog Man comic series by Dav Pilkey has been recognized as a great series of comics for young children with ADHD. Pilkey himself has ADHD and is an advocate for embracing neurodiversity. Parents have found that the fast-pacing and energetic illustrations keep their children with ADHD engaged: If your child with ADHD struggles to find entertainment in books, the Dog Man series (or other works by Pilkey) may be worth a shot! 

This series is… 

• Not about ADHD, but frequently recommended for children with ADHD 
• Written by an author with ADHD 
• Easy to read, fast-paced, and engaging for young kids 

Whether it’s a specialized self-help book or a kid’s comic series, there’s literature out there for everyone. If you’ve been on the fence about picking up a new book, always remember: there’s never a wrong time to read!