Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World that Wasn’t Designed for You 
by Jenara Nerenberg

Reviewer
Melinda Overall Level 2 ACA Member

Divergent Mind by Jenara Nerenberg was released just 3 months following my diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). For me, its publication was a timely and gentle foray into researching neurodivergence from a personal perspective. Promoted as ‘a paradigm-shifting study of neurodivergent women’, Nerenberg’s book considers the gender biases confronted by women and girls (assigned female at birth and living and identifying as female) in seeking diagnoses of, and living with, neurodivergence.

Nerenberg provides broad definitions of neurodivergences such as ASD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), synaesthesia, sensory processing disorder, highly sensitive person, misophonia and dyslexia. She discusses the male-dominated history of neurodivergence and outlines why it has been historically difficult for women to seek and receive diagnoses. (Spoiler alert – women and girls seem to be far better at masking or camouflaging their neurodivergent traits than men and boys, and societal norms about acceptable male and female behaviours persist.)

Nerenberg, who is herself neurodivergent (ASD and ADHD), is a journalist, author and founder of The Neurodiversity Project. She writes openly in Divergent Mind of her own struggles of trying to fit into a world designed and maintained for and by neuro-conforming people, and of how her life ‘made sense’ following her diagnosis. This makes the book a welcoming, neuro-affirming space for newly diagnosed neurodivergent women, and it instils a strong understanding that we are not alone (like a big hug in a book?).

While her personal voice drives the book, Nerenberg also provides information garnered through research, including history and the lived experience of others. She proffers a new way forward for society at large, and for neurodivergent people to accept themselves—avoiding pathologisation of the neurodivergent person and releasing age-old misconceptions, instead adopting neuro-affirming language and practice. And, ultimately embracing the gifts that neurodiverse brains bring to society.

Divergent Mind is a worthy read for your clients who are newly diagnosed or who self-identify as neurodivergent, as well as for clinicians who may not have worked with neurodiverse clients (or maybe have but didn’t know it).

Book Details
Title: Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World that Wasn’t Designed for You
Author: Jenara Nerenberg
ISBN: 9780062876805
ISBN-10: 0062876805
Publisher: HarperOne
Publication Date: 16 February 2021