Book Group to Discuss “Smart But Stuck”
The LD Book Club will meet on Friday, May 1, 2015, to discuss Smart But Stuck: Emotions in teens and adults with ADHD, by Dr. Thomas E. Brown. Two discussions will be held in the Dining Hall B Conference Room, a morning meeting from 8 to 9 a.m. and a lunchtime session from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Students, staff, and faculty are welcome to attend.
Smart but Stuck is described on Brown’s website as “a series of true stories about intelligent teens and adults who had gotten ‘stuck’ in failures at school, work, or in getting along with friends and family because of their ADHD. It shows how they got ‘unstuck’ by dealing with ups and downs of emotions they didn’t know they had.”
“With each case study I read in Smart But Stuck, I was able to plug in one or more of my students with the very same difficulties,” said Landmark College advisor Kathy D’Alessio, who recommended Dr. Brown’s book for spring 2015. She said, “I think we underestimate the profound influence of emotions on the lives of this profile, and I look forward to a fruitful discussion about how to best serve students who struggle with this piece of self-management.”
“The impact of emotions on learning is a timely theme at Landmark College,” said Lann. “We as a college have been exploring the role of stress, anxiety, and other difficult emotions in learning. It's an important facet of the college's strategic focus on wellness, so I am looking forward to the discussion.”
Launched by Landmark College President Dr. Peter Eden, the book club offers an informal forum for faculty, staff, and students to read and discuss a book together on learning disabilities, ADHD, or ASD. “There’s such a wealth of good and important information and perspectives available in ‘books about LD,’” explained Eden, “I thought that having such a book club would provide the scaffolding and structure to help many of us benefit from these works.”
Discussions are led by organizer Jennifer Lann, who is the Director of Library Services at Landmark College. “I like to start off with asking participants what surprised them or made a big impression on them in the book,” Lann said. “From there, the discussion tends to flow pretty organically, and touches on how the book relates to our experience at Landmark or with our own lives.”
Participants report that the book club motivates them to make time to explore current ideas in the field of LD. First Year Department chair Debbie Hayward said, “The book club is a wonderful way to connect with colleagues and explore topics as a community.”
Thomas E. Brown, Author of Smart But Stuck: An expert in ADHD, Brown is a clinical psychologist located in Hamden, Connecticut. Brown is also an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Yale University and associate director of the Yale Clinic for Attention and Related Disorders. He has written four books about ADHD, including A New Understanding of ADHD (2013), a comprehensive volume that defines ADHD as a disorder of executive function. His work blends current science with insight derived from 30 years clinical experience.
Past LD Book Club selections
Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's, John Elder Robison
The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum, Temple Grandin
Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life, Winifred Gallagher