My Brain is Different: Stories of ADHD and Other Developmental Disorders (original 2020; edition 2022)

by Monzusu (Author), Ben Trethewey (Translator)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Conversations
81	6	345,341	(3.81)	None

This manga features nine stories by people with ADHD, autism, or a learning disorder, including Monzusu's own story. Each account begins with the person's name, age, diagnoses (developmental disorder + comorbidity such as depression), and what, if any, medication the person is on.

This was meant to show the many different paths and experiences of these contributors, even if their general diagnoses were similar. Some folks had happier stories than others - be aware that this does touch on things like suicide attempts, extreme poverty, bullying, and more.

Overall, I thought this was okay. There wasn't enough time to really delve deeply into anyone's story, so I was left with more questions about Japan's available social services and education about these issues than anything.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) (

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Familiar_Diversions | Jun 22, 2024 |

English (5) Spanish (1) All languages (6)

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Familiar_Diversions | Jun 22, 2024 |

It was interesting to hear the stories and compare them to my own experiences. (

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Velmeran | Mar 17, 2024 |

Absolutely fantastic. I'm autistic, I don't have ADHD, so not all stories were things I could recognize in myself (though definitely things I know friends struggle with), but yeah, a lot of stuff from myself too. And it was just so beautifully and compassionately told, even from the NT partners and parents (which can be rare). Just amazing. I highly recommend it. (

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dond_ashall | Feb 7, 2024 |

This was a nice collection of stories from the POV of real people who have various developmental disorders. Sometimes hopeful, sometimes upsetting. It was also a very interesting look into how Japan in particular handles this sort of thing in comparison to my home country (USA). (

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Rekki | Mar 10, 2023 |

There are some interesting tidbits about growing up neurodiverse or living with neurodivergent people but the storytelling is not particularly engaging. There are a lot of and-then-this-happened, and-then-this-happened transitions that make for a string of occurrences rather than a story. And there is a lot of repetition in the nine stories shared as most follow the exact same arc, with loads of depression, suicidal thoughts, bullying, and discouragement. Fewer stories told a little deeper might have held my attention better. (

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