Hattatsu shougai to issho ni otona ni natta watashitachi / My Brain is Different: Stories of ADHD and Other Developmental Disorders is a series of autobiographical shorts of various people who are neurodivergent.
SPOILERS
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This manga came out in 2018, but I feel like there’s been an uptick in the popularity of autobiographical manga in the US markets recently, possibly due to the success of My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness by Nagata Kabi. American audiences seem to suddenly crave more stories like this, and Monnzusu’s book fits that bill.
I’m not sure that I have a whole lot to say about the stories in this collection. I have a feeling that they will feel very familiar to a lot of people and might be a source of comfort. I know that I had a brief moment of the tears of being “seen” when I hit the one chapter that deals with learning disabilities, specifically dyslexia. My personal stories was very different since my disability is very mild, but there were things that really hit home.
It’s also really interesting to see the way that Japanese culture plays into all of this. The services that are offered and the ways in which various people come to realize they have “a different brain” than most people. I very rarely feel grateful to live in America, but reading this book made me happy that even though my dyslexia wasn’t diagnosed until I was an adult, teachers didn’t actively bully me for it (though, honestly, I might just have been lucky. I don’t know.) I do feel like there is some awareness in the US that schools and companies have to make an attempt at accommodating disabilities, thanks to the ADA which does, at least, include major depression.
At any rate, this manga was an interesting set of autobiographical stories. Everything was illustrated by Monnzusu-sensei, but each story was built around stories told to her by other people. I would say that most of the stories are upbeat due to the fact that the narrators begin to understand their conditions. However, if you are at all triggered by talk of or depictions of suicide attempts, be warned: several stories are pretty graphic in that regard.
Would I recommend this one? Well, I bought it. I was at a new-to-me bookstore and the title caught my eye and so I paid real money for it. Is it a book I’ll read again and again? Probably not. It was interesting and informative the first time through, but for me, a generally neurotypical person (minus the dyslexia), this was not as powerful as I think it might be for others. But, I obviously felt it was worth its cover price. I did link you to a site where you can read several chapters for free, so if it seems like your cup of tea you can try it out and see if it’s worth buying.
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