Normal Sucks

June 15, 2019
A challenge to rethink "normal." When Mooney (The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal, 2007, etc.) was a child, he was "diagnosed with multiple language-based disabilities and attention deficit disorder. When the educational psychologist broke the news to my mom and me, it was as if someone had died." For years after, the author struggled to conform to whatever concept of "normal" he thought would help him fit in and stop feeling like a "weird kid." In this sometimes-humorous and thought-provoking analysis of his childhood, adolescence, and college years, Mooney shares what it was like to be different from the norm, which he astutely points out "is a false standard for human value." He provides an extensive history of how the idea of normal evolved, giving readers an eye-opening look at the standards we are often forced to live with, whether we know it or not--and whether we have learning disabilities, physical and/or mental disabilities, or in some other way do not fit the traditional picture of normal. Some of the historical research the author cites is horrifying, such as the sterilization techniques and lobotomies used on those with mental disabilities. Mooney discusses the rise of eugenics and how Hitler adopted these ideas for his own Final Solution. He expertly brings the conversation back to a more personal level when he shares how, with the help of a friend, he began to accept his differences and embrace his neurodiversity, wrote a book, and then gave lectures on the benefits of neurodiversity. He touches lightly on the current ideas about the benefits of neurodiversity in society; some readers will wish this section was longer. Throughout, the author encourages readers to reexamine the concept of normality and to embrace the idea that all humans have something to offer society. A new, engaging, and informative perspective that redefines what "normal" should really mean.

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July 1, 2019

Mooney was diagnosed with dyslexia and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder as a child. As a result, he described himself as a "weird" kid who obsessed over things, such as insisting on checker-patterned clothing and showering in his socks. He was labeled "abnormal"; someone who was "atypical" in school. He did not learn how to read until he was 12, and his experience was that people were forced to meet arbitrary standards of normal. This book explores the toll that not being "normal" takes on children and adults when they are constrained in environments that label. Mooney comes to realize through experience that he was not the problem, but the social system and concept of normal were. He spent a large part of his early life focusing on what was wrong with him, ignoring what made him valuable as a person. Ultimately, Mooney argues that abnormalities are social constructs, and recognizing this is the first step toward better understanding yourself and reclaiming your power. He challenges us to reorient how we think about diversity, abilities, and disabilities. VERDICT Recommended for general readers, particularly those interested in questioning societal norms.--Gary Medina, El Camino Coll., Torrance, CA

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 8, 2019
Mooney (The Short Bus), a speaker on neurological diversity who was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia at age 10, aims to eradicate the word normal from readers’ vocabularies with this persuasive analysis. To understand how the concept of normal became a social phenomenon, Mooney traces the word back to its roots as a mathematical term in the 1840s, which referred to the common bell curve. As Mooney tracks the word through the decades (including its usage in eugenics, anatomy, and physiology), it becomes clear that the term creates problems when referring to human behavior and physiology because, in Mooney’s words, “normal was created, not discovered, by flawed, eccentric, self-interested, racist, ableist, homophobic, sexist humans. Normal is a statistical fiction.” In particular, he rails against the history of vague, flawed standards for measuring and labeling human behavior, particularly when designing treatments that supposedly aim for “patients” to become “normal”—as in Mooney’s own case. He also argues that grouping some people as “normal” has led to the dehumanization of people who are differently abled or neurodiverse, and believes that each person should be considered in their own right, not compared to a normative standard. Mooney expertly deconstructs normal in this intelligent examination that will shatter preconceived notions.