Publishers Weekly
07/08/2019
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. (Aug.)
From the Publisher
"As an accessible primer on reassessing disability and mental health, it’s invaluable, and as an exploration of what it’s like to grow up feeling different, it’s incredibly cathartic."
—Vanity Fair
“Jonathan Mooney is touched by beautiful human magic. His experience and talent have given him a unique perspective and a genuine, moving appreciation of those who live outside the lines and inspiring us to question the boring conventions that restrain us. I’d follow him just about anywhere.”
—George Hodgman, author of Bettyville
"An urgent, personal and long overdue manifesto against the tyranny of normal, whatever that it is. Normal isn't the problem, it's the tyranny."
—Seth Godin, author of This is Marketing
"Unforgettable. Smart. Humane. Hilarious. I laughed out loud with every page, except for the ones that broke my heart.” Normal Sucks left me rooting not just for Mooney but for the countless readers who will be helped by this book."
—Meg Jay, PhD, author of The Defining Decade and Supernormal
"The attempt to make us conform to someone’s definition of ‘normal’ insults the exquisite mutability of the human race. In this candid, poignant, and insightful anthem to all of humanity, Mooney rejects the straitjacket of normalcy and demonstrates through the beautiful telling of his own struggle that humans thrive when we are accepted as we are."
—Julie Lythcott-Haims, New York Times bestselling author of How to Raise an Adult
“Entertaining, heartfelt, and deeply considered, this book will convince you forever and for good that normal indeed sucks.”
—Emily Rapp Black, bestselling author of The Still Point of the Turning World
“Paradigm-shifting, highly enjoyable, and destined to become hugely influential, this book will resonate with anyone who’s ever felt different—and will open the minds of everyone who has not.
—Rachel Simon, New York Times Bestselling Author of Riding The Bus With My Sister and The Story of Beautiful Girl
“Jonathan Mooney’s Normal Sucks is all at once real, raw, revelatory, profound, and deeply funny.”. Mooney's narrative stands as a battle cry for all of us who've struggled with fitting in (and who hasn't?), affirming that not only is it okay to be different, there's actually an incredible strength and power in the very things that make us feel like outsiders. It's a message of vital importance at a time when the pressure on young people to fit in is arguably worse than it's ever been. NORMAL SUCKS offers genuine insights into how we can develop the skills we need to find wholeness in ourselves and authentic connections in this increasingly disparate and fractured world.”
—Nic Sheff, author of Tweak, the basis for the major motion picture Beautiful Boy
“This book will make you think. Well researched and written in an accessible and engaging style, Mooney has provided his readers with an interesting and creative guide that will compel us to re-think the purpose of education and how we go approach it. The pressure kids experience to be normal and to experience what we conventionally regard as success, is taking a toll on children throughout the country. Mooney shows us that it need not be this way. For those who are ready to think outside the box, and who are ready to make the changes needed to create learning opportunities that make it possible for children to thrive, this book will be an invaluable resource and a breath of fresh air.”
—Pedro A. Noguera, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Education, Faculty Director, Center for the Transformation of Schools
“Jonathan Mooney writes an irreverent, funny, and deeply moving…Addressing his own children, Mooney transforms complex ideas from the likes of Michel Foucault into understandable readable moments.”
—Lennard Davis, author of Beginning with Disability
"This book will not only make you OK with all of your unique quirks and so-called ‘weird’ preoccupations but see them in a new and empowering light.”
—Scott Barry Kaufman, Columbia University and co-author of Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind
“On every page reasons to shout out for joy, ‘Normal, stand down. Long live what's real!’” Bless you, Mr. Mooney.”
—Edward M. Hallowell M.D., author of Delivered from Distraction: Getting the Most Out of Life with Attention Deficit Disorder and other books
“If you’ve ever questioned who made the rules and why do we have to follow them, this book is for you. With wit, empathy, and defiance, Jonathan Mooney delivers a powerful message from the frontlines of the inclusion revolution.”
—Liz Benjamin writer and producer whose credits include Man in the High Castle and Thirteen Reasons Why
“Come out, be proud, and fight against society’s view that we are abnormal. This book teaches through history and personal story how to burst into the light with strength gained through resistance.”
—Judith E. Heumann, International Disability Rights Advocate
“Jonathan Mooney has created a new genre here, where his unflinching recollections propel our collective humanity.”
—Maryanne Wolf, Director, Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice, UCLA, and author of Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World
“Mooney brings…wonder and grace to the diversity of our minds, reminding us how to be in the world.”
—Howard Axelrod, author of The Point of Vanishing and The Stars in Our Pockets: Getting Lost and Sometimes Found in the Digital Age
“With crackling wit, big heart, and the canniest attention to detail, Jonathan Mooney shares his story of self-definition, rewriting the faulty codes of normalcy along the way. Mooney is a guide I trust.”
—JoAnna Novak, author of I Must Have You and Noirmania
“In this wonderfully wry, deeply personal, and insightful book, Jonathan Mooney exposes how the phantom called normal that has made so many of us so miserable comes for us and how we can and should resist. The underside of normal, Mooney reveals, is the shocking history of our American eugenics movement and how close we are right now to the same logic of ridding humanity of all of us who don’t fit into the ever tightening space of normal.”
—Rosemarie Garland-Thomson
“A deft, approachable blend of personal and cultural history, Normal Sucks is suffused with sharp humor, curiosity honed as a survival tactic, and, perhaps most importantly, a father’s profound tenderness. It understands that ‘normal is a statistical fiction,’ but that combating its systemic consequences is ‘what we owe each other,’ an individual and communal project of the upmost urgency for those who we love, and all who will follow us.”
—Molly McCully Brown
“Jonathan Mooney combines personal narrative, history, and critical theory to expose the tyranny of normalcy and its perverse impact on the lives of people with disabilities and other diverse identities. With seriousness and humor Mooney makes the case for confronting ableist assumptions, and creating a world in which the gifts of all people, particularly children are valued. This is a must read for educators, parents policy makers, and all those who seek to create a more just and equitable society. I loved this book!”
—Thomas Hehir
“Jonathans compelling book, Normal Sucks, takes readers on a journey that combines personal memoir, critical theory, and scientific history and exposes them to the fallacy of what constitutes normal. Using both warm humor and sharp social critique, Jonathan liberates the reader from the death grip of normalcy, that keeps people them from loving their uniqueness and embracing the diversity of others. This book is a refreshing reminder of the power of embracing our own authenticity and the need to enter into beloved community that celebrates the value and diversity of others. This book is destined to start a revolutions and is a must read for parents, educators, policy makers, and funders.
—Roberto Rivera, Artist, Educator, Change Agent
"Thought-provoking. . . .[Mooney] 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. . . A new, engaging, and informative perspective that redefines what "normal" should really mean."
—Kirkus
"Mooney expertly deconstructs normal in this intelligent examination that will shatter preconceived notions."
—Publishers Weekly
Kirkus Reviews
2019-05-22
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.
