As someone who works within the field of SpLD’s and additional needs of 18yr + students, I was excited to see this book available on NetGalley. I thought this book would discuss the ‘classic signs, symptoms and traits’ of Dyslexia, however this wasn’t the case. The book focused heavily on differing lived experiences, from a variety of people of differing backgrounds, which I think would be helpful for a reader to identify similar experiences to their own. I did feel that there was quite an emphasis on schools not picking up on students with Dyslexia, which is often true to an extent, but doesn’t explore why schools are either missing or choosing not to pick up on the signs. While I wouldn’t recommend this to people looking to learn more about what Dyslexia is, I would recommend this to those who are feeling frustrated with their experiences or are wanting to relate to others with similar experiences. Thank you to NetGalley, Kelli Sandman-Hurley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I grew up with my brother being dyslexic and seeing his struggles. Now as a mom I have kids who struggle with dyslexia. Reading about adults and their struggles and tips, has been helping for me to learn and be there for my kids.

The Adult Side of Dyslexia is a very powerful book and highly recommend it. My Husband has Dyslexia and it helps me to understand him a lot better. It just great to get first hand stories' and how much they have struggled.

I really enjoyed Kelli's first book about dyslexia (so helpful for me as a parent of someone with dyslexia). This book felt more like a coffee table book than a guide. Which isn't a bad thing - I was hoping to have take-aways from adults living with dyslexia on things they would have done differently growing up. Really liked this book! Let's normalize learning differences!

I have two main issues with this book -

One, it is too anecdotal. As useful as it is reading lived experiences, hard evidence (scientific studies, peer reviewed papers etc.) is more useful from the perspective of someone wanting to make genuine change.

Two, A LOT of blame is (unfairly) placed on teachers and educators for missing signs of dyslexia. Speaking as an educator there ARE issues with the system that is letting down our students, but the issues are institutional and not the fault of the individual teacher.
The author says at one point “I have witnessed teachers telling parents to read more to their children.” This is GOOD advice that is proven to help children develop enjoyment in reading. Just because a child has dyslexia doesn’t mean they don’t benefit from listening to stories. Yes, some teachers are guilty of what they are being accused of (saying students lack motivation, lacking empathy or awareness) BUT the author completely fails to address the issues within the system itself that are a larger factor in harming a child’s development - the reliance on formal expressions of “knowledge” through reading/writing instead of practical demonstrations, the too stringent testing culture that sets up neurodivergent students to fail. She mentions repeatedly the time delays in diagnosing students and putting support in place without acknowledging that a large part of this is because of systems and processes that aren’t fit for purpose - the teacher identifies who needs help but they have to jump through too many hoops to get that help secured. Also lack of funding can further affect this.

At one point the author discounts the voice of adults with dyslexia who have found positives by saying her experience (talking to people) has told her differently. As she doesn’t have dyslexia herself I find that is a bold statement and perhaps not her place to make.

Overall although I see why this book may have its uses I think it is definitely flawed and I would be looking elsewhere for dyslexia support in the future.

As a dyslexic adult, I knew I wanted to read this, but I also found myself putting it off for months. I ended up having to force myself to pick it up. But I’m so glad I did.

If you are looking to learn more about dyslexia as a diagnoses, this probably is not where you want to start. This book focused less on traits and symptoms and more on experences and the ways that schools have often failed their dyslexic students as well as advocating for more dyslexia adults to be included in discussions about the education system. It often shares quotes and personal stories from interviewees about their experences, in the school system, in the work force, and in their person lives. I particularly appreciate the diversity of interviewee, including people for a wide barrito of background.

On numerous occasions I found myself crying because it was so validating to hear stories similar to mine. I’ve always struggled to put to word many of the negative experiences that in school as a direct result of my dyslexia. To hear others confirming that those experiences were traumatic, was very emotional for me. And I had parents who were willing to advocate for me with my school and when the school proved that they didn’t care, had the resources to get other help for me, which is more that what so many others had and part of why I am able to enjoy reading as an adult.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for a review.

This is a fantastic book. Having found out in my early 20's that I was dyslexic I couldn't wait to read this book and I wasn't disappointed as I found so many others had shared the same feeling I had. It was great knowing I wasn't the only one holding resentment for my old schools. This book explains through a case study of dyslexic adults and their own life issues and their resentment of the education system. This book is written using American statistics but are easily transferable for people from any country as its the same not matter which country you come from its a very useful resource to have or read. I really do believe any person who has dyslexia,  knows or is any form of a teacher should read this book for better understanding. I know it just looks at the adult side of dyslexia but this is what the children of today who will be facing this tomorrow without better understanding or help to prevent this from happening. We need to take away the stigma of dyslexia. It is books like this one that people need to read to understand the impacts of ignorance of dyslexia.  And help reduce this impact for everyone.
I really do recommend reading this book as it is brilliant and such a brilliant resource. 
So much praise goes out to the author and publishers for bringing this amazing research to light. Helping many other understand the struggles of everyday life and the impact it has had on generations of people.  Already left review on goodreads, kobo, Google books, Barnes&noble and amazon UK under the name ladyreading365 and its also live on my blog https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/the-adult-side-of-dyslexia-by-kelli-sandman-hurley-jessica-kingsley-5-star

This short book has all it needs to pack a punch, give people visibility and recognition and put forward good solid action points for the future. Sandman-Hurley did a qualitative study, interviewing around 50 adults with dyslexia about their experiences in education and their lives and opinions now.

The stories are of course sad and painful, but she's quick to draw lessons from them about advocacy, self-advocacy, teacher education and the importance of adult dyslexics providing role models and advocates for younger people coming along.

It was really great. I am not dyslexic but i know a few people who are and this book provided great insights into dyslexia and how the education system impacts students with dyslexia. Greatly recommend.

This short book is an excellent resource for parents and educators of dyslexic children and adults, as well as for anyone close to someone who is dyslexic. The author presents a number of excellent suggestions for making life better for those with this disability. She writes with compassion, based on a wealth of interviews with dyslexic adults and obvious experience. The dyslexic adults she profiles range from prison inmates to an Academy Award winner.

Though this book can be read in one or two sittings, it is nonetheless an excellent piece of writing and resource. It is succinct and straightforward, well worth your time.

I found this book really informative and helpful. I know people with dyslexia and it has given me an insight into how things are different for them, and the hurdles they have to jump over in their lives because of dyslexia. I really likes that author included ways in which we can correctly accommodate the needs of dyslexics, and helpful resources as well. Really enjoyed this one. Quick and easy read, too.

Firstly, whoever decided on the spelling of ‘dyslexia’ was a cruel, cruel person.

For someone who was reading practically straight from the womb and makes sure to write everyday, it was a shock to be diagnosed with dyslexia during my final year at university, aged 20. Mine focusses more on silent letters and my memory, than 100% struggling to read. Luckily, my dyslexia never particularly affected me, creeping in mainly when I was tired, so it’s a real eye-opener seeing how it destroyed so many people’s childhoods and schooling - the most important part of our life in terms of our development.

This is well researched with very human stories. It is not just facts and statistics, Kelli has included anecdotes from real-life people with dyslexia to give it more of a human element, and it’s fascinating to read dozens of different experiences. It shows dyslexia is not a one-size-fits-all, put in a box kind of condition, which can make support a difficult thing to master.

Adults are often very embarrassed when they have to admit they struggling with reading and/or writing, so it’s important our children get the help they need when they’re young so it doesn’t impact their adult life quite as much as it could.

Princess Beatrice recently said she considered her dyslexia to be a gift, and wouldn’t mind if her daughter developed it. This may be hard to hear for people with severe dyslexia, but I do understand her point. Being dyslexic - however mild or severe - means you have to utilise different skills and be more creative, and in some situations, that really can be a gift.

It was slightly repetitive at times and read more as a research paper at times than a book, so you do need to get in that mindset, but it was still an enjoyable and fascinating read. There is quite a long introduction before you get to the crux of the writing, but it is important you stick with it and read it in its entirety, as it gives you more of an understanding as to Kelly’s involvement with dyslexia.

I think this book needs to be available in all schools, colleges, universities, prisons, hospitals, work spaces - so that everyone with a ‘limitation’ can realise it’s not because they’re stupid, and they can be just as successful in everything they do as someone without dyslexia.

As someone who lives with dyslexics, I found this book very open, the people who took part clearly were able to express their issues with dyslexia especially as an adult it was nice to see such an array of people. People talking about their dyslexia just opens up the world of how it effects each person differently is brilliantly eye opening. Educators would have you believe its just a reading problem but for those who live with it know its so much more than that.

Theres also another chapter that's highly recommended to read, its Traumatic Teaching Practises, this chapter enraged me, as someone who had to go through this with my eldest child, I saw how they treated him I saw how they punished him and I saw how they blamed him for something that was out of his control, they blamed him, they took his breaks away they took his spirit and his confidence, by the time he was heading to high school he was a shell of his former self and it all came down to traumatic teaching and the lengths they went to to really hammer home just how useless he was... in their eyes.

Its hard to educate schools when they think they know best, the thing is, as a parent you can't make them see it, you come off neurotic and unhinged, I just remember writing letters, and endless meetings for provisions and each time they blamed his dyslexia and epilepsy on me, so they moved past blaming the child and blamed the parents instead. At no point would they hold themselves to account. Thankfully, thanks to his epilepsy becoming medicated and a ton of confidence work from his high school he is now a happy exceptionally confident young man, he is in top set for all subjects and he feels completely supported, and because of that he heads up the schools anti bullying team. As irrelevant as this seems in a book review, its not, because the stories from all these people in this book talk about a toxic teacher who bullied them and made them feel less than!

This book should be in every single school classroom across the globe, because it only takes one teacher to destroy a child, but it also only takes one teacher to notice when something is slightly off, so please educate your teachers, have this book on coffee tables, open the dialogue between staff and parents don't leave it to a five minute window during parents evening

Its a well researched well written book with real life accounts. You can get this from all good book sellers, please use your independent shops where possible, they need our support to stay afloat, so go independent!This book is an easy 5 stars. Publication date is 17th November 2021, by Jessica Kingsley Publishers and the ISBN Number is - 9781787754751.

As a dyslexic myself, I found myself nodding away as I read this. It was nice to feel like you weren’t the only one. It was great to read from other accounts of experience, struggles with dyslexia as a parent and the impact on your mental health. I will be recommending this to all my dyslexic an non dyslexic book lovers.

A really interesting, important and informative book, I really liked it. Helpful and a real learning curve to realise and learn about the perception of living a life with dyslexia, as a person who was diagnosed quite late with dyscalculia, I was interested to read how the adult side of a childhood learning difficulty/disability affected those with a similar issue but relating to words rather than numbers and how it could be overcome or supported and how it affected adult life, all covered within. Very interesting.

I can relate to a lot of the examples in this book and a lot of the quotes. I always remember reading one that stated "if you tell a child a 100 times and they don't still don't understand, it's not the child that's slow" - there is a similar one within this book and I can completely relate to that.

I wish it had been a bit lengthier and discussed more in the anecodetal parts of the book, I feel that it could have had more to offer, I could relate to how the criticism of educators / teachers was detailed and often feel that if more awareness was given to the education sector, they could diagnose more people and same them the humilation of having to hide their conditions instead of accepting them.

With thanks to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the free arc in return for an honest review.

As an adult with Dyslexia, this book is a good read. I wish I could make every person I have encountered who didn't believe in, understand, or care about dyslexia. Sandman-Hurley does a great job at summarizing and sharing stories and experiences from adults with dyslexia. Dyslexia is not often thought about as being as impactful as it is, but it really is. If you have a loved one with dyslexia, are a teacher, an educator, work with people, a disability advocate, or care about others, you should read this book.

In this book Kelli Sandman-Hurley provides an enormously helpful insight into how adults are remembering their childhood growing up with dyslexia (diagnosed or not), all based on her interviews with dyslexics from all walks of life.

My take-away is that it’s crucial that schools and parents do not hold off screening for dyslexia if the signs are there; once it’s suspected, ensure proper action is taken immediately. Ensure that the child understands that they are not stupid, and make sure that they are provided with the right intervention and accommodations for their particular situation.

“It is not the child that needs to change, it is the intervention”

As a society have much to learn and improve on, in how we identify and help dyslexics of all ages. It isn’t acceptable that children and adults do not speak up due to fear of being marginalised (e.g. when applying for school places or job promotions).

Thank you for writing this necessary and eye-opening book about living with dyslexia!

*I received this book through Netgalley*

This is a great book for anyone that would like learn more about adults' perspective of living with dyslexia. However, going in, I thought this book would share research supported with the interviews. In the end, this book was more anecdotal. Also, the book mainly criticizes society, educators, teachers, etc. but gives little to no solutions in order to fix the problem at hand. This book would have been better if it had been supported by research.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A necessary compilation of the experiences from people who are directly effected by dyslexia. I do not have dyslexia but have seen how children are misdiagnosed with other disorders and not given the help they need.

As somebody who doesn't have Dyslexia, I found this book to be decently informative.
I liked the anecdotal style and wished that the voices of these people had been fleshed out even more.

I think this is an incredibly important topic to discuss and to shed light on, and so I would have liked this to have been a bit longer and a deeper dive into the Adult Side Of Dyslexia. However, I did think the book was good and well worth a read.