Being normal sucks

What's normal? Am I normal? And you? And any of us? We are all surrounded by institutions, systems and cultural practices that demand normality. We all have to build a life and a self despite the strict judges of the established theory of normality.

I want you to be ready. I want to, so you know, how to live and be successful in the world, that will tell you at some point that you're not normal because of this, what you look like, who you love, as you learn, how you feel, how you behave or what you believe in. I want you to know that normalcy is a problem that needs to be fought.

Jonathan Mooney draws on his own experiences, as well as professional opinions and people's stories, to describe a world ruled by "normalcy" and hurting.

He was already a child in his thinking. He was hyperactive, dyslexic and did not learn to read until he was 12. They told him that one day he'd be flipping burgers at most. Yet he graduated from a prestigious university and became a writer. His view of the world changed fundamentally when he realised that the problem was not with him, but with the system and the common notion of "normality".

The book explores, what it means to children and adults, when they deviate from the norm and when they're trapped in the environment, that pigeonholes them, embarrasses them and lets them know the hard way, that they're the problem. But Mooney argues that if we change the way we look at diversity, ability and disability, we can start a revolution.

His hero is Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida and other philosophers, learned to read at 12 and still scratches it sometimes, he had a plethora of experiences in his childhood, that we wouldn't want, for our children to experience.

He has gone through many hours of psychotherapy to understand that "difference is real" and "his differences make him a valuable human being". Today he knows, that his dyslexia wasn't the problem, but "discipleship." pedagogical approaches, who could only work with their own conception of it, what a "normal" student looks and acts like, who, ...taken to its consequences, of course it doesn't exist.

Provocatively titled, the book contains countless provocative ideas, poignant and frightening stories, references to scholarly literature and diverse studies and philosophical writings, as well as the kindness and determination to step out of the rut and show how important this is to all of us.

It is not a specialist literature, yet it would be useful for many experts to read it. And it's definitely one for the library of all parents who are wondering how to deal with raising their children, who often don't behave exactly as parents would expect or need.

And if you're looking for arguments to show your community why inclusion makes sense, you'll find them here too. You don't even have to read between the lines. It just might scare the reader how many children and young people we have hurt and are hurting when we think we know what is normal.

I highly recommend the book.

— doc. PhDr. Lenka Krejčová, Ph. D.

author of publications on specific learning disorders Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, DYS-centrum Praha, z. ú.