Dirty Laundry

Dirty Laundry explores ADHD from the lens of a couple, Richard Pink (He/Him) who is neurotypical and Roxanne Emery (She/Her) who has ADHD, with humour, honesty, and helpful learnings to ease the struggles of everyday life. This combination of different views welcomes readers from both perspectives, whilst also allowing them an insight into the differences between neurotypical and neurodiverse points of view. From the very beginning, Dirty Laundry lets you know that it is going to hold very little back and give you a real, honest, look into the lives of the two authors. What helps set this book aside from others it is the honesty from both parties, especially when recounting their struggles from pre-diagnoses for Roxanne Emery.

The benefit to a book that shares the experiences of an author, or in this case authors, is that you get to see the experience of ADHD in “the real world”, blended with the complexities of everyday life. We get to see the impacts both undiagnosed, and diagnosed ADHD can have, and learn some of the tips and tricks to managing those struggles. In addition to this, because we have two authors who are in a relationship, both before and after gaining an understanding of ADHD, we get to see the impact this can have on relationships from both perspectives. Dirty Laundry does an amazing job of being open and honest about the impacts of ADHD on a wide variety of subject matters, whilst also shedding light on the experiences of others as well. Perhaps my favourite part of the book is when the authors talk about hyper fixations and how they can sometimes focus on people, not just objects or activities. They discuss the impact this can have on relationships, and the power of understanding this aspect of ADHD.

Despite the excellent content, I did struggle with the writing style used within this book. The more informal style just did not work for me. Whilst I was not expecting a dry textbook exploration of ADHD, I also was not expecting what I got: a writing style I can only describe as friendly internet-style speech. This writing style made much of the dialogue more conversational. Whilst there are benefits to this, I often found it made the content less relatable, coming across as a personal account rather than a more detailed discussion of ADHD. This style makes perfect sense given the authors’ online presence and audience that led them to write the book in the first place. Overall, I would say if you can get past the writing style, Dirty Laundry has a lot to offer, it can help reduce some of the shame that can become linked with ADHD, and support people to look for solutions for their struggles without telling them that they are somebody who needs to be “fixed”.