Last updated: November 27th, 2019
I spent about one year of my life working out of a public library.
I was pretty broke during that time in my life (hence why I needed to work out of a library). But, it was a period of amazing personal growth for me, none the less.
During that time, I read so many helpful books that allowed me to make sense of ADHD, human psychology, business, relationships, and so many other important aspects of life.
Reading good books changed my life for the best. And, I’m convinced that reading these books for people with ADHD will greatly improve your life, too.
In this article, I’ve recommended the following types of books for you to read:
- ADHD books
- General self-help books for people with ADHD
- Relationship books for people with ADHD
- Entrepreneurship books for people with ADHD
Some of these books are specifically related to dealing with ADHD. Other books are intended for more general audiences, but are still extremely applicable to dealing with ADHD.
Enjoy…
Pro tip: You can always check your local library to see if any of these books are available for free. I love our public library system in America. But, if these books aren’t available at your local library, then you can purchase these books directly from Amazon at the links that I’ve provided.
Contents
ADHD books
These books will help you live a better life with ADHD.
The ADHD Advantage
The ADHD Advantage (Amazon) is the ADHD book that resonated with me the most.
It’s difficult to find books that expose the real upsides of having ADHD. Yes, ADHD does have its upsides (even though most people will tell you otherwise).
Plus, positive thinking is just a plain good habit, and this book forces you to shift your (potentially) negative view of ADHD into a positive one.
In this book, Dr. Dale Archer explains how having ADHD enables you to:
- Make creative connections that other people just aren’t capable of
- Brainstorm powerful new ideas, and respond quickly to changes
- Thrive in chaotic environments
- Make quick decisions, and work in high-pressure careers
- Forget about past mistakes, push forward in life, and develop resilience
In case you haven’t noticed, ADHD Boss is a website that generally puts a positive spin on ADHD. This is probably why I liked The ADHD Advantage so much.
So, if you’re someone who’s sick and tired of the stigma and negativity surrounding ADHD, then you’ll probably appreciate this book as much as I did.
This book will give you real hope for your life.
Delivered from Distraction
Delivered from Distraction (Amazon) is an amazing book that exposes how to live a great life with ADHD.
This book is written by Dr. Edward Hallowell, who is a leading psychiatrist and expert in the ADHD space.
I love that early on in the book, Dr. Hallowell gives you (the reader) permission to skip around in the book. He actually encourages you to not feel bad if you don’t finish the book. This is really awesome, and indicates that Dr. Hallowell knows his ADHD audience extraordinarily well.
In the book, Dr. Hallowell provides you with the various positive aspects of living with ADHD, and inspires you to live a full life even with the disorder. Delivered from Distraction is super easy to read, as it’s written in a casual, conversational tone.
This is ultimately a great ADHD book that everyone should read.
Driven to Distraction
Driven to Distraction (Amazon), by Dr. Edward Hallowell, is the best “all-inclusive” book available for learning everything that you need to know about ADHD.
This book offers a balanced look at ADHD diagnosis, treatment options, first-hand stories with ADHD patients, and so much more…
Driven to Distraction is a great book to read if you’re interested in the ADHD affecting your child, spouse, or even yourself. It’s an excellent book for all ADHD age groups.
If you need a book that gives you a “full course” on living with ADHD, this is probably the first book you should read.
You Mean I’m Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?!
You Mean I’m Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?! (Amazon) is one of the most popular books ever written on adult ADHD.
This book is written by ADHD adults, for ADHD adults.
It uses very simple language, clear explanations, and even some humor to help you understand what adult ADHD is all about.
Even though this book is a little bit aged, it’s still full of useful information that’s very applicable to dealing with ADHD in the modern age.
If you’re someone who finds it difficult to read books, or even if you just don’t like reading, this book will explain adult ADHD to you in the easiest and clearest terms possible.
Learning To Slow Down & Pay Attention
Learning to Slow Down & Pay Attention (Amazon) is a great book for ADHD children who are in middle school or high school.
Surprisingly, there aren’t very many ADHD books that are written specifically for children.
But, Learning to Slow Down & Pay Attention was written with ADHD children in mind. The text in this book is super simple and easy-to-understand.
This book also includes fun worksheets, checklists, and sections for taking notes, so that children can actually engage with the book.
Overall, this book offers a very simple and straightforward way to introduce your child to the world of ADHD.
General self-help books for people with ADHD
These books aren’t specifically related to ADHD.
But, I find these books incredibly helpful for living a fulfilling life with ADHD.
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living (Amazon) is a life-changing book that will motivate you to stop living in a constant state of fear and anxiety.
This book makes the case that excessive worrying often leads to debilitating conditions like heart disease, arthritis, insanity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and various other issues.
Not to mention, excessive worrying makes ADHD much harder for you to deal with (this part isn’t included in the book – but it would make a nice addition).
This book is so compelling, because it demonstrates real-life stories about people who went through horrific situations in life. You’ll read stories about people who had real problems to worry about, and this will likely make your problems seem insignificant in comparison.
Basically, this book makes the case that 99% of your worries turn out to be your mind playing devious tricks on you. And, you have to stop worrying so much, or your health could suffer.
Luckily, in the book, you get all kinds of strategies to stop yourself from worrying so much. This is a truly powerful, classic self-help book that will help so many people with ADHD.
Meditations
Meditations (free) is one of the oldest and most important books on stoic philosophy that you will ever read. You can read Meditations free of charge, as it’s widely available all over the internet.
Meditations is the personal philosophy of Marcus Aurelius, who led the Roman Empire from 161 to 180 AD.
So, this book is the same exact philosophy that kept the Roman Empire running in the second century AD.
Isn’t that amazing?
You can read the same texts that a Roman emperor used to rule over millions of people.
Reading Meditations is especially helpful for overcoming laziness, procrastination, having fears about death, and so many other normal things that all humans struggle with.
After reading Meditations, you will begin to see the positive side of life’s challenges, and become a much more resilient person with ADHD.
This is a book that I recommend you read at least once per year. Some people, like Ryan Holiday, have read Meditations over 100 times.
How to Win Friends & Influence People
How to Win Friends & Influence People (Amazon) contains some of the simplest and most effective advice for becoming a more likable human being.
Much of the advice in this book is surprisingly simple.
But, this is an essential book for people with ADHD to read, because many people with ADHD find it difficult to exercise basic social norms (like remembering people’s first name, or showing genuine appreciation to others).
So, you’ll find extremely simple advice in this book such as:
- If you want people to be interested in you, then you should show genuine interest in other people
- You have to develop great listening skills, because people are always interested in talking about themselves
- You should talk about what other people are interested in, because this makes you more likable
- Make an effort to avoid all arguments, since arguments can’t be won
- Smiling frequently leads to infectious positive emotions in other people and yourself
I recommend reading this book if you’d like to improve your networking skills and social skills. It’s also a great refresher of basic yet genuinely useful life advice.
How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big
How to Fail at Almost Anything and Still Win Big (Amazon) is the greatest “life success” book that I recommend to everyone who suffers from ADHD.
In this book, you’ll learn about the power of affirmations, visualization, building systems, creating complementary skills, and “failing forward” until you achieve the life that you envision.
I like this book a lot, because it will change the way that you perceive failure.
After reading this book, instead of feeling like a “failure” for failing, you’ll feel like you’re making progress (which is true). Failure is inevitable. So, it’s best to embrace failure as early as possible, and make sure that you’re failing in a positive direction (failing towards your life’s vision).
After enough failure, you will eventually win big.
Think and Grow Rich
Think and Grow Rich (Amazon) is a classic self-help book that highlights the importance of finding a burning desire within yourself, and then pursuing that burning desire with all of your might.
This book will force you to take a hard look at what you really want to get out of life. And, this book will make you think about what you’re really willing to do in order to achieve your dreams.
Think and Grow Rich details numerous accounts of people who have faced harsh rejection, only to eventually succeed at getting what they want, solely because of their burning desire.
Of course, this book also makes it clear that you must know what you want to achieve, and you’ll need to have a solid plan of action for your life.
Overall, I highly recommend Think and Grow Rich to people with ADHD, because of the inspirational value and guidance that you’ll get out of this book.
This book might even give you the idea that having a burning desire allows you to overcome many of the issues created by ADHD.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Amazon) is the book that taught me to “seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
I spent many years not fully engaging in conversations with people, and this caused me to jump to conclusions, and make preconceived judgments about people.
Of course, experiencing difficulty with fully engaging in conversations is a classic symptom of inattentive ADHD.
But, this book ultimately opened my eyes to the various habits that winners practice.
Now, I dedicate extra effort to listening closely in my conversations with people, and understanding other people’s perspectives, before even sharing my own.
Best of all, this book is filled with plenty of other golden nuggets of information that will help people with ADHD achieve success in life.
You’ll learn how to live a sustainable lifestyle, work towards a greater vision, create win-win situations with people, and so much more.
This book is a must-read for people with ADHD.
Relationship advice books for people with ADHD
Some of these books are specifically about enjoying great relationships while suffering from ADHD.
But, some of these books are intended for more general audiences.
Either way, all of the relationship & people-oriented books in this section are excellent for people with ADHD.
The ADHD Effect on Marriage
The ADHD Effect on Marriage (Amazon) is a must-read book for people who are affected by ADHD while in a relationship.
Whether you have ADHD yourself, or your partner has ADHD, this book will help you understand the unique qualities that make up an ADHD relationship.
This is a highly-engaging book because the author, Melissa Orlov, was in an ADHD relationship herself.
And, as a Harvard graduate, Orlov is extremely knowledgeable on topics surrounding ADHD, relationships, and helping you make the most of your ADHD relationship.
Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.?
Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.? (Amazon) is another great book for people who are in an ADHD relationship.
The author, Gina Pera, offers many solutions and coping strategies for dealing with ADHD in your relationship.
This book is super easy to read, and is written very intelligently, so you’ll actually enjoy relating with the science-based information and advice that Pera offers.
In fact, this book rings so true, that you might even find certain parts of the book to be “painful” to read. This is because the book will make you think hard about your own relationship experiences.
But, don’t worry. This book is only going to help your relationship grow, and make you and your partner stronger together.
Crucial Conversations
Crucial Conversations (Amazon) is a book that teaches you how to have difficult yet extremely important conversations with people.
If there’s something that you haven’t been able to talk with your partner about for years, this is the book that will help you turn an uncomfortable conversation into a productive one.
This book drives home the importance of properly managing emotions, creating an open dialogue in your conversations, and ensuring that your conversations actually help you reach your goals.
By mastering your crucial conversations with people, you’ll ultimately enjoy a much more successful private and public life. You’ll also build stronger bonds with people, reduce your odds of having dramatic (and energy-draining) arguments, and gain more influence through the art of conversation.
No More Mr. Nice Guy
No More Mr. Nice Guy (Amazon) is an amazing relationship book for both men and women.
This book explains the importance of prioritizing your needs, and always making sure that you’re having your needs met.
Do you know if you’re having your needs met?
Do you even know what your needs are?
Many people with ADHD are so focused on trying to get their life together, to where it becomes really easy to forget about meeting your own needs.
No More Mr. Nice Guy is a book that you have to read if you want to “work on yourself” for a while, so that you can become a better person in your relationships with people.
The Way of the Superior Man
The Way of the Superior Man (Amazon) is one of my favorite books of all time. This is a book that I revisit once or twice per year.
And, this book is great for both men and women, because it explains the masculine-feminine dynamic of relationships extremely well.
Sexual polarity is a very important aspect of relationships, because you need to have a masculine and a feminine soul (polar opposites) to create a “magnetic” effect in your relationships.
Health and wellness books for people with ADHD
These books aren’t specifically related to ADHD. But, they will help you live a MUCH healthier, more energetic, and empowered life with ADHD.
The Grain Brain
The Grain Brain (Amazon) is an important book which makes a compelling argument that eating carbs in excess can potentially lead to brain damage.
This book is so important for people with ADHD to read, because people with ADHD need to make the most of their brain function.
And, if you suffer from ADHD, then you definitely don’t want to further complicate your problems by increasing your risk of experiencing brain-related disorders like dementia, Alzheimer’s, and similar chronic illnesses.
In this book, Dr. David Perlmutter even draws a connection between consuming excessive sugar and gluten, and suffering from behavioral and psychological disorders like ADHD and anxiety.
So, reading this book explains how you can spark new brain cell growth at any age, easily avoid gluten in your diet (recipes are included), prevent serious brain diseases from occurring, and live an all-around healthier lifestyle.
This is a really, really important book for you to read.
The UltraMind Solution
The UltraMind Solution (Amazon) is a must-read book that’s written by Dr. Mark Hyman.
This is a great book that should serve as the basis for your ADHD diet.
I don’t necessarily agree that diet can always replace the need for ADHD medication. People with ADHD have different needs in regards to diet and medication regimens.
But, I do think that having an excellent diet should be the first step that you take to get a better grip on your ADHD symptoms. Having an excellent diet can definitely improve your mood, emotions, and in some cases, your attention span.
Dr. Mark Hyman essentially believes that you need to provide your body with the right foods and nutritional supplements in order to help your body heal itself. That’s something I 100% agree with, because I practice this philosophy in my own life, and experience great results.
If you’re interested in thinking more clearly and feeling better mentally, then you’ll greatly appreciate this book.
Deep Nutrition
Deep Nutrition (Amazon) is a book that will encourage you to ditch the traditional USDA Food Pyramid, and start eating real foods that nourish your brain and body (like meat on the bone, organ meats, and fresh vegetables).
If you have a habit of eating too many processed foods, Deep Nutrition will help you understand the reasons why you need to eat the types of foods that your ancestors ate.
And, while people are technically living longer thanks to breakthroughs in modern medicine, people are now suffering from health ailments at a much younger age.
The truth is that prior generations ate healthier foods than we do today, and they benefited tremendously because of this. We need to eat like our ancestors ate.
To be fair, this isn’t exactly an easy problem to overcome. Because today, our industrialized food supply chain is loaded with harmful ingredients that people with ADHD need to avoid.
But, by eating healthy, minimally-processed whole foods as often as possible, you can prevent many health issues before they arise, and live an all-around more prosperous lifestyle.
Another interesting aspect of this book is a section about the importance of good nutrition before and during pregnancy. The author of this book (who is the Science Director of the Los Angeles Lakers PRO Nutrition Program) explains that eating a highly nutritious diet before and during pregnancy results in a healthier child. Could a mother’s nutrition before and during her pregnancy be linked to children’s ADHD? While there’s no evidence of this, it’s definitely a possibility worth investigating.
The Case Against Sugar
The Case Against Sugar (Amazon) is one of the most important health books that people with ADHD can read, because sugar is just a plain horrible substance beyond what you’ve been told.
Sugar is one of the most addictive ingredients that humans were never supposed to eat in large quantities.
While it’s been shown that sugar is not linked to ADHD, this doesn’t mean that sugar will help you in any way. In fact, sugar can cause cellular brain damage, contribute to various diseases, and lead to weight gain, obesity, diabetes, and a number of other serious health concerns.
Worst of all, the sugar industry has successfully shifted the blame of these problems to saturated fat. The sugar industry has spent millions of dollars vilifying fat, and making consumers believe that fat is the biggest dietary problem Americans face.
So, the bottom line is this: There’s a good case to be made that sugar is the root cause of many modern diseases.
Because you already likely struggle with ADHD, you don’t need to be eating much sugar, and creating even more health issues for yourself. This book just might save you from creating more havoc in your life.
Entrepreneurship books for people with ADHD
People with ADHD don’t always like to play by the rules that society sets for them. This makes people with ADHD excellent candidates for launching a business.
These are the best books on entrepreneurship that I’ve read.
The Millionaire Fastlane
The Millionaire Fastlane (Amazon) is my #1 book recommendation for anyone who’s interested in starting a business from scratch.
This book gives you a proven formula for assessing business opportunities, and figuring out which business ventures you should pursue.
You won’t hear cliche advice like “you should always follow your passion” in this book. The Millionaire Fastlane gives you the raw truth about what it takes to build a need-based business in the hyper-competitive economy that we live in.
In other words, this book shows you how to solve real human pains, and make a comfortable living in the process.
How to Get Rich
How to Get Rich (Amazon) is one of the most entertaining business books that I’ve read.
This book is written by Felix Dennis, who was a media magnate, and the founder of Maxim magazine.
Dennis was a self-made businessman. He started out as a college dropout, and earned his wealth through hard work and risk-taking ability.
In this book, Dennis recounts his drug-fueled escapades, mistakes, big wins, and polarizing views on life. Honestly, to me, it seems like Dennis might have suffered from ADHD (although we’ll never really know for sure).
Even though this is a controversial book (Dennis sounds somewhat bitter about life at times) – I still recommend reading this book, because it was written with authenticity and expertise. He didn’t hold back any punches in this book.
Plus, Dennis was an extraordinarily wealthy man who earned his position in life through lots of hard-fought trial and error. That’s admirable. So, you can learn a lot about business and wealth creation from this book, regardless of Dennis’ controversial views.
Unscripted
Unscripted (Amazon) is a book that was written by the same author as The Millionaire Fastlane.
This is the most hardcore business book that I’ve read.
I recommend this book only if you’re prepared to deal with the raw harshness of the business world, and life in general.
In many ways, Unscripted will force you to grow as a person, because it presents many of the obstacles that you’ll need to overcome in order to become a truly free individual in the United States.
The general theme of Unscripted is one that will resonate with many people who suffer from ADHD, because people with ADHD already live “unscripted” lives in a sense.
For example, if you have ADHD, then you’ve probably always felt like a rebel. So, this book explains the benefits of being a “business rebel”, and helps you leverage your rebelliousness into a successful entrepreneurial journey.
The 4-Hour Workweek
The 4-Hour Workweek (Amazon) is just an amazing book for anyone to read.
If you’re a business-oriented person, you’ll especially love this book, because it paints a clear picture of the success that you can attain relatively easily, assuming that you live in the United States.
This book makes it clear that you don’t have to work for 40+ years in order to retire. The days of having a traditional retirement are largely over.
Now, you can work hard for a few years on your own business (for example), and then take a “mini retirement” for 6 months or so, and then repeat this process as many times as you like.
The premise of this book is that you can design your lifestyle in the way that you want.
It’s a very light, breezy, and easy-to-read book. I highly-recommend this book to all aspiring entrepreneurs with ADHD.
Final thoughts
Overall, this list of books for people with ADHD should be enough to keep you reading for at least 2-3 months.
I love reading great books like these, because you can always learn something that you can immediately apply to your life.
So, make sure to take advantage of these books, because they’re some of the very best books available for people with ADHD.
And, if you’ve read any other books that are especially helpful to people with ADHD, please make sure to leave your book recommendations in the comments section below. I’d love to hear from you.
thanks for mentioning no more mr nice guy, a godsend for me.
i am now reading how to get rich ,as well, the author has a knack for writing.
driven to distraction was my ADHD bible for me and completely changed the way o viewed myself. i highly recommends this book to adders.
also, i would like to suggest another book:
how to murder your life by Cat Marnell(she has adhd) though not self-help book kind, she has a way with language. if you dont like the parts about her fashion innuendos, just skim through those parts.
Thanks a lot for leaving your comment on here David. Yes, No More Mr. Nice Guy was a godsend for me too.
How to Get Rich is awesome. I think you’ll really like it.
And thanks for recommending How to Murder Your Life. I’ve just checked it out on Amazon, and it looks really good. Surprised I haven’t seen this one before, but I’ll make sure to read it. Sounds like she might have ADHD, right?
yup. she has ADHD. the word ADD or ADHD pops up every now and then. Also,her tumultous and rough life(whether due to add or not) i can really relate.
words like ‘hyperfocused state’and ‘creative’ appear in the book too. Then, you will feel the author’s Presence. Those of our One Kind.
Oh! alcoholism, drugs ,shame,fear and what not,too.
Yeah I think it’s the duality of ADHD that fascinates me most. She’s a perfect example. ADHD can cause you to be totally destructive, or wildly ambitious. Or both.