Being normal sucks

What is normal? Am I normal? Are you? Is any of us? We are all surrounded by institutions, systems and cultural customs that demand normality. We all have to build a life and our own selves in spite of the strict judges of the established theory of normality. I want you to be prepared. I want you to know how to live and be successful in a world that will, at some point, tell you that you are not normal because of how you look, who you love, how you learn, how you feel, how you behave or what you believe. I want you to know that normality is a problem to be fought. Based on his own experiences, as well as expert opinions and people's stories, Jonathan Mooney describes a world ruled by damaging “normality”. His thinking was unconventional even as a child. He was hyperactive, dyslexic and didn't learn to read until he was 12. He was told he would, at most, end up flipping burgers. Yet he graduated from a prestigious university and became a writer. His worldview changed fundamentally when he realised that the problem was not him, but the system and the common concept of “normality”. In the book, he examines what it means for children and adults to deviate from the norm and to be trapped in an environment that pigeonholes and embarrasses them, making it harshly clear that the problem lies with them. But Mooney argues that if we change the way we look at diversity, ability and disability, we can spark a revolution. jonathanmooney.com