Jenara Nerenberg – författare

AUDIBLE EDITOR'S PICKThe bestselling, paradigm-shifting study of neurodivergent women—those with ADHD, autism, synesthesia, high sensitivity, and sensory processing disorder—exploring why these traits are overlooked in women and how society benefits from allowing their unique strengths to flourish.As a successful Harvard and Berkeley-educated writer, entrepreneur, and devoted mother, Jenara Nerenberg was shocked to discover that her “symptoms”--only ever labeled as anxiety-- were considered autistic and ADHD. Being a journalist, she dove into the research and uncovered neurodiversity—a framework that moves away from pathologizing “abnormal” versus “normal” brains and instead recognizes the vast diversity of our mental makeups. When it comes to women, sensory processing differences are often overlooked, masked, or mistaken for something else entirely. Nerenberg explores these topics in depth, delving into:Flawed systems that focus on diagnosing younger, male populations.How people assigned female at birth are conditioned to blend in and conform to gender expectations, and how women often don’t learn about their neurological differences until they are adults, if at all.The impact of millions living with undiagnosed or misdiagnosed neurodivergences, and how the misidentification leads to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and shame.Practical solutions for neurodivergent people to thrive, not just survive.Divergent Mind is the much-needed answer for women who have a deep sense that they are “different.” Sharing real stories from women with high sensitivity, ADHD, autism, misophonia, dyslexia, SPD, and more, Nerenberg explores how these brain variances present differently in women and dispels widely-held misconceptions (for example, it’s not that autistic people lack sensitivity and empathy, they have an overwhelming excess of it). Nerenberg offers us a path forward, describing changes in how we communicate, how we design our surroundings, and how we can better support divergent minds. When we allow our wide variety of brain makeups to flourish, we create a better tomorrow for us all.

A timely guide to help you re-examine your ideas, encounter debate, and navigate a polarized world with calm rationality. "Nerenberg offers ways to speak up, stand alone, and be true to ourselves. . . . Nerenberg’s timely and thought-provoking analysis is sure to spark discussion." – Booklist Trust Your Mind takes you on a stunning tour of self-silencing, groupthink, and their antidote: critical reasoning. From conducting in-depth interviews to uncovering scientific research and sharing her own personal story, bestselling author Jenara Nerenberg offers searing insights on how to identify and exit everyday extremism and transform fear and hesitation into courageous dialogue that embraces dissent. If you’ve ever felt suddenly silenced or taken over by your own self-censorship, Trust Your Mind has been praised as “compelling, lucid and timely” by social psychologist Ethan Kross and hailed as “a bold call to think deeper and speak truer” by social psychologist Kurt Gray for how the book reinvigorates an ethic of pluralism at a time when respect for differing viewpoints is narrowing: Contradictory ideas spark hysteria and backlash—resulting in mobbing and “cancel culture”A “wrong” remark or comment, no matter how seemingly innocent, gets twisted and results in banishmentPolarization and pressure to conform to “the group”—friends, families, workplaces, and communities—fuels alienation and threatens the fabric of a connected societyTrust Your Mind guides you along the difficult path toward critical thinking and illuminates: The origins of self-silencing culture and how to counter the devastating loss of independent thoughtThe inner workings of critical reasoning and how to “come down to earth” away from everyday extremist thinkingHow to forge existential survival skills and what Nerenberg calls “an emotional backbone"Communication has become increasingly divisive; Nerenberg calmly shows readers how to walk through discomfort, stay grounded in one’s own viewpoint while encountering opposition, and stay connected. To examine and communicate one’s own ideas—like a deep-sea diver, investigator or anthropologist—is a vital, strategic skill and exploration for individuals in the 21st century.