Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

ADHD: A Hunter in a Farmer’s World, 3rd Edition

By: Thom Hartmann, Michael Popkin - foreword
Narrated by: Robin Douglas
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

A newly revised and updated edition of the classic guide to reframing our view of ADHD and embracing its benefits

• Explains that people with ADHD are not disordered or dysfunctional, but simply “hunters in a farmer’s world”--possessing a unique mental skill set that would have allowed them to thrive in a hunter-gatherer society

• Offers concrete non-drug methods and practices to help hunters--and their parents, teachers, and managers--embrace their differences, nurture creativity, and find success in school, at work, and at home

• Reveals how some of the world’s most successful people can be labeled as ADHD hunters, including Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, and Andrew Carnegie

With 10 percent of the Western world’s children suspected of having Attention Deficit Disorder, or ADHD, and a growing number of adults self-diagnosing after decades of struggle, the question must be raised: How could Nature make such a “mistake”?

In this updated edition of his groundbreaking classic, Thom Hartmann explains that people with ADHD are not abnormal, disordered, or dysfunctional, but simply “hunters in a farmer’s world.” Often highly creative and single-minded in pursuit of a self-chosen goal, those with ADHD symptoms possess a unique mental skill set that would have allowed them to thrive in a hunter-gatherer society. As hunters, they would have been constantly scanning their environment, looking for food or threats (distractibility); they’d have to act without hesitation (impulsivity); and they’d have to love the high-stimulation and risk-filled environment of the hunting field. With our structured public schools, office workplaces, and factories those who inherit a surplus of “hunter skills” are often left frustrated in a world that doesn’t understand or support them.

As Hartmann shows, by reframing our view of ADHD, we can begin to see it not as a disorder, but as simply a difference and, in some ways, an advantage. He reveals how some of the world’s most successful people can be labeled as ADHD hunters and offers concrete non-drug methods and practices to help hunters--and their parents, teachers, and managers--embrace their differences, nurture creativity, and find success in school, at work, and at home. Providing a supportive “survival” guide to help fine tune your natural skill set, rather than suppress it, Hartmann shows that each mind--whether hunter, farmer, or somewhere in between--has value and great potential waiting to be tapped.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©1993, 1997, 2019 Thom Hartmann. All Rights Reserved. (P)2019 Inner Traditions Audio. All Rights Reserved.
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Taking Charge of Adult ADHD, Second Edition cover art
Faster Than Normal cover art
Adult ADHD cover art
Harnessing Your Adult ADHD Superpowers cover art
ADHD Mastery: A 10 Step Guide to Mastering and Understanding Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adults cover art
ADHD an A-Z cover art
Your Brain's Not Broken cover art
Frontal Fatigue cover art
Born to Be Wild cover art
Self-Care for People with ADHD cover art
Women with ADHD cover art
Attack of the Teenage Brain cover art
The Blueprint for Women with ADHD cover art
Emotional Intelligence Power 3-1 Bundle Book cover art
Fast Minds cover art
My Year of Living Mindfully cover art

Critic reviews

“In this groundbreaking book, Thom Hartmann makes a unique contribution to our understanding of ADHD. In considering ADHD in an evolutionary context, Thom was the first to point out the survival advantages of ADHD in hunter-gatherer societies and also the first to identify the link between ADHD and creativity. As such, Thom will be recognized as a pioneer contributing to the reconceptualization of ADHD from being considered only a ‘disorder’ to being viewed as a ‘mode of thought’ characterized by enhanced flexibility and creativity.” (Richard Silberstein, professor emeritus of cognitive neuroscience at Swinburne University)

“It is refreshing to find a book that places ADHD in a framework that does not imply dysfunction.... The metaphor of a ‘hunter in a farmer’s world’ fits so many of the ADHD youngsters and adults with whom I have worked.” (Margaret (Peg) Dawson, EdD, NCSP, codirector of the Center for Learning and Attention Disorders)

“Why are attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and related conditions so common? Could they in some way be advantageous? These questions and some possible answers are woven through this book, providing basic factual information about ADHD with a twist that helps readers recognize the value - sometimes quite special - of people who have it.” (Dale E. Hammerschmidt, MD, FACP, emeritus professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota)

What listeners say about ADHD: A Hunter in a Farmer’s World, 3rd Edition

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    100
  • 4 Stars
    15
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    69
  • 4 Stars
    28
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    80
  • 4 Stars
    20
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Sounds like a biography

Inspiring for people like me with the Hunter gene, sounds like someone telling me my own life story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

this book helped me seek treatment

second read through will be reading again.
this book recontextualized my entire life.

it's such a shame I'm nearly 40 before I came across it or even dared to think I might have AD// the hunter gene

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Revelation for anyone interested in adhd

Great approach to understanding adhd. Lots of useful anecdotes as well as scientific study information.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Will be better as a physical book

Good content, but - as every 5th sentence is “quote-unquote” hearing it 100 times within 30 minutes does really become annoying.
I’ll give it a try with a physical book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating

I started reading because I suspected I had ADHD. I finished because it's full of fascinating stories, and it made me think about how I can approach my limitations from more positive, productive and healthy angles.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating, can recommend.

Very interesting listen and explains the concept well. Leaves me with a much better understanding of the adhd world. Worth listening to.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting ideas around human traits in general and how to utilise them in the modern world

Let me start by saying I don’t think this book is necessarily specific to adhd, nor do I prescribe to the black and white labels of ‘hunter’ or ‘farmer’. I read this book at the recommendation of a fellow adhder with similar literary tastes to mine. I had come across the title in passing before, and always overlooked it as the premise didn’t resonate.
The first half was actually very good. It was well laid out and interesting with some ideas and thinking I’d not come across before. I Disregarding that traits are labelled ‘hunter’ or ‘farmer’ it was interesting to hear more about how they developed and why they might be under utilised in a modern office environment. I identified strongly with certain characteristics from both archetypes, which I don’t think is surprising or unusual.
The second half of the book is a bit more generic, and you’ll probably find that your interest correlates negatively depending on how many other adhd type books you’ve read.
I think this would be a good second or third book if you’ve just started your adhd learning journey. I recommend beginning with something broader and more informative, and then if you run on female hormones read something specific to adhd in women (Sari Solden is brilliant) before you dive into this one.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

ADHD is an analysis, not a diagnos

This book is turning ADHD from a liability into an asset - if well managed. Convincingly showing we should really see and appreciate the value of neural diversity. Changing the norm of what a human is can really benefit the perhaps billion hunters of the world directly and the rest indirectly. The hunters are not there by mere chance - their ADHD genes have great survival value and that's why they are increasing among humans the last 40 thousand years or so. This book has been an eye opener for me and has made the world better and more interesting.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Helped feel less guilt and see the way my brain work more positively

For most of my life I have felt defective. It was only during reflective conversation on my doctoral course at university that I realised I was probably ADD.

After a conversation with my doctor she referred me for adult testing saying ‘There was more than enough evidence to support testing’.

This book has helped me reclassify the way my brain works in a more positive light. It also explains why I am comfortable running 3 business, completing a doctoral degree, training at the gym 3 times a week, BJJ twice a week, coaching 6 martial arts and spending plenty of time with my 3 children.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Worth listening to

A great perspective for anyone trying to understand or live with ADHD.
Me & my partner are both hunters & this has helped me gain an overview of the unique situations we find ourselves in emotionally, leading to much better outcomes.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!