ADHD cover art

ADHD

A Hunter in a Farmer's World

Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
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.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

ADHD

By: Thom Hartmann, Michael Popkin - introduction
Narrated by: Robin Douglas
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Only £0.99 a month for the first 3 months. Pay £0.99 for the first 3 months, and £8.99/month thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Start my membership

About this listen

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.
Attention Deficit Disorders Children's Health Mental Health Personal Development Personal Success Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships Health Special need Hunting Inspiring Thought-Provoking

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 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
Self-Confidence, Social Comparison, Materialism, Minimalism, Self-Love, and Fulfillment 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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“This book did for our family what years of being in and out of therapy failed to accomplish. It helped us to understand and appreciate each other’s unique way of doing and seeing.”
“A clear and positive view of our remarkable children with practical tips for the parent.”
“I highly recommend this book to parents and educators.”
“This book helped me better understand ADHD and gave me practical strategies on how to deal with these children in the classroom.”
“ADHDers aren’t abnormal; they are uniquely gifted individuals in their own right. Thom Hartmann describes these ideas in a book that belongs in the hands of every educator, counselor, doctor, and parent.”
All stars
Most relevant
An extremely empowering and liberating book. Well researched, sensitive and practical. It should be compulsory for anyone working in the field. can’t recommend it enough.

Wonderful

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

really refreshing take. Well written and narrated. but please! credit the listener with understanding a quote without the need to endlessly and repeatedly stating "quote/unquite". so annoying and distracting.

excellent but the the (quote/unqote) quote marks

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

This is a must and reframes in such a clear way giving all of the insight needed - first rate

This is a must for anyone with ADHD in their life

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

Loved the book. Great content that I could identity with and provided new insights. The narrator was OK but she would say "quote unquote" before quoting someone, which happens quite a bit, and this grated after a while.

Great content. Narrator became annoying

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

very useful and interesting. super to have others' real life stories as well as so much professional insight.

informative, interesting and great short chapters!

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

See more reviews