The author, Frank South, worked as a television writer and producer during the 1980s and 1990s on shows including Melrose Place and Baywatch. He’s also the author of the one-man theatrical Pay Attention: ADHD in Hollywood, on the Rocks with a Twist.
As A CHICKEN IN THE WIND AND HOW HE GREW opens, South describes being unemployed “somewhere in the last third” of an 18-year TV career when “a dam… burst in my head.” Even with support from his wife, Margaret, South no longer could “muscle into submission” chaotic thoughts, confusion and self-loathing.
South’s psychiatrist diagnosed adult ADHD with comorbid (related) conditions, including alcoholism, depression and hypomania that causes bouts of extreme hyperactivity. Meanwhile, the Souths’ eldest child, Harry, was experiencing problems in third grade. They discovered that both Harry and his sister, Coco, had ADHD-related problems. Coco, like her father, has struggled to control severe ADHD. Harry has ADD – a serious attentional problem that can go unnoticed due to not causing restlessness or outbursts. To depressurize their lives and heal, the Souths moved to Hawaii.
A CHICKEN IN THE WIND is a series of vignettes based on guest blog posts Frank wrote for the website of ADDitude Magazine. Although the book’s timeline is mostly linear, it sometimes flashes back and forth through decades to show the impact of ADHD. Blog posts tend to open with a synopsis culled from the copy, which may account for one of the book’s editing problems – blocks of copy accidentally repeated in some of the vignettes. Also awkward is the repetition of basic information from one vignette to another, such as descriptions of Frank and Coco’s shared traits. Limiting backstory would create a smoother reading experience. Another, larger flaw is that although Coco and Margaret appear throughout the book, Harry seems to disappear about two-thirds of the way through.
Despite the editing problems, South’s book is an impressive achievement. It’s difficult enough to write well without a swirling sandstorm of ADHD distraction in one’s head.
~Alicia Rudnicki for IndieReader