King of the Neuro Verse by Idris Goodwin
A Book that Needs a Spotlight
When I was younger, I used to write poems for every good thing or bad thing that happened because it was the easiest way to get thoughts onto paper. I wish I had the talent to tell my story the way Idris Goodwin does—this was truly outstanding. The novel itself is a coming-of-age story told in verse, set in the 1990s. It follows a Black teen boy named Pernell who is struggling in summer school, grappling with a diagnosis of ADHD, and ultimately learning to express himself through his own rhymes.
This book offers a fantastic and crucial look at the challenges of being neurodivergent, particularly as a person of color. It captures the difficulty of dealing with teachers who don’t understand how you learn and wrongly assume you’re being intentionally difficult. As someone who has been underestimated the majority of my life for things beyond my control, Pernell’s journey truly resonated with me and hits home in the best way. While I might not be Black, I understand challenges on a similar level. Pernell’s navigation of his learning environment and his struggle to work effectively while dealing with a learning difference he wasn’t fully aware of yet was deeply relatable. I really appreciated that he had a community around him, committed to ensuring he had the right support.
This book needs more of a spotlight. It is a short read that delivers a powerful, necessary message about self-acceptance and takes a direct swing at knocking down the outdated concept of “being different” as a bad thing. King of the Neuro Verse is uniquely itself, and it is beautiful.
