Mess is Progress: A personal chronicle of an unmasking, late diagnosed, Autistic woman Paperback – 16 Feb. 2023

This book is perfect if like me you are just discovering in later life that you have Autism & ADHD. It could not have come at a better time for me. After reading about Hannah’s journey I feel more grounded and have a new understanding of ‘my normal’ and that it’s OK to be me. She is very brave in my option.The book is easy to read, full of poems written from the heart and chapters about the stages of the authors own personal journey and her thoughts. Some poems made me smile or laugh out loud with the brutal honesty and some made me cry (a lot) and there were many penny dropping moments for me. I could relate to nearly all of them which was very scary.... that a total stranger could un-jumble my thoughts and feelings over the years and write them down in a book.What I love about this book is there are no lectures, information overload, or unsolicited advice from medical professionals or ‘experts’ It's just a raw, genuine, honest book about a very personal journey.I would highly recommend this book especially to adult woman who are just discovering they are Autistic/ADHD, it’s good to read before anything else! I finished it in a week and I know I will refer back to the pages with the corners folded down to the poems I can relate to the most, they are comforting and familiar.Thank you Hannah for writing this book.

This is such a honest, open and helpful book. As a late-diagnosed neurodivergent person myself, I could really relate to the emotional rollercoaster in the this book. The author has distilled a complex subject into an engaging and easy to understand format, breaking down some of the many aspects how neurodiversity presents in day to day life. I really loved the mixture of poems and personal experience. The fact it was told in real time as the writer comes to terms with her own feelings and challenges gave a real feeling of immediacy and allowed me as a reader to learn alongside her. I am not Autistic myself, but I have been diagnosed with ADHD late in life so there is a so much common ground here. It was also fascinating to learn more about Autism as well - but as with all spectrum-related conditions there is no exact 'recipe' when it comes to our lived experience - everyone is different but we can all learn to understand one another so much better. Books like this are so important in that respect.

Hannah was the photographer at my wedding way back in 2015 and I follow her on Instagram. I’m always interested in different conditions as I have MH issues myself.I love poetry in general and in this book a few really impressed me and I will admit I finished reading this book the day I got it!Hannah writes with raw honesty making this book beautiful and life-affirming.Thanks Hannah and look forward to your next book ! x

I'm a newly diagnosed ASD British woman and at age 58 this has been a wild ride. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Hannah's journey nodding my head and wiping a tear after reading her wonderful poetry. Hannah is an amazing woman and I thank her so much for giving me a glimpse into her world which helped to explain my own.I was diagnosed in March 2024 and had waited nearly 2 years. I didn't know about the NHS Right to Choose scheme for an ASD or ADHD assessment which would have been quicker. Among much beauty and truth, Hannah explains this also in her wonderful book.Thank you Hannah.

Like so many late-diagnosed Autistic women, I have read ALL THE BOOKS. I haven't, I'll be honest, had great experiences with self-published books in this genre but this appealed to me and I'm glad I took a chance. The author has clearly absorbed and integrated the most up to date understandings of AuDHD and this shines through without dominating her personal narrative. The format is unconventional - mostly poems, interspersed with a few letters and pieces of prose. And they're good. The beauty of being autistic is in here along with the challenges of self-acceptance and self-compassion. I struggle with these things too and found this book very validating and - well, anything that makes you go a bit easier on yourself has to be a good thing. Thank you Hannah, I'm glad you were brave enough to publish this, I think I will return to it when I need a bit of something to read with my blanket and hot water bottle!

These days I rarely have the brain power to read anything other than trashy romance books. (Don't judge!)My other 'to read' book pile is huge and in reality my plans to better myself with them may never happen.But this book, 'Mess is progress' by the wonderful Hannah Walker, has been with me everywhere the last 18 hours since it arrived. I even went back to bed in the morning to read more, and that never happens.It's made me want to find out more than I already know about Autism/ADHD, because Hannah has already mentioned a couple of things about autism/ADHD that I didn't even know there was a term for. It's linked a few things together for me with my own neuro divergence too.I can't wait to read the rest of it and pass it on to someone else in my family.If you are autistic/ADHD or know someone who does, especially someone AFAB then it's a great read.Thank you Hannah for sharing your world, your path of self discovery and I'm sure, kicking off the same for other people.

I’ve just finished this in lightning speed! I found it so difficult to put down. Hannah’s combination of beautifully written poetry (kids bike & floordrobe, my favourite obviously) & her honest portrayal of how she feels to live as a late diagnosed, Neurodivergent women is refreshing and sincere. I’m so proud to call Hannah my friend, allowing me/us the opportunity to better understand her feelings with a glimpse into this snapshot of her life. I can also see many of these traits in myself as an undiagnosed Neurodivergent woman in her 40’s, Love you for that H. Its bananas! (Inside joke) an excellent read. Thank you X

Mal écrit, d'une banalité affligeante. Une perte d'argent.