A pow­er­ful and inspir­ing exam­i­na­tion of the con­nec­tion between poten­tial for great tal­ent and con­di­tions com­mon­ly thought to be ​“dis­abil­i­ties.” Psy­chi­a­trist and best­selling author Gail Saltz exam­ines the lat­est sci­en­tif­ic dis­cov­er­ies pro­files famous genius­es who have been diag­nosed with all man­ner of brain ​“prob­lems” — includ­ing learn­ing dis­abil­i­ties, ADD, anx­i­ety, depres­sion, bipo­lar dis­or­der, schiz­o­phre­nia, and autism — and tells the sto­ries of lay indi­vid­u­als to show how the source of our strug­gles can be the ori­gin of our great­est strengths. Root­ed in her expe­ri­ence as a pro­fes­sor and prac­tic­ing psy­chi­a­trist and based on the lat­est neu­ropsy­chi­atric research, Saltz demon­strates how spe­cif­ic deficits in cer­tain areas of the brain are direct­ly asso­ci­at­ed with the poten­tial for great tal­ent. She also shows how the very con­di­tions that can cause dif­fi­cul­ty in life are bound to cre­ative dis­ci­pli­nary artis­tic empa­thet­ic and cog­ni­tive abil­i­ties. In this pio­neer­ing work, read­ers will find engag­ing research and sto­ries from his­tor­i­cal genius­es and every­day indi­vid­u­als who have not only made the most of their con­di­tions but who have flour­ished because of them. The Pow­er of Dif­fer­ent shows how the unique wiring of every brain can be a source of strength and pro­duc­tiv­i­ty and can con­tribute to the rich­ness of our world.