Button Pusher

Button Pusher is a phenomenal graphic novel that manages to explore issues of ADHD in multiple ways, all the time still telling an emotionally engaging narrative. It is fictional though memoir-based, and the main character is Tyler, a young boy who is experiencing difficulties in school and gets diagnosed with ADHD. 

Uh, oh.

The reader gets a lot from his point of view about how he experiences the world and also how he does and does not fit in. What is more, we also learn a lot about his father and his own experiences with "hyperactivity" (what it was called in his day), and there is a bunch about how heredity affects things as well as how much this condition affects other family members as well.

The events of the book run a gamut of emotions, from confusion to humor to concern to anger and beyond. Also, what makes this book so strong is its inclusion of several passages that share information about ADHD from clinical and practical viewpoints, sometimes almost as infographics. 

Button Pusher features a comprehensive and human look at this sort of neurodiversity. As a parent who is dealing with at least one children who is diagnosed with ADHD, I appreciated so much about this book. It taught me about what I can expect, what I should do to deal with frustration, and also how to manage all our lives in better ways. If I gave out stars to rate books, this one would get them all.

This book was created by Tyler Page. His prior comics work includes the graphic novels Raised on Ritalin, which is more autobiographical, The Chicagoland Detective Agency series, and the direct sequel to Button Pusher, Extra Large, which was published very recently.

This book won the 2023 Excellence in Graphic Literature Award, and all of the reviews I have read of it have been positive. Kirkus Reviews summed up, "An engaging memoir of one boy’s experience of growing up with ADHD with a risky message around medication cessation." Jason Kelley wrote, "This book will destigmatize and foster understanding for both those navigating life with ADHD and their families."

Button Pusher was published by First Second, and they provide a preview and more information here.