"For Dummies" books... Any good?

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Sorry if this is poste3d in the wrong places. I couldn't find anywhere appropriate for books. Are the "For Dummies" books near-perfect for Aspies to read or am i mistaken? The layout seems nice in the few books I looked through.

If you find them a good tool, then that's what they are for you. You don't need anyone else to tell you one way or another.

OK. Only they are quite expensive and just wondered if they all have the same layout/format to them.

Like all books, their quality varies considerably from one writer to the next.

The layout however is quite good and usually they're easy to follow.

If anything, I've found them great for beginning on a topic but way too shallow to cover the real important bits.

What were you looking to learn from them?

The fibromyalgia book is very inaccurate. It claims that autisitcs dont get fibromyalgia and that they dont feel pain!

All the following dummies books make sense to me and ive read;

NLP
anxiety and depression workbook
life coaching
ADHD
OCD
Autism
Fibromyalgia

im hoping to collect a few more, maybe buy a PC one for my mum.

Probably will look into getting the ones on AS, ADHD and... can anyone recommend one along the lines of mental health?

"The Dummie's Guide to Insanity"

I've always liked them.

Yea, I think they all have the same layout. Some are maybe better written than others, I'm not completely sure.

You can usually find used books for a bit cheaper on amazon.com.
Speaking of which, I've got a spare copy of sushi for dummies if anybody wants it.. lol

Wikipedia for Dummies topic

"The Dummies Guide to Dummies"

I used to know someone who worked for the "Dummies..." publisher as an editor and layout person. The layout is highly consistent across all books, regardless of subject matter. And the layout structure seems to appeal to a lot of people.

I've had mixed experiences with these books. The more I know about a subject, the more I find the book to be superficial, and filled with errors, simplification, or omission of important material. OTOH, they are a useful introduction to many subjects, or a useful way to review a subject.

I'll say the same for the "Complete Idiot's Guides" too, though I haven't met anyone working for the publisher.

Ok... I'm not sure that I'd recommend "dummies" books for mental conditions. There are much better books around.

The dummies guides were originally designed for computing - and they're pretty effective there.

I guess that the best place to start with an aspie book is to decide what you want to know about it...

eg:
Everything: Try Tony Attwood's Complete Guide
Overview of the Behaviour: Try "all cats have aspergers"

Tell us what you want to get out of a book (eg: Living with it, parenting, relationships? Detailed medical information etc?).

Actually, I'd be inclined to suggest that you ask for suggestions in a new topic...

eg: "What are the best books about Parenting Aspergers?"

You'll get lots more responses that way.

Thanks for all the advice, peeps!! ! this is a really active board!!

Some are useful, others less so. The -Geometry for Dummies- book is terrible, but -Statistics for Dummies- is quite all right.

ruveyn

Thanks for all the advice