Neurodivergent storyteller, playwright, breakbeat poet, and author Idris Goodwin (Your House Is Not Just a House) has written a YA novel-in-verse that pulses with the authentic rhythm of a young Black mind navigating the complexities of undiagnosed ADHD, summer school, and self-discovery. King of the Neuro Verse is a celebration of neurodiversity wrapped in bars so tight they could stop traffic.
Sixteen-year-old Pernell has a brain that "spins and twirls and flips." It's 1999, everyone is talking about Y2K and whether the world is about to end, and Pernell is in summer school for the third consecutive year. But this summer feels different. Pernell is learning about the power of rap cyphers: "the circle where we just rhyme." While he sometimes has trouble with lyrics--the letters of the words fly away--"the cypher is a haven for that kind of activity." The way that Pernell's mind works becomes his greatest asset in the world of freestyle rap, where quick thinking, wordplay, and spontaneous creativity reign supreme.
Goodwin's use of verse mirrors the rapid-fire thoughts and associations that characterize ADHD while creating an accessible, energetic read for teen audiences. Ultimately, Pernell's goal to become the "Cypher King" serves as both a literally obtainable status and a metaphor for claiming his rightful place in a world that too often overlooks neurodiverse voices. King of the Neuro Verse stands as both mirror and window that offers neurodiverse readers the gift of recognition while inviting all readers into a world where difference is power, creativity is currency, and every mind has its own perfect rhythm.--Shannan Hicks, librarian