Diario de un joven naturalista

by Dara McAnulty, Inmaculada Concepción Pérez Parra (Translator)

Diario de un joven naturalista narra el cambio del mundo de Dara McAnulty a sus 15 años. Desde la primavera y durante un año, Dara escribió en su casa en Irlanda del Norte siguiendo el transcurso de las estaciones. Las entradas del diario, vívidas y evocadoras, muestran su profunda conexión con la naturaleza y su visión del mundo desde la perspectiva de un adolescente que, junto a una vida de activismo, hace malabarismos para lidiar con los estudios y las amistades.

«A los cinco años me diagnosticaron el síndrome de Asperger (autismo)… A los siete ya sabía que era muy diferente, me había acostumbrado al aislamiento, y mi incapacidad para desenvolverme y hablar de fútbol o Minecraft no estaba bien vista. Después llegó el acoso. La naturaleza se convirtió en mucho más que un escape, se convirtió en un sistema de apoyo vital».

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Memoir, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Science, Biography, Environment

292 pages, Paperback

First published May 21, 2020

About the author

15 year old naturalist, activist and conservationist. My debut book, ‘Diary of a YoungNaturalist’ chronicles the turning of my 14th year, charting the wonders of the natural world, the challenges it faces...and my life as an autistic teenager campaigning to make the world a better place. I am currently writing my second book - a picture book about nature - for kids, 6+!

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diary of a Young Naturalist by teenager Dara McAnulty made a splash when it won the 2020 Wainwright Prize for nature writing, a deserved win, it charts a year in his life, the seasons in Northern Ireland, living in County Fermanagh and then the family move to County Down with its Mourne mountains, as he turned from 14 to 15 years old. His prose is incredible, an immersive experience of being autistic, as is everyone in his family except for his dad, how it felt to be bullied, being socially awkward in the presence of others, although he makes up for this by communicating wonderfully through his superior writing skills. His family is instrumental in developing his love of nature, a passion which saved him, grounding and protecting him from the chaos, judgement, and never ending noise of the outside world. Dara describes himself as a nature lover and conservationist at heart, whilst being a scientist in his head.

His experiences of the liberating joy of nature is intense, the environment, flora, fauna, birds is described in detail, putting him in direct contact with its incalculable value to the psyche, and in touch with the normal cycles of life and death, along with personal family deaths. It is worth noting that nowadays the NHS is now beginning to commonly prescribe immersion in nature, such as fishing, rather than doling out pills for mental health issues, outlining just how essential nature is to our survival, yet it is being depleted and degraded at ever faster rates. This is something that propelled Dara into activism, conservation and campaigning. This aspect of his life has not been easy for him, he is a punk at heart, intent on maintaining his independence and not be used by unscrupulous others. Dara relates not only the positive aspects of his life, but the more negative side too, his fears, insecurities, the rages and the depression, lending a real authenticity to his diary.

Dara's life and the innate intelligence displayed in his diary draws attention to how knowledge of and immersion into the natural world should be at the core of any educational system that prioritises the holistic needs of young people and for the rest of us on a regular basis, particularly as in more recent times young people are more likely to be protected from the 'dangers' of the great outdoors and ever more likely to be addicted to their screens and social media. This is a remarkably wide ranging, multilayered, and thought provoking diary, interspersed with poetry, and the myths, folklore and legends that are an intrinsic part of the land and people, written by a gifted young man, providing insights in many areas, autism, family life, Northern Irish nature and environment, conservation and hones in how the essential battle to save our environment is ultimately a battle to save ourselves. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Random House Ebury for an ARC.

[Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diary of a Young Naturalist is what it claims to be, the diary of a passionate young man who loves nature, science, conservation. He also happens to have autism. Actually, his other siblings and mum have autism as well. Fortunately, they all seem to have a strong family bond, built on a love for nature, exploring and, more recently, environmental activism. Dara, mind you, is only sixteen years old.

Dara has a beautiful way with words. I was quite impressed, and jealous, his command of the English language is extraordinary. What's even more impressive is that some of his early education teachers proclaimed that he might never be able to put a sentence together. I guess teachers don't know it all.

This book made me want to go explore, except that it's been so darn hot. I guess I'll have to wait a few months until the temperatures become bearable.

In a world filled with superfluous tiktoks and idiotic content that attracts millions of views, it's reassuring to come across a passionate and purposeful young person. I'm glad I took the time to savour his diary and I appreciated his candour, vulnerability and sharing his thoughts with us.

[Olive Fellows (abookolive) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fourteen-year-old wrote this?! Hear more of my thoughts on Booktube!

[Alwynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This year in the life of teenage environmentalist Dara McAnulty’s a gloriously passionate, vivid account of an ongoing, intimate relationship with the natural world. McAnulty’s words often have a graceful, playful thrust, although interlaced with melancholy sparked by his intense awareness of the precariousness of much of what he encounters. This personal uneasiness resurfaces when the feeling of freedom he experiences in wild spaces is juxtaposed with the harsher, difficult to negotiate, social world, where bullying peers have often exploited the fact that he’s autistic to justify singling him out. He rejoices in calling attention to the myriad, small things it’s so easy to overlook. He travels to take part in conservation work that’s attempting to track and preserve endangered goshawks and finds himself transfixed by the intense gaze of their blue-eyed nestlings. He relishes the panoply of birds circling the countryside around his home in Northern Ireland, the insects sheltering below the canopies of trees, wildflowers that somehow cling on to life and even thrive, despite human interference with its endlessly ingenious methods of destruction. There’s a wonderful immediacy to his interactions, and a memorable sense of place, enhanced by his careful interweaving of aspects of the history, rich myth and folklore of Northern Ireland.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and profoundly moving. This book - chronicling a year in the life of one autistic fifteen-year-old with a passion for nature and a close-knit family - is one of the best books on nature I've ever read, with astonishingly beautiful writing (for any age) as well as powerful emotional intimacy and open vulnerability. (Honestly, I'm in awe - I can't even imagine how good his books will become when he's older! Because this, already, is *amazing.*)

On a personal level, this book means a LOT to my own family, as Dara's experiences resonate so much with those of one of my own kids (to the point where he wants all of his relatives to read it so they GET what it all feels like). However, I would have loved reading it even without that personal connection to the subject matter. From the descriptions of frog spawn in Dara's own garden to goshawk tagging with experts in Scotland, this is a gorgeous book about the love of nature and what it can mean for all of us.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading bits and pieces online by Dara for a while now and I'm always impressed with how eloquently he writes.  He sees nature in a way that so few can, he sees beauty in everything (because of Dara I now leave dandelions alone, no more ripping them up) and he has possibly the most patient parents ever,  mine would given me a slap if I started picking apart animal scat to find bugs, instead of freaking out Dara's parents discuss with him what his found.  This book shows that it is this parenting that has helped to create "A Rock-star of the Natural World".

Dara puts all his emotion onto these pages, telling the reader about the bullying he experienced at school, feeling so alone and not fitting in, he shares how close he came to ending it all.  I still see him getting bullied on twitter, it doesn't seem to be kids anymore, this is adults now and anybody with a soul can't help but defend him, it is great to see so many rallying to his defence.  I know a couple people who are autistic and reading this book gave me an insight into what is going on with them and how they deal with being overwhelmed.

One of my favourite books is Notes From Walnut Tree Farm by Roger Deakin and I couldn't help but compare when reading, it has that same smooth writing that hooks the reader.  The smallest thing Dara writes about, from a feather to a stone, becomes so easy to picture.  I reckon this book will be heavily quoted by writers in future nature books for years to come.  One of the best debut's I have ever read...still can't believe somebody so young could write something so wonderful and I look forward to what is next for him.

I'd also like to thanks Little Toller for the copy of this book they sent me.  This gets a 100% recommendation from me.

Blog reivew: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2020...

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is only now that so many of us have lost that connection to the natural world we are starting to realise just how important it is. Time spent outdoors walking along a path, or sitting by the river recharges us in ways that we cannot comprehend, but have a deep need for.

But for some people that connection is much more vivid and real. Dara McAnulty is one of those people. He was diagnosed with Asperger’s and autism just over a decade ago and because he was so different to other children, was the victim of bullying at school. Getting out into the natural world was more than an escape from this torment, it became a life support system for him.

Lying below the oak, I can feel it surging below the ground, the roots curling around me, a restless energy feeding me strength.

It is this lifeline that he had from the world around him that gives him the energy to carry on fighting for the things he believes in. Moving home and school took him away from the places that he had grown to love, but this change became a positive one. He found new places to visit, like Murlough Beach where he could see seals, butterflies and hear the scream of gull and the song from the skylarks above the dunes. The new school is a positive too, rather than constantly being defensive and hating it, he is beginning to thrive.

Other changes were afoot too, he was becoming more involved in campaigning, heading to the UK to hand in a petition to the Prime Minister and was even asked to read a poem at the People’s Walk for Wildlife. His fury about the lack of action to protect wildlife and the natural world is starting to have an impact.

I must say that I really enjoyed this book. For someone so young, he has an amazing talent already as a writer. This diary format works real too, you sense the daily battle and the ebbs and flows he has with life in general. I think this comes from within, he is deeply passionate about this cause primarily because it sustains him. It is very evident from this book too that he has grasped from a young age the interconnectedness of all things. This is almost certainly connected to his autism, but I think that this is a strength rather than a weakness. McAnulty has a bright future in this world, troubled as it is at the moment. I think that he has the will to influence others to begin that change that the planet needs.

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars rounded up

The fact that a 14-year-old wrote this book is astounding! The writing is beautiful and self-aware, as Dara recounts a year in his life connecting with the nature around him in Ireland, spending time with his family, dealing with bullying and depression (CW for suicidal ideation), moving to a new house, and becoming a vocal activist on behalf of the natural world that he loves. He also writes frankly and thoughtfully about the experience of being an autistic teenager, growing up in a family of mostly autistic people, and how that influences the way his brain processes the world and the people around him.

Nature writing isn't really my genre of choice and for awhile I was less interested in some of that piece of the book, but this author made me want to experience the creatures and plants that he so passionately and eloquently writes about. For me though this book is at its best when it blends nature writing with memoir, capturing a part of life that is fraught with emotion and full of changes. This is definitely worth a read. I received a copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

McAnulty is the UK’s answer to Greta Thunberg: a leader in the youth environmental movement and an impassioned speaker on the love of nature. This is a wonderfully observant and introspective account of his fifteenth year: of disruptions – moving house and school, of outrage at the state of the world and at individual and political indifference, of the complications of being autistic, but also of the joys of everyday encounters with wildlife. It’s easy to forget you’re reading a teenager’s work until he mentions studying, and especially the bullying that he experienced at previous schools. The book is full of striking metaphors and unusual verb use. Impressive perspective and lyricism; one of the standout UK nature books of the year.

See my full review at Shiny New Books.

[_och_man_ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Długo czaiłam się na tę książkę - kto wie, czy nie od momentu, gdy ujrzała ona światło dzienne na polskim rynku. Gdy w końcu nadarzyła się okazja, by ją przytulić, byłam już pełna ekscytacji i dobrej nadziei. Utrwalone kadry (nie)zwykłej codzienności, stale obecna przyroda - to nie miało prawa się nie spodobać.

Po blisko dwutygodniowej lekturze z przykrością muszę stwierdzić, że oczekiwania jakie żywiłam wobec "Dzikiego roku", a treść, jaka została mi zaserwowana, rozminęły się na całej, długaśnej linii. Nie mam pojęcia, co przyczyniło się do tego przykrego finału, dlaczego w ostatecznym rozrachunku między nami nie zagrało. Czy zrzucić mogę to na karb stylu autora, który żadną miarą nie chwytał mnie za serce? Zdarzały się fragmenty, które dawały mi to, czego oczekiwałam od samego początku - rozlewające się od stóp do głów ciepło, zaintrygowanie, przyspieszone ciśnienie. Niestety, lwią część zapisków porównać mogę do obrazów, które rejestruję, nie mając na nosie niezastąpionych okularów. Piękne kontury-metafory, które jeśli się zastanowić, niewiele przywodzą mi na myśl, a ich dłuższe przyswajanie nie niesie za sobą nic więcej, poza zmęczeniem.

Obawiam się - a opinie większości czytelników tylko to potwierdzają, że jestem tym niechlubnym wyjątkiem, panią marudą, która woli ponarzekać na treść, zamiast raz jeszcze spróbować ją zrozumieć.
Książka zdecydowanie nie dla każdego. Raczej nie dla mnie. Wierzę jednak, że znajdą się odbiorcy po stokroć jej godniejsi.

[Jeanette (Ms. Feisty) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for Shorty September Readathon.
Fulfills the Bermuda Shorts prompt: A book set in another country.

"I must go into the world to find new things. They are always there. Always."

I love the way this family rejoices together at the very simplest wonders of nature. Unexpected bird song or the discovery of insect eggs or tadpoles in the garden can make them whoop with joy and hug each other. Four of the five members of the family are on the autism spectrum, and spending time exploring nature helps them cope with the struggles of being autistic in a neurotypical world.

This book would be impressive enough had it been written by an adult. The fact that it was written by a fourteen-year-old boy makes it stunning. If you are any class of a nature lover, it will make you want to rush out and search for nature's magic regardless of the setting. It's there, all around you, in urban and rural settings. You just have to be out there, waiting for it to reveal itself.

My strongest and best memories of my mom are the times we spent together enjoying the natural world. The book made me sad and wistful at times, longing for those days, and at the same time grateful to her for indulging my need to immerse myself in wildness.

[Alan (the Lone Librarian) Teder · Rating 5 out of 5]

September 8, 2020 Update Diary of a Young Naturalist is the winner of the 2020 Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing and Writing on Global Conservation.

Original Review:
Immersive and Poetic Neurodivergent View of Nature
Review of the Little Toller Books hardcover edition (June 2020)

When we (by ‘we’ I mean autistics) get interested in something, most people would call it an ‘obsession’. It really is not an obsession, though. It’s not dangerous, quite the opposite. It’s liberating and essential to the workings of my brain. It calms and soothes: gathering information, finding patterns, sequencing and sorting out is a muscle I must flex. I prefer the word passion. Yes! And it’s absolutely essential that we get to follow our passions. - Excerpt from pg. 130.

In a fast-paced and competitive world, we need to feel grounded. We need to feel the earth and hear birdsong. We need to use our senses to be in the world. Maybe, if we bang our heads against a brick wall for long enough, it will crumble and fall. And maybe the rubble can be used to rebuild something better and more beautiful, enabling our own wildness. Imagine that. - Excerpt from pgs. 199-200.

The above quotes will give some idea of the nature of this book which is structured as a year-long diary by young Northern Ireland naturalist Dara McAnulty. McAnulty has had a passion for nature, ecology and the environment for several years and has drawn attention to those issues in his blog Young Fermanagh Naturalist and his Twitter Naturalist Dara. Diary... documents one annual cycle of his observations during a year in which his family also moved from County Fermanagh to County Down in Northern Ireland.

McAnulty's writings may indeed appear obsessive, especially to a neurotypical reader, but it is their poetic passion which comes through the strongest and makes them universally accessible. Some poems are included as well and each seasonal section is introduced by an italicized prose poem which captures the mood and atmosphere of what is to follow.

The magic of this book is how articulate and expressive McAnulty is for such a young age (he began the book when he was only 13-years-old and is now 16 at the time of the book's release). This has been fostered by his unique family and parents and a self-driven education that divides itself between standard school, expansive reading and a considerable amount of time exploring the outdoors. It was a real pleasure to spend a year in his company.

Trivia and Links
Diary of a Young Naturalist is published by Little Toller Books in the UK, which is “an independent publisher, attuned to writers and artists who seek inventive ways to reconnect us with the natural world and to celebrate the places we live in.” They have a dedicated series of webpages for Dara’s Book.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for Booktube prize. An interesting nature diary by an autistic young man. I tried it on audio but it did not work well for me in that format. The author reads it himself and he is not a poor narrator in fact the opposite but the book has more than you can absorb in that format. (I listen to many, many books on audio so you can take my opinion or leave it).

The diary covers about a year in his and his family's life so we learn about them, where they live and move to and the world around them. The author is a naturalist with a great love of the birds and animals who populate his personal landscape. You can't help but admire his love for the earth, his concerns about animals becoming extinct and his personal need to relay this message to others. It is a book that will often make you feel glad and grateful that there are young people like this in the world. He has a wonderful light that just shines through.

I did have a few difficulties with the read, the long Irish names for one made me glad to have the audio at hand so I could hear them pronounced, they did become a stumbling block at times. It took me a little while to get use to the writing style--almost too much information to absorb at first (like too many nouns and not enough verbs) but it improved or I got more use to it as I went along and found I was very glad to have read it.
P.S. It did move on to the next round of the Booktube prize showing that others judged it tops as well.

[Fern A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! As someone who also is autistic and a nature lover this took me straight back to my teens and trying to juggle moving areas, schools etc. Wanting to fit in but not wanting to fit into what the norm is at the same time. Studying wildlife. This is written incredibly well and I ended up reading it in one sitting. Hope this is the first of many books from Dara!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is beautiful. The writing style is lyrical and so descriptive. I'll give you a few quotes to illustrate that:

"I keep visualising time as a length of string, with a flame burning at one end that represents the present where we can act and be most alive. The ashes are the past, the intact string is the future."

"Each moment is a picture that will never be identically repeated."

"Spring does something to the inside of you. All things levitate. There's no choice but to move up and forwards."

The diary is auto-bibliographical and follows the young, autistic teen Dara through a year of his life. The descriptions of nature and the natural world are inspiring, and make you want to go and just sit and watch nature.

"Wildlife is my refuge. When I'm sitting and watching, grown-ups usually ask if I'm okay. Like it's not okay just to sit and process the world, to figure things out and watch other species go about their day. Wildlife never disappoints like people can."

Being non-fiction, there isn't a plot as such, so I think for me I read a bit here and there as I wasn't drawn in by action, hence why not the full 5 stars. The writing captivated me, I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in nature or psychology (you really are completely in Dara's head)

[Michaela Mc dermott · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are very few times that I'm completely captured within the first few pages of a book, yet McAnulty achieved this with ease.
I am still astounded by his knowledge of wildlife around him, not defined or limited to one species.
The skill of this book for me is Dara's ability to intertwine nature, folklore, Irish language and history, then discussing his love and need for the nature and using this as a means of highlighting the importance of protecting our world, local and otherwise.

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great nature memoir written by a 15 year old! The book feels both youthful yet mature and is really engaging in his love for nature and his strong bond with his family, his mom and two siblings also have autism like him. I really do hope Dara McAnulty writes another memoir or something else as I really enjoyed his writing.

[N · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am loathe to declare any book hopeful, because as a bitter, pessimistic and cynical person, I often think of the world in terms of trauma and sadness, loneliness, and a feeling that everyone will never treat one another civilly.

But Mr. McAnulty's beautifully, truthful memoir is one of these books that make you admire young people for their passion and innocence. It's all the more remarkable that as someone who is on the autistic spectrum, Mr. McAnulty writes with an acute understanding about his love of nature, and the connection human beings have with nature, the earth, plants, all the wildlife in the world. But it is his love of nature that causes him to feel "humiliation that builds into despair. I get completely exhausted by the amount of energy spent taking deep breaths, ignoring remarks, weathering punches" (McAnulty 73). His self-awareness is apparent when he recognizes that as a social media poster, his posts are for "attention and validation" (McAnulty 108) and he comes to realize that the world is a monstrously, unforgiving place, where his disability is ignored, people "obsessively compare my words, my actions, even my face with others" (McAnulty 108). His understanding that online trolls are judgmental, and cruel.

But overall, Mr. McAnulty recognizes that "my intertwining isn't with people, but the elements, with nature, and it has become inseparable from my daily life, my own story" (McAnulty 191). He declares he can't live without his passion, and will continue to try to spread the word of his experiences for conservation.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughts soon.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diary of a Naturalist

Dara Mac Anulty is a teenager from Northern Ireland on the autism spectrum. He is seventeen years old. His younger brother and sister, and his mom We “are all autistic, except Dad — he’s the odd one out”. He does write a lot about each of his family members, and they all come through as remarkable. This book won him the Wainwright Prize, which celebrates the best nature writing in the UK.

Dara writes with such passion about nature, I felt I had missed out on so much in my life by not applying the intense focus to my surroundings that he does. There were a few times when I was much younger and traveling in Ireland, that I came close. Decades ago, the west of Ireland was an empty place, and cycling through vast wild spaces, I thought that this was the best way to really see the country – to move through it, not in a vehicle, and be subject to all the weather.

Dara replaces the word obsession -often applied to the intense interests that some people on the autism spectrum may develop- with the word passions. His passion for nature is an escape from a world that is often overstimulating, and unfriendly. He manifests so much joy in experiences such as seeing a murmuration of starlings for the first time, or a sudden snow squall on a mountain top in County Down at the end of February. He reminds us to savor these moments as we may not experience them again.

Like anyone who is different, especially a child and now teen, he has experienced bullying. Bullying is a behavior that is often minimalized, and robs the victim of a feeling of self-worth. Dara has used his diary as a place to describe those things that make him feel bad, but more importantly, those things in the world that produce great joy in him.

Dara is, above all, cynical of the attention of politicians, and other adults, who acclaim young people for their environmental activism. He notes those that show up to shake hands, and heap praise on them, quickly depart, and do nothing to change things.

Dara’s book has captivated me and moved me more than all the climate activism I have seen recently. Right now as I write this, hundreds of thousands of Americans in Texas, as well as Louisiana and neighboring states, are experiencing the complete failure of their power infrastructure, as extreme weather has gripped the area. We do not know yet how many lives will be lost, human and wildlife (as well as other animals). Those who deny climate change are blaming it on the wind turbines. Really? In Ireland and the UK is currently experiencing cold and snow that is practically unheard of. Dara and his generation see the writing on the wall. We must start to listen.

[Bizzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book about autistic joy.

Dara’s passion for nature and birds radiates from every page. The joy he feels in quietly observing small details and interconnections is palpable, and he is so clearly his truest, best self in these moments.

It isn’t that the entire book is about joy; far from it, as anxiety, depression, bullying, trauma, and Dara’s awareness of the need to mask his autistic traits constantly lurk at the edges. The crowded, too loud, too bright human world is always threatening to overwhelm his senses and drown out his connection to nature. But Dara is tenacious. He embraces his passion, his purpose. He refuses to let go of his joy. Even writing the book is an act of autistic joy: sharing the moments, details, and facts he cherishes and acknowledging but setting aside everything else.

This book evoked powerful, sometimes overwhelming emotions for me. Dara’s words called up so many feelings I’ve had in my own experiences of being in nature, most of which exist in a wordless place I’d never be able to describe – yet Dara has. And his descriptions of life as an autistic person gave me hope but also made me deeply sad. The accepting family life he describes is so beautiful it’s almost beyond imagining, and the self-awareness and self-acceptance he has at fourteen are something I think all of us not diagnosed until adulthood wish we could go back and give our younger selves. As someone who has grieved for the person they could have been if they’d had that knowledge sooner, it hurts so much to know that it still wouldn’t have been enough; that if Dara’s knowledge and family weren’t enough to save him from experiencing depression and even suicidal thoughts at a young age, then I couldn’t have been saved from those things either. Dara’s feelings about nature and humanity’s selfish, destructive relationship with it mirror my feelings about how the world treats autistic people.

More than anything, though, this book made me appreciate autistic joy. I sometimes fear I’ve lost the ability to feel that joy, but this book reminded me that it still exists in me in some form. It’s not the same joy I felt when I was a small child and wasn’t yet aware of being judged for it; like the rhododendron bush Dara finds, that joy has been removed, cut down to stumps. But like the wood anemone living in the remains of the bush, something else is living there, and it is growing.

I’m immensely thankful to Dara for writing this book and reminding me what autistic joy looks like.

[Lily | Literary Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

ugh I just wish I could have loved this book more than I did!

Dara's writing is wonderful and it really does transport you to Northern Ireland and the natural areas he is exploring. I loved how he wrote about his and his family's autism, with such care and warmth, but still being honest. As an autistic person myself, I found it hard at times reading about his bullying and mental health struggles as they are oh so familiar, but I loved hearing about the hope that pulled him through. This is a really excellent read for anyone on the spectrum or for someone whose loved one is autistic.

Unfortunately for me I just found it a little too dry and repetitive. I wanted to hear more about all aspects of his life, and found the repeated entries about walks and sitting in his hammock hard to read about continuously. I think this speaks more to the book not truly being one for me rather than a bad book. In fact I think this is a pretty good book and would recommend it to anyone interested in natural science and nature, but unfortunately missed its mark with me!

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a truly inspiring read. Even though his age can be glimpsed through a few naive comments here and there, I am still amazed how a 14/15 year old can write not just so well, but with such insight.

This is a mixture of nature journal and personal diary, where Dara describes his feelings and challenges as an autistic teenager, how the contact with nature helps him deal with those challenges and why connecting with nature is important to everyone.

As I stood there in the rain, fluffed-up sparrows in conversation amongst themselves, there was a spark. Noticing nature is the start of it all. Slowing down to listen, to watch. Taking the time, despite mountains of homework. Making a space in time to stop and stare (...)

Many people accuse me of “not looking autistic”. I have no idea what that means. I know lots of ‘autistics’ and we all look different. We are not some recognisable breed. We are human beings. If we’re not out of the ordinary, it’s because we’re fighting to hide our real selves.

As a biologist and nature lover myself, I perfectly empathise with many of Dara’s experiences and his frustration. People just seemed to enjoy nature from a distance; cherry blossom or autumn leaves were beautiful on trees, where they belonged, but not so great when they fell all damp and leathery to the ground, onto lawns or school playgrounds. Snails were an abomination. Foxes were vermin, badgers dangerous. And I deeply admire his tenacity and hope despite all the difficulties he goes through.

I can only say that the 2020 Wainwright Prize for nature writing was certainly a well deserved win.

[alicja · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please note that this review comes from my point of view as an actual autistic.

I honestly don't even really know how to review this, because it's just so unlike anything else I've ever read, in the most wonderful of ways.

Dara's voice is simply magical - Diary of a Young Naturalist is beautifully written and simply captivating. Honestly, I wish my diary sounded even as remotely poetic as this! It felt a little reminiscent of Anne of Green Gables to me, if Anne had had a published diary and was a little more scientifically inclined. Dara has such a strong narrative voice, and his writing is just beautiful and evocative and magical. Diary of a Young Naturalist made me want to go play with the fairies in the woods - I can't tell you how connected to nature it made me feel. The connection between science and mythology, and the way Dara interwove them, was lovely to see - I'm not normally a huge non-fiction reader, particularly when it comes to science, but Dara made everything so accessible, and wrote in a way that is captivating even to non-scientifically inclined readers. I particularly loved the discussions on adults often inviting young activists to events or into their spaces to speak, but don't actually give them a space at the table to make real plans and procedures, only wanting them for their voice and publicity.

The representation of autism was phenomenal, Dara is an own voices autistic writer and the way he invited others into his mind gave a great example of how the autistic brain can work (please note that every autistic experience is different). There were great depictions of hyper fixations, sensory overload, meltdowns, difficulty with social cues/interactions, and many other autistic traits that often affect an autistics daily life. I'm going to leave you with one of my favourite passages from the book, because I think it just so well encapsulates the difficulty of being autistic in a neurotypical society.

“Many people accuse me of ‘not looking autistic’. I have no idea what that means. I know lots of ‘autistics’ and we all look different. We’re not some recognisable breed. We are human beings. If we’re not out of the ordinary, it’s because we’re fighting to mask our real selves. We’re holding back and holding in. It’s a lot of effort.”

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is good for what it is, mostly a sort of nature diary, but I didn't find it that interesting. It is fairly uneventful and I found it a bit soporific. (Maybe it would be better as an audiobook.) The writing is good, a few passages in particular, but it was usually not good enough to convey the images to me. (Perhaps because I am unfamiliar with most of the species described. I often searched online for images, but this wasn't enough.) Of course McAnulty himself is very impressive. Before reading this, I hadn't known about his advocacy for climate action.

> Above the bulrushes, a cloud of hoverflies. The light is dappled and sepia. I'm dazzled by the delicacy of the moment. My insides explode, words ricochet outside-in. I hold them close, because capturing this on a page allows me to feel it all over again.

> Autism makes me feel everything more intensely: I don't have a joy filter. When you are different, when you are joyful and exuberant, when you are riding the crest of the wave of the everyday, a lot of people just don't like it. They don't like me. But I don't want to tone down my excitement. Why should I?

> I'm surrounded by five or six fly agaric mushrooms. Like them, I have burst open. I feel more resilient, more powerful. The years of cruel taunts, beatings, exclusion, isolation, helplessness: all the potential for hurt has been eclipsed by meaning and purpose. My life now is all about that. I can't just love the natural world. I have to raise my voice even louder to help it. It's my duty, the duty of all of us, to support and protect nature. Our life support system, our interconnectedness, our interdependence.

> I sit up and turn. Not ten feet away, a kestrel bursts over the top of the sand dunes. I hold it in my gaze where it stays for at least a minute, hovering. I send it a wave of admiration and it replies by holding for a few moments longer, before sweeping elegantly behind the marram grass. I bound upwards with bent body and silent footsteps, but it's gone. I fall back onto the sand, breathless and giddy. A good day. A very good day.

[Jackie Law · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Maybe, if we bang our heads against a brick wall for long enough, it will crumble and fall. And maybe the rubble can be used to rebuild something better and more beautiful, enabling our own wildness. Imagine that”

Diary of a Young Naturalist, by Dara McAnulty, is a year long account of the fourteen year old author’s life. It offers an inspiring and uplifting view of nature focusing on flora and small fauna – the insects and birds essential for balance in the ecosystem of which humans are a part. More than this though, Dara’s musings and recollections provide an eye-opening window into the challenges faced by a teenager on the autism spectrum. He must find a way to survive an intensity of roller coaster emotions as he strives to navigate society and raise awareness of the issues he is passionate about.

Dara was born and raised in Northern Ireland where he still lives with his family. The book opens at the spring equinox – his dad’s birthday. The family home is in Fermanagh. Their best days are spent exploring the gardens, parks and wild places in their vicinity. Dara is often halted by the wonder of a bird or insect he spots, pausing to observe its beauty and activity. He writes with knowledge and appreciation, drawing the reader in and bringing alive the detail of each encounter.

These moments carry the author through the black periods that assail him, when the noise of the structured world he is forced to inhabit drowns out the good he finds in more natural wildernesses. He has been cruelly and violently bullied by his peers at school. Although eager to learn, the setup of modern classrooms and teaching methods – the way he is expected to behave – leave him exhausted. His family are tuned in to his predicament and offer strategies for coping. The constant vigilance required affects them all but is deeply appreciated by the author.

At home he has the understanding and unfailing support of his family. Still though, he must find ways to survive inside his own head. A crisis occurs later in the year when the family move to the other side of the country. The land that lies below the peaks of the Mourne Mountains offers Dara many new and exciting opportunities for exploration but such a radical change is anxiety inducing, especially the change of school.

Each diary entry recounts the birds and tiny beasts that entrance and calm the author. Described in wondrous detail – in language that captivates with its colour – creatures that many would try hard to avoid are made delightful as well as exciting. Alongside this positive energy is Dara’s despair at how modern farming practices denude vital habitats. Humans strive for efficiency and tidiness over more nature friendly practices.

As well as the wild places visited, Dara has an interest in conservation. His growing on-line presence has drawn attention and support from some well known names in this arena. Dara is invited to take part in bird ringing – I was interested that this form of human intervention sat well with him. Other invitations include participation in meetings and rallies. He recognises that, as a young naturalist with a popular following, certain opportunities – especially those attended by politicians – are about using him rather than taking notice of what he has to say.

The writing flows, the structure enabling both brief dips in and longer reading periods. The natural world presented is inspiring but what strengthens the message presented is its honesty – how Dara notices and is affected by his varied encounters. This is a book with the potential to change attitudes and behaviour. A vital read for both young people and adults.

[SueLucie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gorgeously written and emotive account of three seasons’ observation of the world around him from this very young author. He describes in almost sensory detail the wild places he visits with his family, the wildlife and plants he sees there and his responses to these experiences, along with comments on his daily life and inner feelings, his hopes and fears for the world he is growing up in. I feel privileged to have been on these journeys with him.

A few passages that struck me especially:

Dara, my name, means ‘oak’ in Irish, and sitting up in the branches of that majestic tree, feeling the pulse of a life that has been growing in Castle Archdale soil for nearly five hundred years, I was clinging to my childhood by a twig.

I feel the need to be brave but am unsure how I can be. The world is so confusing most of the time. The noise, the images, the instructions. Orders, demands. All clamouring, always clamouring. Shouting above it all seems impossible. Should we all be content with changing a little corner of our world?

In a fast-paced and competitive world, we need to feel grounded. We need to feel the earth and hear birdsong. We need to use our senses to be in the world. Maybe, if we bang our heads against a brick wall for long enough, it will crumble and fall. And maybe the rubble can be used to rebuild something better and more beautiful, enabling our own wildness. Imagine that.

An inspirational read and I look forward to following his progress as an activist and author.

With thanks to Random House, Ebury Press via NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.

[The Book Sheelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my top reads of 2020. Full review to follow!

[Jude · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully written but for some reason it took me a long time to read. Definitely one for any bird watchers to add to their reading list.