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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
I picked up this book on a whim and it was such a beautiful surprise. The way this teenage author writes about his experience of neurodivergence, family, and his love of the natural world completely stole my heart and brought be back to my own awe-filled memories of being in nature as a young person. Grateful to Dara McAnulty for sharing his voice with the world and can't wait to see what he does next.
this was such a pleasant read. the diary style entries broken up into seasons was a great format for me as i was able to be like 'i'll just read one entry quick' in whatever chunk of time i had and didn't feel like i was stopping in the middle of something. though admittedly less knowledgeable about birds, especially those outside the US, i found Dara's experiences of nature simultaneously refreshing and familiar, as well as the emotions that surround environment, life changes, and interpersonal relationships. YOUNG VOICES ARE SO IMPORTANT in these conversations- i loved reading from Dara's perspective and there is much to be gained both from the people around us, and more importantly, from the natural world we are a part of.
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Dara is a true literary talent and his intrinsic relationship with nature and his voracious passion for its cause, leaps off the page. I enjoyed the mix of descriptive writing of the natural world, passionate activism as well as insights into Dara's personal life. Dara let's the reader in to share his struggles with navigating a neurotypical world and his experience of being bullied, whilst his family and nature are his anchors.
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)
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.
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.
Young Dara McAnulty won the Wainwright prize for this book, a remarkable (and deserved) achievement for a 15-year-old. I'm not really in the target market for it, I read it because S was. So the nature aspects got a little bit samey for me --that said, its diary format lends itself well to dipping into rather than reading it all at once, so that's what I did.
Most fascinating to me was Dara himself -- intelligent, curious, passionate -- and his family, "close as otters"; he, his two siblings and his mother are all on the autism spectrum. They are supportive and understanding of each other, and it's so interesting to read about how Dara deals with issues like anxiety, bullying, and obsession, learning over time which strategies work best for him. And, in a house move, finding a much better school environment. Although he doesn't explicitly discuss bullying in the book, it seems clear that his first school did not address it well at all, whereas the second one provides a supportive and welcoming environment where he can make friends and express himself, to the extent of setting up an "eco-club".
Oh, did I say he's an excellent writer? Extraordinarily articulate and poetic. He'll go far.
Most fascinating to me was Dara himself -- intelligent, curious, passionate -- and his family, "close as otters"; he, his two siblings and his mother are all on the autism spectrum. They are supportive and understanding of each other, and it's so interesting to read about how Dara deals with issues like anxiety, bullying, and obsession, learning over time which strategies work best for him. And, in a house move, finding a much better school environment. Although he doesn't explicitly discuss bullying in the book, it seems clear that his first school did not address it well at all, whereas the second one provides a supportive and welcoming environment where he can make friends and express himself, to the extent of setting up an "eco-club".
Oh, did I say he's an excellent writer? Extraordinarily articulate and poetic. He'll go far.
This was a bit of a grower. I have to admit when I started it I wasn't keen on the poetic over-writing. Whether it lessened or I grew a bit deaf to it, I am not sure, but I did like it by the end.
This is the diary of a year in the life of 14 year old Northern Irish teen Dara McAnulty. Who is autistic. He mentions it a few times. Fine, whatever, but I wish he wasn't so focused on being defined by his diagnosis and would just get on and live. Most of the diary is about him experiencing nature being out on family walks, or in his garden, surrounding area... there's also teenage angst about moving house to a new town and school (which turns out to be a blessing as he escapes the bullies and is accepted at his new school - I don't think a lot of people realise the damage bullying can do), going out on projects or demos in Scotland and London - he is not an average teenager and gets a lot of opportunities many don't - and also anxiety about climate change and destruction of nature. He is the Greta Thurnburg generation, but that isn't exclusive to them, and I do get that. There are days when it feels it has all gone too far and it's hopeless. So I try to focus on the little bits I can do to help, which is really all I can do.
Having read this I am even more convinced how Natural History ought to be taught as a proper subject at schools. How can people worry or care about something being in danger or even being lost if they don't know it exists in the first place, or can't put a name to it?
It's all right, although the style isn't my favourite nature writing. Having said that I suspect he's still to grow into his own style. But for me, my favourite nature writers are people such as Nan Shepherd and her wonderful Living Mountain, Roger Deakin, Nina Burton, Stephen Rutt...
This is the diary of a year in the life of 14 year old Northern Irish teen Dara McAnulty. Who is autistic. He mentions it a few times. Fine, whatever, but I wish he wasn't so focused on being defined by his diagnosis and would just get on and live. Most of the diary is about him experiencing nature being out on family walks, or in his garden, surrounding area... there's also teenage angst about moving house to a new town and school (which turns out to be a blessing as he escapes the bullies and is accepted at his new school - I don't think a lot of people realise the damage bullying can do), going out on projects or demos in Scotland and London - he is not an average teenager and gets a lot of opportunities many don't - and also anxiety about climate change and destruction of nature. He is the Greta Thurnburg generation, but that isn't exclusive to them, and I do get that. There are days when it feels it has all gone too far and it's hopeless. So I try to focus on the little bits I can do to help, which is really all I can do.
Having read this I am even more convinced how Natural History ought to be taught as a proper subject at schools. How can people worry or care about something being in danger or even being lost if they don't know it exists in the first place, or can't put a name to it?
It's all right, although the style isn't my favourite nature writing. Having said that I suspect he's still to grow into his own style. But for me, my favourite nature writers are people such as Nan Shepherd and her wonderful Living Mountain, Roger Deakin, Nina Burton, Stephen Rutt...
adventurous
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
challenging
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
The writing in this book is exquisite, so expressive, evocative and detailed. It is a thing of beauty but it's also why it took me six months to finish - it's not the kind of book I could pick up and read cover to cover in a shorter timeline. There is so much to take in with every beautifully described moment of a teenager's fascination with nature in all of its terrible beauty that I had to be in a mindset capable of absorbing it all to take the book in hand to read it.
As well as admiration for his writing talent, this book reminded me of the need to sit and stare, in fact, he quoted lines from a favourite poem, one of few I remember any lines from - Leisure by W.H. Davies
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒊𝒇, 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆,
𝑾𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒆.
𝑵𝒐 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒔
𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒘𝒔.
𝑵𝒐 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆, 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔,
𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒔.
𝑵𝒐 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆, 𝒊𝒏 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒅 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕,
𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒔, 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕.
𝑵𝒐 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒂𝒕 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚'𝒔 𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆,
𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒕, 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆.
𝑵𝒐 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒄𝒂𝒏
𝑬𝒏𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒏.
𝑨 𝒑𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒇, 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆,
𝑾𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒆.
As well as admiration for his writing talent, this book reminded me of the need to sit and stare, in fact, he quoted lines from a favourite poem, one of few I remember any lines from - Leisure by W.H. Davies
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒊𝒇, 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆,
𝑾𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒆.
𝑵𝒐 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒔
𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒘𝒔.
𝑵𝒐 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆, 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔,
𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒔.
𝑵𝒐 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆, 𝒊𝒏 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒅 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕,
𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒔, 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕.
𝑵𝒐 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒂𝒕 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚'𝒔 𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆,
𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒕, 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆.
𝑵𝒐 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒄𝒂𝒏
𝑬𝒏𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒏.
𝑨 𝒑𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒇, 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆,
𝑾𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒆.