DIARY OF A YOUNG NATURALIST by Dara McAnulty

A lot of books offer a teen perspective, but few are actually written by teens, and fewer still are written by teens who are neurodivergent. But what makes DIARY OF A YOUNG NATURALIST by Dara McAnulty so special is not just who he is, but the language itself, and the pure, enthralling connection he has with the natural world.  

This book is simple: four seasons of diary entries from Dara, a young man turning from fourteen to fifteen, diagnosed with Asperger’s. He writes about school, friendship, family, autism, all alongside a life of campaigning for environmental reform. More than any of that, he writes poetically and passionately about his love of nature. Nature, to him, is “so much more than an escape; [it’s] a life-support system.”

A Buzzfeed Best Book of June 2021 and the Winner of Best Narrative Nonfiction at the British Book Awards, this is a short but powerful read that I consumed in a single afternoon. It’s a deep well of words that bring forth compassion, gratitude, and hope; I can’t think of a single person, teen or adult, to whom I wouldn’t recommend this book.

- Recommended by Tess