Diary of a Young Naturalist
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
This “stunning” memoir from a sixteen year old globally renowned youth climate activist is a “galvanizing love letter to nature” (Publishers Weekly).
Diary of a Young Naturalist chronicles the turning of a year in award-winning nature writer Dara McNulty’s Northern Ireland home patch. Beginning in spring—when “the sparrows dig the moss from the guttering and the air is as puffed out as the robin’s chest—these diary entries about his connection to wildlife and the way he sees the world are vivid, evocative, and moving.
As well as Dara’s intense connection to the natural world, Diary of a Young Naturalist captures his perspective as a teenager juggling exams, friendships, and a life of environmental campaigning. We see his close-knit family, the disruptions of moving and changing schools, and the complexities of living with autism. “In writing this book,” writes Dara, “I have experienced challenges but also felt incredible joy, wonder, curiosity and excitement. In sharing this journey my hope is that people of all generations will not only understand autism a little more but also appreciate a child’s eye view on our delicate and changing biosphere.”
Winner of the Wainwright Prize for UK nature writing, Diary of a Young Naturalist is a triumphant debut from an important new voice.
“The most moving memoir I have read in years.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Empower[s] us to appreciate and protect our planet.” —Scientific American
“Heartfelt, uplifting, hopeful.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“This book will change your life if you let it” —Aimee Nezhukumatathil, author of World of Wonders
“Infused with joy . . . a title to linger over.” —Booklist
“Simple, gorgeous sentences unfurl, one after another.” —The Guardian
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this stunning debut, Northern Irish 16-year-old conservationist and activist McAnulty delivers a galvanizing love letter to nature. McAnulty, who's on the autism spectrum, was often bullied in school and discovered that "wildlife and the magnificence of nature" made sense to him far more than other people. The author's lush prose enchants as he chronicles a year of campaigning for climate justice and exploring the vastness of Northern Ireland's outdoors, witnessing its beauty in everything from a silver-crowned chaffinch "with confetti flecks on its silver crown" to the intricate flight patterns of bats "making strange angles as they take to the air to feed." Much like fellow activist Greta Thunberg, McAnulty sees his passion for climate justice as his superpower. He writes about juggling school, meetings with the Environment Minister at the London Zoo, and the emotional stress caused when "the urgency of supporting collapsing ecosystems and protecting wildlife gets overtaken by human narcissism and insecurity." Even still, that doesn't stop him from calling out the hypocrisy politicians often show in the face of climate change. "The Minister made grandiose promises and plans that day, but where are they now?" This should be required reading.
