Neurodivergent, By Nature
Why Biodiversity Needs Neurodiversity
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Publishing:25th Feb '27
£10.99
This title is due to be published on 25th February, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
A BBC WILDLIFE BEST BOOK OF 2025
Exploring the connections between nature, neurodiversity and the conservation world
Why are so many neurodivergent people drawn to the natural world – and what does that tell us about how we live and work?
After receiving an ADHD diagnosis in his thirties, Joe Harkness set out to better understand his lifelong bond with nature. In doing so, he began a wider investigation, speaking to neurodivergent people across conservation, ecology and other nature-based roles.
Threading these conversations with his own experience, Joe explores the skills, perspectives and passions that neurodivergent people bring to the sector, alongside the barriers they still face. From fieldwork to policy, from grassroots projects to major organisations, their stories reveal how different ways of thinking shape our relationship with the natural world.
At once personal and wide-ranging, Neurodivergent, by Nature offers a fresh perspective on biodiversity, inclusion and what more supportive environments – in nature and beyond – might look like.
Complex and revelatory * BBC Wildlife *
Fascinating and necessary. A timely and interesting study of the value and meaning of “nature” to neurodivergent personalities. -- Richard Smyth * New Scientist *
A clarion call to embrace neurodiversity in the fight against the extinction crisis. * Patrick Barkham, The Guardian *
A persuasive and passionate book that explains the vitally important connections to be made with nature that can radically improve neurodivergent lives (and everyone else's too). * Robin Ince, author of Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal *
A fascinating insight into how nature works for neurodivergent folk, and how neurodivergent folk work for nature. What a wonderful symbiosis. * Kate Bradbury, author of One Garden Against the World *
A fascinating and necessary book. Joe Harkness captures the deep connection between neurodivergent people and the natural world. * Katherine May, author of Wintering *
Truly enlightening – I learned such a lot. * Melissa Harrison, author of Homecoming *
A humane and timely perspective into our relationship with the natural world. Joe Harkness writes with a rare authority and insight. The scales should fall from all our eyes. * Jon Dunn, author of The Glitter in the Green *
A thoughtful, well-researched and very powerful call for diversity and inclusivity, for the benefit of both people and nature. * Stephen Moss, author of Ten Birds That Changed the World *
As valuable as it is timely ... this open and honest presentation of real human stories makes for an informative read that anybody can enjoy. * Buzz Magazine *
Harkness writes movingly about how the rhythm of the seasons, and the predictability of the natural environment, act as a balm for those who are neurodivergent. * Mail on Sunday *
ISBN: 9781399413404
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
256 pages