You just need to stay calm. You should be able to manage. You should have grown out of that by now. You could try harder.
Eliza Fricker spent her adolescence being told all of these things, until her autism diagnosis as an adult revealed why she may not have met the expectations of others so easily. Equally, the world didn’t seem to live up to the expectations she had of it.
Following on from her earlier book Thumbsucker, this graphic memoir narrates the complexities of Eliza’s teenage years through to the beginnings of adult relationships; exploring the key stages of life from secondary school to college and then work.
It was only as an adult that Eliza heard autism being talked about and wondered about getting diagnosed. She met others who identified as neurodivergent. They shared similar stories and struggles, and so, with her own eventual diagnosis, she started to process her experiences and write about it. And while diagnosis doesn’t bring all the answers, it has allowed her to look back on her younger self with a bit more understanding and compassion – something she now wishes for others.
As more young people explore their neurodivergence, this book will encourage readers to take an empathetic look back at their experiences and honour the identity they have created for themselves, in response to their problematic experiences.
Eliza Fricker spent her adolescence being told all of these things, until her autism diagnosis as an adult revealed why she may not have met the expectations of others so easily. Equally, the world didn’t seem to live up to the expectations she had of it.
Following on from her earlier book Thumbsucker, this graphic memoir narrates the complexities of Eliza’s teenage years through to the beginnings of adult relationships; exploring the key stages of life from secondary school to college and then work.
It was only as an adult that Eliza heard autism being talked about and wondered about getting diagnosed. She met others who identified as neurodivergent. They shared similar stories and struggles, and so, with her own eventual diagnosis, she started to process her experiences and write about it. And while diagnosis doesn’t bring all the answers, it has allowed her to look back on her younger self with a bit more understanding and compassion – something she now wishes for others.
As more young people explore their neurodivergence, this book will encourage readers to take an empathetic look back at their experiences and honour the identity they have created for themselves, in response to their problematic experiences.
Reviews
I've loved Eliza's work for so long and this book honestly made me emotional in a way I wasn't expecting. It captures that constant pressure to try harder, to get it right, to be "acceptable"... and the quiet shame so many of us carry. It brought me straight back to being a teenager (and my experience sometimes now!) masking all day, then everything coming out at home. Trying to navigate friendships, not understanding social rules, ending up in situations that were "meant to be fun" but just felt confusing... I'd really recommend it for anyone supporting young people. And for teenagers, I honestly wish I had this. It's such a confusing time and this book really shows how vulnerable neurodivergent teens can be... Eliza just tells the truth. And that's exactly what we need
Eliza Fricker's new book Could Try Harder is one I wish my parents, my teachers and my younger self had been handed. It sees neurodivergent young people for who they actually are, not who the system wants them to be... If your school reports said, "could try harder" and you're now late-discovered AuDHD, this book is going to find the part of you that still flinches at those words... Go and buy it. Read it. Pass it on
Could Try Harder is a deeply moving and necessary book that captures what so many autistic girls experience but cannot always articulate. Eliza Fricker gives voice to the quiet struggle of feeling "not quite right" in a world that misunderstands you. This book will change how we understand "trying harder"... for good