Could Try Harder: An illustrated journey through an undiagnosed autistic adolescence
May 2026 · Hachette UK
Ebook
144
Pages
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Eligible
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About this ebook
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.
What does it feel like to grow up autistic when nobody - including you - knows you're autistic? Eliza Fricker takes us back to her adolescence; a time of constant confusion, exhaustion, and the relentless message that she simply wasn't trying hard enough. Through evocative illustrations and raw honesty, she reveals the invisible struggle of an undiagnosed autistic girl: the masking; the meltdowns mistaken for being difficult; the desperate attempts to decode social rules that seemed to come naturally to everyone else.
What does it feel like to grow up autistic when nobody - including you - knows you're autistic? Eliza Fricker takes us back to her adolescence; a time of constant confusion, exhaustion, and the relentless message that she simply wasn't trying hard enough. Through evocative illustrations and raw honesty, she reveals the invisible struggle of an undiagnosed autistic girl: the masking; the meltdowns mistaken for being difficult; the desperate attempts to decode social rules that seemed to come naturally to everyone else.
Could Try Harder captures the gap between how the world sees you and what is really happening inside - the sensory overload, the anxiety, the exhaustion of performing 'normal' every single day. This is essential reading for anyone who was told they had 'so much potential' but could never quite reach it, and for parents, teachers and clinicians who need to understand what they might be missing. A compassionate reckoning with the past and a lifeline for those still searching for answers.
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.
What does it feel like to grow up autistic when nobody - including you - knows you're autistic? Eliza Fricker takes us back to her adolescence; a time of constant confusion, ...
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About the author
Eliza Fricker is an illustrator and author whose deceptively simple illustrations give way to endearingly perceptive and detailed observations, which are often irreverently humorous and highly emotional. She writes about autism and education with beautiful artistic expression of difference in today's society. Her work serves as a thought provoking and valuable contribution to visibility, acceptance and support. Her publications act as a way to communicate difficult circumstances with teachers, educators, social workers, other parents and friends of those also experiencing these issues, with the hope of providing a drop more humanity in the world. She is the author, co-author and illustrator of several popular books including her graphic memoir Can't Not Won't, which was a Sunday Times bestseller.
Eliza Fricker is an illustrator and author whose deceptively simple illustrations give way to endearingly perceptive and detailed observations, which are often irreverently humorous and highly emotional. She writes about autism and education with beautiful artistic expression of difference in tod...
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