by Fern Brady
SYNOPSIS
If you’ve ever been on a night out where you got blackout drunk and have laughed the next day as your friends tell you all the stupid stuff you said, that’s what being autistic feels like for me: one long blackout night of drinking, except there’s no socially sanctioned excuse for your gaffes and no one is laughing.
In this book, Fern uses her voice as a neurodivergent, working class woman from Scotland to bring her experiences with sex work, abusive relationships and her time spent in a teenage mental health unit to the page. Written with unflinching honesty, Strong Female Character is a game-changing memoir on sexism and neurodiversity.
REVIEW
A few months ago I was watching the new series of Taskmaster and absolutely crying with laughter. Fern Brady was one of the contestants and her brash nature and sarcastic, dry humour were just killing me. She quickly became my favourite of the series. Not long after the show finished, I was offered the opportunity to review her upcoming book Strong Female Character so I jumped at the chance without even reading the blurb. Now, looking back, I honestly have nothing but admiration for her. While I was watching her complete the ridiculous tasks I had no idea whatsoever of the struggles she had been through, how difficult things must have been for her growing up and how incredible it is that she has had the amount of success she has achieved.
There is no doubt that this book is hilarious. It was filled with both laugh out loud moments and pure cringe but this was exactly what I had expected to find. What was so unexpected was the fact that the same book can be both hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time. The message behind the funny anecdotes should not be underestimated. It highlights the fact that a young girl was dismissed and misdiagnosed for years and years by both her friends and family and many different types of medical professionals before she was finally able to get the support she needed.
I have a feeling that her situation is one that is actually far too common and as a result, this book is also going to be an incredibly necessary resource as well as an entertaining read and could become a lifeline for a lot of people.
So many people are going to love Strong Female Character - if you are a fan of Fern Brady's stand up, if you are a fan of comedy in general, if you think that you or anyone you know may have any of the characteristics of autism or if you are a fan of memoirs/autobiographies. This book has something for everyone and I guarantee you will get so much more out of reading it than you would have ever expected.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fern Brady is a woman. She is also autistic. She
was born in Scotland (no, not Glasgow). She has no
presets for being a ‘good woman’ - she never hated
her body or indulged in messy millennial shame. She now lives out of wedlock in London. She has zero children.
Fern’s caustic wit, exceptional writing and electric
stage craft has made her one of the UK’s hottest
comedy stars. As seen on Live from the BBC, Live from the Comedy Store, The Russell Howard Hour, and Live at the Apollo. She regularly writes for The Guardian and her career has gone stratospheric in the last 18 months. She’s had viral success with her BBC Life Lessons, stormed the Australian comedy scene and supported Frankie Boyle and Katherine Ryan on tour. She can currently be seen on Taskmaster on Channel 4.
Thanks to Anne Cater - @RandomTTours, Fern Brady - @fernfrombathgate and Octopus Books - @Octopus_Books for the opportunity to read and review.
Publisher: Octopus Books Genre: Memoir / Autism
ISBN: 978-1914240447
Pages: 288pp