'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.'
Fern Brady was told she couldn't be autistic because she's had loads of boyfriends and is good at eye contact. This is a story of how being female can get in the way of being autistic and how being autistic gets in the way of being the'right kind'of woman.
Publisher: Octopus Publishing GroupISBN: 9781914240447Number of pages: 288Weight: 404 gDimensions: 218 x 138 x 30 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
Of course it's funny - it's Fern Brady - but this book is also deeply moving and eye-openingIt made me laugh out loud and broke my heart and made me weep...I hope absolutely everyone reads this,and it makes them kinder and more curious about the way we all liveGlorious. Frank but nuanced,a memoir that doesn't sacrifice voice or self-awareness. And it has brilliant things to say about being autistic and being funnyFern is a brilliant,beautiful writer with a unique voice and even more unique story. Astute,honest and very,very funny.So funny and brilliantAn absolute riot. I'm literally going to read it again once I've finished,and I'm a miserable bastard...it's a belterFern Brady's book is alive in your hands. Brave doesn't cover it and I'm not sure what will. Fizzing with intelligence,it will hit you in the heart,lungs and liver. You'll laugh,cry,be still and if you're not autistic - by god you'll learn. If you are autistic you'll be seen,heard,held,rocked and loved here. A set text for all of us in 2023 Strong Female Character is a testament to the importance of self-knowledge. Fern Brady is a natural and engaging writer,weaving bleak episodes with moments of pure comedy as she re-appraises crucial moments in her life through the lens of her autism diagnosis. Brutal honesty and a talent for storytelling combine to make an insightful memoir that's not only very funny,but will no doubt provide invaluable moments of recognition for many readers.Witty,dry,and gimlet-eyed,Strong Female Character is a necessary corrective. Brady offers a compelling,messy,highly resonant portrait of what masked Autism feels likeThis Bathgate girl has more jaw-dropping tales to share than your average comedian-cum-author could hope to harvest in a lifetime. Perhaps more of us ought to grapple with our own mortality if it births something so bold as Strong Female Character. Strong Female Character will reassure fellow autistic folk that they are not aloneShocking and incredibly moving - and it will make you laugh at subjects that you didn't think you possibly couldA brutal,funny and heartbreaking memoir. The pace is brisk and her deadpan humour makes the darkest material hilariously funny.Brilliant! This very personal account of bullying,stripping,homelessness and stand-up is shocking and incredibly moving - and will make you laugh at subjects that you didn't realise could be funny. (Brady) brings unsparing wit to a memoir that calls out the bulls-t in every culture she's experienced.Strong Female Character is a clear-eyed,deeply sane account of an at times tumultuous life; a life shaped by class and gender,but mostly,it's now clear to her,by her autism.
Kommentar