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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.
(p) 2023 Octopus Publishing Group
(p) 2023 Octopus Publishing Group
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Reviews
Of course it's funny - it's Fern Brady - but this book is also deeply moving and eye-opening
It 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 live
Glorious. 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 funny
Fern is a brilliant, beautiful writer with a unique voice and even more unique story. Astute, honest and very, very funny.
So funny and brilliant
An absolute riot. I'm literally going to read it again once I've finished, and I'm a miserable bastard...it's a belter
Fern 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 like
This 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 alone
Shocking and incredibly moving - and it will make you laugh at subjects that you didn't think you possibly could
A 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.