Strong Female Character

This book quite literally changed my life. I adore Fern Brady and listening to her story was like delving into my own past. I’m undiagnosed autistic and reading this book really changed how I view myself and my journey with coming to accept my neurodivergency.

Depressingly interesting

An audible listen

For someone opposed to most celebrity memoirs, I sure did love this one.

Fern Brady tells a raw story about what it was like for her to grow up as an autistic Scottish girl, only diagnosed well into adulthood.

Before Fern received any diagnosis, let alone a correct one, she was simply labeled “bad,” by her parents, teachers, and peers. And as Fern points out, as children we are taught to believe whatever adults tell us. Imagine growing up believing you are evil because your brain is wired to react far more strongly to fluorescent lights than most.

Fern was bullied and seen as uniquely gullible. She was subjected to the arm of the carceral state that dabbles in institutionalizing mentally ill, neurodiverse, disabled, poor, and/or traumatized youth. She was slut shamed and latched onto by abusive partners.

She excelled in certain subjects at school, yet racked up debt and failing grades during college because of struggles to articulate basic questions about finding the syllabus or when and where exams were. When she had the courage to ask questions, people would assume she was being lazy or disrespectful.

As issues escalated, her family would pretend nothing was happening. In moments where she most needed understanding and support, she was condemned and punished.

Fern, who I knew already only from Taskmaster, is quite a talented writer, and this is a brave and needed memoir. There was some weird fatphobia and internalized misogyny in the book, from my view, but for the latter, I can't discount how the gender socialized into far more nuanced dynamics and niceties would target her unfairly.

For fans of Hannah Gadsby, Josh Thomas, Derry Girls, [b:I'm Glad My Mom Died|59364173|I'm Glad My Mom Died|Jennette McCurdy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1649286799l/59364173.SY75.jpg|93537110], [b:The Woman in Me|63133205|The Woman in Me|Britney Spears|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1689090540l/63133205.SY75.jpg|95308537], and [b:Unmasking Autism|58537365|Unmasking Autism Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity|Devon Price|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1626115588l/58537365.SY75.jpg|91968379].

I couldn't put the book down. reading this was extremely validating and refreshing but it also felt truly painful and discomforting at times, as Fern's stories about her childhood and adolescence had so much in common with mine. I laughed and sobbed. I had to re-read some passages because of how incredulous I was by how much her life had resembled mine in some tiny details, from sharing the same special interests (foreign languages, books and music) to growing up with emotionally unavailable parents (and my autistic dad seeming so similar to Fern's!), feeling trapped in toxic relationships and experiencing abuse. and it's also sad that these experiences are something that many late-diagnosed autistic women have gone through. I am so grateful to Fern for writing this book and allowing me to put all of this into words finally 

5/5

After finishing this book, I immediately looked up books that are similar - that's how good Fern's writing is. I thoroughly enjoyed this book - it was dark (check content warnings), informative (she talks about being a late diagnosed woman with autism) and funny. 

This was great! I only learned about Fern from her appearance on Taskmaster and she was so funny and weird and delightful on it. I appreciate how she wrote about her autism think this is a great book for anyone wanting to learn more and laugh along the way.

I got a lot out of this book. Fern Brady is a comic I've really enjoyed watching for years and it was a really interesting insight into who she is and I suppose why. There were elements from the childhood sections in particular that really resonated as what you could term “the Scottish childhood experience” which both simultaneously made me cringe and laugh. I'd really recommend reading this book even if you don't know Ferns comedy work (which you should go out and see!) as the insight into late stage diagnosis autism and how male-centric that can be is illuminating.