I hadn't really heard about Fern Brady before reading the synopsis of Strong Female Character, but I immediately knew I wanted to read it!

I also had access to an audiobook copy of this book, so I listened to this on audio and loved that Fern Brady does the narration!!

overall, this was an intriguing and informative memoir. Brady holds back NOTHING with the reader and shares about a variety of experiences with readers, including her autism diagnosis in early adulthood.

If you're a fan of comedy and/or memoirs, I highly recommend giving Strong Female Character a try!

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for the gifted copy!

I knew less than 10% into this book that it was going to be a five star read for me. I have a parallel story for every single story Fern told. Also the revelation that Hans Christian Andersen is presumed to have been autistic - and Ariel is presumed autistic as well (hello...humans are her special interest) - meant a lot to me as a life-long Ariel-obsessed human. This book comes with a number of trigger warnings and touches on a significant amount of traumas, but this is unsurprising given how long Fern lived as an undiagnosed autist. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

My favorite kind of books take me places I’ve never been and help me understand others and myself better. This wonderful book did just that. The author, Fern Brady, taught me so much about autism and the arduous process she went through to get diagnosed and treated. Brady is honest and funny as she bravely held nothing back sharing how it was to be on the spectrum as a kid and how she was treated by family, school, and peers. What an incredible person. The writing is top notch. I’m thinking back to the kids in my classes in school who struggled socially and wonder now….

This book is a gift and one I highly recommend for a book club - so much to discuss and learn and share.

Heartfelt thanks to Harmony for this excellent book.

As a fellow late-diagnosed autistic woman, I really enjoyed Strong Female Character. Fern Brady is super candid about her struggles both pre-and post-diagnosis, and although she describes some internalized ableism that was hard to read about, it also rang true. Brady uses humor superbly to describe coming to terms with her diagnosis, and overall I really enjoyed this book.

4 stars

I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read this book, and I can't wait to listen to the audiobook when it releases next week. This is one I won't forget for a long, long time.

As a neurotypical individual who works at a college that serves a large neurodivergent population, I am always thrilled to learn more about experiences that are distinct from my own. In this memoir, Fern Brady takes readers into a space that is filled with an appealing and potentially unexpected mix of humor and heartache as she discusses the many signs that led her to realize she's autistic. Autistic women are a particularly interesting group to me because they are most likely to mask, and one of my favorite parts of this exploration is Brady's discussion of exactly this topic. She makes clear the distinctions between what she was actually thinking, how she responded, and how she - at times - worked to cover up all of this so that she could just go unnoticed, and this is an informative and vulnerable conversation to be sure.

I really enjoyed the mixture of frankness and humor, and while it was tough at times to stay on track with the tone in the e-book, that's more of a processing issue for me than it is an issue for the writer or editor. It also really makes me more enthusiastic about listening to Brady tell her own story, with her intentional inflections, etc., in the audio version.

I recommend this enthusiastically to folks who are interested in learning about an autistic woman's candid experience. Prospective readers should be mindful of a TW on physical violence and generally that Brady does not story tell with much filtering.

Males do not have a monopoly on autism spectrum! You are not alone!
This exceptional woman has made her own way while overcoming much more than the usual misogynistic hurdles to become an outstanding comedian and voice of activism. Hear her struggles in this memoir and laugh/cry with her as she slogs through the mire of psychiatrists' blindness and refusal to think outside their box. Wonderful!
I requested and received an EARC from Rodale Inc/Harmony via NetGalley. Thank you!

WOW! This was a roller coaster of a read. The author is wicked smart and funny at times while sharing her poignant story. She is also painfully honest. I am hopeful that her insights help others feel empathy for those who are neurodiverse. They have gifts that enrich society too. I am rooting for Fern and for those I have known but may not have understood as well as I could.

Thank you to the publishers for the opportunity to check out an ARC of this book through Netgalley!

I read this in one sitting and absolutely loved every second of it! I laughed so much and found Fern's way of telling her life story fascinating.

Strong Female Character is Fern Brady's memoir where she tells us about her life pre, during, and post getting diagnosed with autism. As a fellow neurodivergient (ADHD), I think this book is super important! Fern is very honest about topics regarding being neurodivergient that I think a lot of people don't want to talk about.

Fern's books taught me a lot about autism and helped me understand more about what it is like to be autistic. I appreciate the vulnerability she shows by sharing her story.

Strong Female Character US release date is June 6th, 2023!

I am a big fan of Fern's comedy, and when I heard she was writing a book about her experiences as an autistic person, I knew I had to read it. I was very touched by Fern's honesty and willingness to discuss some heavier topics. I also greatly appreciated that she took this opportunity to share some of the more obscure research she has found. As someone with autism, I learned many things about myself throughout the course of this book, and a lot of that had to do with Fern sharing her own experiences as well as some incredible sources she has come across. I was also grateful that the book was inclusive in terms of gender. I know Fern set out to write this about women with autism, but as a non-binary person I was happy to see that she included gender nonconforming identities in her discussion. At times this book was very difficult to read and it brought up a lot of self reflective moments for me, but that just proves how wonderful a writer Fern is. Her voice really shone through in all of this, and it didn't feel like reading a boring research paper or a heavily polished memoir, which was refreshing.

Absolutely loving this memoir, it truly had me laughing out loud from the first chapter. As a late-diagnosed autistic woman (early 30s), I really appreciate hearing voices such as Brady's, and I think books like this do a lot of work in generating community for autistic adults and autistic women. There is lots of in-group humor that anyone who's been through the diagnostic process or spent time on Autistic Twitter will find amusing, but Brady's story deserves to be read widely. As a US reader I also appreciate hearing from autistic women in other parts of the world (and though I received an ebook ARC from NetGalley, I know that the audiobook is read by Brady herself and think her accent is lovely to listen to.) This book will hold a special place in my heart alongside Hannah Gatsby's Ten Steps to Nanette.

This book is a memoir by Fern Brady, a Scottish comedian, about her journey getting diagnosed as autistic as an adult. It really interesting to hear from the perspective of an autistic woman. It was really eye-opening. Brady is also hilarious and manages to find the humor about the challenges she’s faced in her life. I particularly enjoyed seeing social situations from her perspective.

(Thank you to NetGalley and Rodale Inc for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.)

I was drawn to this book about late diagnosis of autism. I've always kidded my daughter that I thought she was on the fringes of it: flat affect, not comfortable in new/social situations, heightened auditory and tactile sensitivities and questionable learning issues.
But after reading Brady's memoir I would wager that a lot of us could be somewhere on the autism spectrum with varying degrees of functioning.
I've read several books about people with autism, but this is only second one (Temple Grandin being the first) that I've read written from the autistic person's point of view.
It makes me wonder if books such as this one will allow for decreasing the conversation on what is and isn't neurotypical and just deal with what is going on with an individual.

Thank you to Penguin Random House for inviting me to read an early copy of this book.

There are a lot of trigger warnings in this book. I tried to catch them all, but I don’t think I did. The ones I caught were:
- suicide attempts (Chapters 2 and 7)
- self-harm (Chapters 4 and 9)
- description at a mental health ward (Chapter 4)
- domestic abuse/violence (Chapter 7)
- description of autistic shutdown (Chapter 9)

The book details how autism affects the whole person — physically, mentally, and emotionally — and how that needs to be understood better. I had never heard of Fern Brady until I was given a link to this book and I’m so glad I received it.

Brady is so open and vulnerable throughout the whole thing that it took me a little longer than normal to read it. At one point, I read five chapters in a row and then had to stop for a few days in order to wade through my emotions. She really does write this like an open book which I appreciate but also want to give something akin to an autistic-safe tea, blanket, and hugs.

As opposed to most memoirs, there are very brief mentions of what her comedic acts are like which I really enjoyed. I liked that there wasn’t a need to reference a joke in order to get her point across.

To say this book isn’t funny would be ridiculous. There were parts that I had to laugh at because it was almost too relatable and of course, her response was the appropriate one.

This is one of my favorite memoirs in how it was laid out (narratively speaking), you can hear Brady’s voice, and how important you could feel it was to her. Definitely one of my favorites of the year.

This book. Wow. So, this book here, Strong Female Character, this book, the moment I finished it, I pulled out my mental list notebook and inked this one on my top reads for the year and then did likewise for my all-time nonfiction reads. Like, really high on that one, the all-time nonfiction reads. And, not only is it one of my all-time nonfiction faves, it’s also one of the most important ones.

So few people discuss autism openly and that particular point is such a shame. The stigma needs to go bye-bye, and knowledge and understanding need some boosting. For that, I thank Fern Brady for writing this book (thank you, thank you, thank you!), and I’ll keep on crossing my fingers for others with a public platform to do so. I mean, one person can’t and shouldn’t have to do it alone. Village: necessary.

Strong Female Character is incredibly entertaining. It’s also quite heartbreaking, and also inspiring and educational. This is why writers write. To communicate. To share. To connect. Fern Brady does that page after page after page, and I could never give this book enough stars.

Thank you netgalley and Rodale Inc for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book took me a while to read because of its openness and its raw vulnerability. I found myself relating to a lot of Fern’s life whether it be seeing someone I love go through the pain of masking or the meltdowns. Or myself relating to her pained relationship with her mother due to her mother failing to see the issues at hand in the moment, but doing the best she could with the resources she has.

The book is a heavily researched and a beautifully articulated study on autism in general but specifically for women and others. How we as a society often let them down or misguide them. How we just need to be patient and listen to them and talk about the issues they have in the hopes that we can help others in the future. I think this book should be a required reading for many different reasons. It tackles so many heavy topics that fall under the umbrella of being undiagnosed. The harm you can do to yourself the harm others will put you through because they don’t understand you. This book will make you laugh, cry, wince out in pain for Fern. It will make you love Fern for all her honesty and humor. I will 100% be purchasing this book when it comes out. And I thank Fern for telling her story.

A memoir by Scottish comedian Fern Brady about her diagnosis of autism as an adult. She documents her struggles growing up and not knowing how to interact with others. A really interesting memoir!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳 by Scottish comedian Fern Brady is not only a memoir, it is an exposition of autism spectrum disorder and how sexism and lack of mental health advocacy can negatively impact diagnosis, coping skills, and overall wellness. In a sharp, forthright, yet engaging tone, Brady describes her struggles from adolescence to adulthood (unclear social cues, sensorily overwhelming environments, extreme life changes, and ignorant authority figures and peers) and the ways she has tried to process and interact with the world around her (scripting, masking, stimming, and the less healthy drug abuse). She also shares difficult stories about her meltdowns and shutdowns, and about how the lack of diagnosis for most of her life, her reputation as being odd and difficult, and the resulting frustration and loneliness contributed to self-harm and suicidal ideation.

𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳 is not the juicy or overtly funny story one would normally expect from a comedic memoir, however it is an extremely important and valuable one. Well-written, intelligent, honest, and vulnerable, it provides insight into the autistic mind to allistic readers as well as—hopefully—support to the neurodiverse.

Already a critically acclaimed bestseller in the U.K., Fern Brady's "Strong Female Character" is set to arrive stateside as a both brutal and brutally funny story about how being female can get in the way of being autistic and being autistic can get in the way of being the "right kind" of woman.

While the phrase "no holds barred" is more than a little cliché, it's entirely applicable to "Strong Female Character," a refreshingly honest and scathing book about what it means to live as neurodivergent even before you're officially diagnosed.

Brady is a Scottish comedian, podcaster, and writer who, if we're being honest, doesn't fit the description of what society tells you to expect from someone who is neurodivergent.

Told she couldn't be autistic because she'd had loads of boyfriends and had good eye contact, Baldwin is absolutely relentless in this memoir that is frequently heartbreaking, just as frequently hilarious, and more than a little scathing toward a society that not only doesn't get it but often chooses to completely ignore it. Not officially diagnosed until her adult years, Brady, now 36-years-old, serves up an inspired and engaging portrait of neurodivergence and learning how to live life unmasked.

Baldwin had long suspected she had autism as she experienced the sensory issues, the meltdowns, the inability to pick up on social cues. It has only been in the last couple of years that she was officially diagnosed and, if "Strong Female Character" is any indication, she's ripping the mask off and living into who she's really always been.

With "Strong Female Character," Brady looks at the weaving together of ableism and sexism that keeps many autistic women from getting diagnosed until later in life. Brady herself came from a working class Scottish Catholic family that was clearly not equipped to deal with a neurodivergent child.

So they didn't.

Brady shares her difficult journey with relentless honesty that may be difficult for some readers - for example the ableist and sexist ones - and "Strong Female Character" possesses a literary spirit that is tonally all over the place out of necessity. That, quite simply, was how Brady lived her life and on some level still does.

Reflecting upon the ways her lack of a diagnosis influenced her youth, Brady shares everything from having a tree as a childhood best friend to what it was like to have her parents and school place her in a psychiatric facility because they were blind as to how to help her.

Trust me, "Strong Female Character" isn't what Stella Young would call "inspiration porn."

Instead, we get the brilliant and beautiful life that has somehow manifested imperfectly out of the chaos of childhood from destructive coping mechanisms and meltdowns to stripping to getting arrested to multiple futile attempts at employment. "Strong Female Character" isn't some miracle story targeted toward angelic inspiration - instead, Brady's journey is presented in all its layered complexities and her eventual discovery of comedy and breakout appearance on the Taskmaster TV show that allowed her, finally, to show up for the most part unmasked.

While some cultural references may escape American readers, "Strong Female Character" is an absolutely vital read and an opportunity to discover a talented, intelligent, and strong female character who is neurodivergent, has sex, is darn good at eye contact, and is very, very funny.

You might know Fern Brady as a comedian—I know of her from the show Taskmaster, where contestants complete ridiculous tasks and then have a good laugh about them. But "Strong Female Character" isn't about comedy; it's about Brady's experience growing up while viewing the world through undiagnosed autism.

It has to be said: celebrity memoirs are almost always at their best when the writer is writing about something other than their work (think Jennette McCurdy, Evanna Lynch, Allison Moorer). But it also has to be said: Brady is funny from start to finish here, despite the often wildly stressful material of the book. She pulls no punches, delivering an incisive criticism of the way society treats those who are "different", and of the limited view of autism held by many medical professionals. (Told by one doctor that she couldn't possibly be autistic because she'd had boyfriends, she notes that the diagnostic criteria for autism are based on eight-year-old boys in Vienna in the 1930s, and that it's not surprising that none of them would have had boyfriends.)

The ending is a bit condensed, I think because there's an extent to which this is all still something she's figuring out—she talks a lot about what she has learned about what autism means for her, and what things contribute to overload, and what things help her reset, but this is very much a book she wouldn't have been able to write—or articulate—even five years ago, and I expect that in a few more years she'll have more insights. That's not a bad thing in this case, and I'm just going to hang out over here hoping that "Strong Female Character" does well enough that somewhere down the line Brady will write another book, because whether it's a follow-up memoir or something else entirely I expect it'll be fascinating and hilarious.

I don't really listen to audiobooks, but I bet the audio version of this is *fantastic*. At the very least, if you've seen Brady perform, you'll be able to read this with her in your head throughout. Highly recommend.

STRONG FEMALE CHARACTER is an incredibly insightful read, learning how Fern Brady's life compares to before and after her diagnosis. At times it was uncomfortable to read and for that I respect how the author doesn't hold back and is utterly honest and completely transparent in her memoir. I would love to see her standup!

Thank you to Rodale, Inc and NetGalley for the digital ARC.