Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ten Steps to Nanette by Hannah Gadsby is about... well... how Hannah got to a point where she could perform their comedy special Nanette. What I appreciate most about this book is the voice. You can tell Hannah put a LOT of work into this, and it's worth the read. While it is funny at times, it's more often a gut punch, a shock, a heartache. Just like the special, it's about more than just one thing.

I really appreciated this book, and I look forward to more of Hannah's work in the future.

I'm really not sure how to review this book, if I'm being honest. Ten Steps to Nanette is Hannah Gadsby's story and she talks about a lot of her life and what led to her Netflix special Nanette, which was an absolutely incredible comedy/not comedy special. The memoir situation is really interesting because it's not really written like any other memoir I've ever read. Gadsby does a lot of contextualizing her life with the wider framework of what was going on in the world, and especially Tasmania, where she grew up. She also sort of skims over things that other people might think she would focus more on. Like, the traumatic events she experienced. But, she mostly doesn't. I really feel like Gadsby was given the freedom to write a book the way her neurodiverse brain wanted to write her story and so there are all of these quirks to her writing that are unexpected and kind of wonderful at the same time. I'm not really sure how to explain it. What I do know is that I kept texting my best friend and telling her about various aspects of Ten Steps to Nanette and encouraging her to pick up her own copy.

One of the things though that does make this book difficult, and yet timely, to read is that it covers a lot of the path to legalizing being gay in Tasmania in the 90s and the circles back to how that rhetoric returned in the path to legalize gay marriage in the 2010s. And, for this American, at least, it was disconcerting to realize that America is having the exact same discussions all over again in 2022 for some reason. It's funny because Gadsby talked about how people discussed Nanette as being a "reaction" to the #MeToo movement, but actually Gadsby was just working through her own traumas, the timing was just prescient. Well, it looks like this book may have come at a similarly prescient time. It's a little frustrating in a way.

Anyway, I would highly recommend picking up Ten Steps to Nanette if you liked the Netflix special or if you think you might like a memoir that really contextualizes how a person's life was impacted by larger global events, even when a person didn't necessarily know everything that was happening. I really appreciated this book and I think now I need to go rewatch Nanette.

Having watched and being stunned by the authenticity and honesty of the Netflix show, I was interested to read Hannah Gadsby's memoir. It’s funny, brutal, mesmerizing and shocking - exactly as I expected. A lesbian performer always stretches the boundaries and Hannah crosses some I didn’t even know existed. Now that I do, I can’t forget them. Excellent read, both joyful and disturbing.

Hannah Gadsby is a tremendous artist. As an artist who tackles topics related to trauma in my work in that capacity and as a human, Nanette left a huge mark on my heart and my artistry. In Ten Steps to Nanette, Gadsby shares the pieces and stories of her life which led to the sensational Netflix special. She tells her story with tremendous candidness, meticulousness, and care both for her loved ones, for herself, and for her readers. Hannah Gadsby has a singular voice that jumps off the page in this memoir. This memoir has left me searching for words, taking care of my heart, and ultimately feeling motivated as an artist to tear down walls and fiercely create. If you have not watched Nanette, you must. And then pick up a copy of this book. Content warnings for homophobia, misogyny, anti-gay physical violence, rape, molestation, and abortion.

Thank you so very much to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will be posting a perhaps more cohesive review in the coming days on my Bookstagram: www.instagram.com/sammies.shelf

I think my feelings on this book might be too difficult to synthesize into a simple review but I will do my best. Hannah‘s comedy special Nanette changed how I not only view the me too movement but queer representation as a whole. It was integral in the process of my own coming out story. This book has so many raw and unfiltered moments from Hannah‘s life that have been woven into the process leading up to Nanette.

Pros: the entire portion of the book essentially from steps eight through 10 discussing her experiences with comedy and then ultimately writing Nanette were amazing glimpses into Hannah‘s mind. I hugely appreciated the difficult complex and nuanced relationship has with her mother that she was able to articulate within the story.

Cons: the majority of step three and her discussion of growing up in the 90s was far too long. Truly it got lost in the weeds for me and that part of the book could have benefited from more conscious editing.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

Hannah Gadsby appeared from seemingly out of nowhere—to those of us in the States—with a searing personal story about her own trauma that was built into her standup comedy routine. Nanette singed our eyebrows and made a great many of us absolutely love her. When I saw this memoir, I knew I had to read it. My thanks go to Net Galley and Random House Ballantine for the review copy; that said, I would have paid an exorbitant price for a personal copy had it been necessary, and I would not have been disappointed in what I bought.

This book is for sale now.

In some ways it seems useless to review this memoir, because those that are interested in reading it are already fans; those that recoiled in horror from her blunt revelations and assessments of the world around us won’t read it, no matter what I say. But for the few that haven’t seen her standup routine, I counsel you first to watch Nanette on Netflix, and then watch Douglas, too. Of course, you can go into this memoir green, but you’ll appreciate it more if you understand her references to the show.

For those that are fans but are wondering whether the memoir is going to be her standup material, recycled—and surely, plenty of other people have done that sort of thing—I can reassure you that it is not. There are references to Nanette, and there are also references to her newer release, Douglas, the show she named after her dog. But there’s a good deal of information here that you won’t get anywhere else, and that’s what makes it worth it.

After discovering that Gadsby made it in the entertainment business despite coming from no money whatsoever, with no connections to anyone in show business in her native Australia or elsewhere, and having a host of disabilities, foremost among them autism, I wondered whether her success was a piece of rare good luck, or the result of hard work and perseverance unseen by most of her viewers. It’s the latter. And not only has she worked long and hard to make it as a comic, she is also one hell of a fine writer. The depth of analysis and critical thinking in this memoir took my breath away.

Since I’ve been reviewing, I have built myself a bit of a reading routine. There are particular times of day when I read, and also times when I put my books down to get other things done. Gadsby destroyed my orderly timetable. It’s been a long time since any book, however enjoyable to read, has caused me to say, Nope. Not stopping. This one did.

I highlighted a lot of passages, but I’ve decided not to use any direct quotes here, because all of them are so much better in context. But I will say that I am truly ashamed at the way that teachers let her down. As a child she was disciplined, bullied, and received everything at school except the help she desperately needed. I am devastated that my profession failed this brilliant woman. I’d love to believe that things have improved significantly since she was a child, but in my heart, I know there are still little Hannahs out there. Some are falling through the cracks, whereas others are pushed. The horror!

Most of her story is not horrifying, however; it is immensely entertaining. Nobody could safely walk through the room while I was reading without having to listen to a passage or two. On the other hand, nobody minded much, either, because Gatsby.

The most engaging aspect of this memoir—and its author—is authenticity. She never pulls punches, whether describing her own poor choices, or those made by others. One or two very popular American performers have taken passive aggressive swipes at her, and she uses this opportunity to swipe back, right at the start of the book, no less! I wanted to stand up and cheer, but instead, I did it sitting down so as not to lose my place.
The only question remaining is whether you should read this brilliant, darkly funny and disarmingly frank memoir in print or audio. I haven’t heard the audio, but since she reads it herself, you know it’s good. On the other hand, there are several passages that are so well written that I went back over them before moving on; you might miss those with an audio book. True fans that can do so should get both versions.

Highly, hugely recommended.

A fewer years ago, a friend of mine told me that I had to see "Nanette"- I am being a friend to you right now and telling you that you have to read "Ten Steps to Nanette."

This book is not the usual light, laugh-a-minute autobiography from a comedian. But then, Hannah Gadsby is not your usual comedian. The book is very much in keeping with the style/blueprint of "Nanette". - you will laugh, you will tear up, you will be pissed off, but mostly, you will think.

This review is difficult for me because I don't have the vocabulary to express my thoughts on this 'Situation'. I keep thinking about it, even after a week after finishing it. That may be the best thing you can ever say about a book.

When I think about watching Hannah Gadsby’s NetFlix special a few years ago, I remembered it as being funny and original. I didn’t remember the heartbreaking aspects she included. Her memoir, Ten Steps to Nanette, has laugh-out-loud funny bits, but it describes many painful memories she survived as well in greater detail. When I rewatched her special after reading the book, THAT’s when I managed to pick up all the horrific things she’s survived.

She’s a lesbian from a small, very isolated country of Tasmania where it was illegal to be gay until 1997. (!) She also wasn’t diagnosed with autism or ADHD until late in life, and then social media let her know she couldn’t possibly be autistic or have ADHD because she’s female. (?) “It’s rare for girls and other not-boys to receive a timely diagnosis. Probably because we were overlooked in the stereotyping process and because girls with ADHD often present as inattentive as opposed to hyperactive. We are the daydreamers. Not the distractors.”

Because of the anti-gay rhetoric (similar stuff I remember living through in this country, things like the sentiment that “gay” is a synonym of “pedophile” and HIV “only” impacts gays and IV drug users, i.e., people who don’t matter,) she was homophobic herself even as she was beginning to recognize her attraction to women. She repressed her sexuality “without too much effort.”

This is definitely worth a read of what it took for her to become “an overnight success” that was many years in the making.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this memoir.

Ten Steps to Nanette is a funny and moving memoir from Hannah Gadsby that gives her fans insight into her childhood and how both she and Nanette came to be. I fully enjoyed this memoir.

Hannah Gadsby can't seem to figure out how to be like everyone else. As she struggles socially, she also struggles with the extreme homophobia in Tasmania, driving her deeply into the closet. Slowly, she begins to discover herself - a deep love for art history, her sexuality, and her neurodivergency. She also finds her voice in stand-up comedy, and her career grows through Australia before exploding on the international scene with her Netflix special, Nanette.

Hannah Gadsby is funny and insightful. Her story is a fantastic blend of her humor and her pain. I loved her voice and learning more about how she wrote and worked through Nanette. I highly recommend this memoir.

This really sounded like Hannah. I saw Nanette on Netflix much like most of the world and really enjoyed it (even though I didn’t understand all the jokes). This feels like reading one of Hannah’s comedy shows.

Hannah Gadsby's TEN STEPS TO NANETTE is so clearly written in the comedienne's voice, I felt like I could hear her say each sentence. Quite a bit of the content is very heavy and I appreciate the gentle way Gadsby addresses it or describes things. She makes her own experience clear without detailing trauma for the sake of, well, detailing trauma. I also appreciate the way she provides content for what was happening in Australia and, more specifically,Tasmania during particular years. The "context" sections were a bit overwhelming and too detailed at times, though, and I found myself skimming them. The highlight of the book for me was learning about how Gadsby connected with art history; it's such an insightful way into how she builds her comedy.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited to read Hannah Gadsby's book about how her show Nanette came to fruition. The story at times though was a little long in the tooth and I found myself losing interest. Overall, it was interesting to read about her growing up in Tasmania and dealing with the intolerance that existed. If you're a fan of Gadsby's, I would recommend this as a book to dig into.

A funny yet poignant book that combines memoir, discussions of comedy, the thought process of someone on the autism spectrum, and a close look at the struggle for LGBTQ rights in Tasmania. This is one of those rare books that, even as your reading it, you know it will stay with you long after it's finished.

Having seen both "Nanette" and "Douglas," I was interested to learn more about Hannah Gadsby's life and her journey up to this point. Ten Steps to Nanette did just that!

Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette was a one-woman show that surprised the heck out of pretty much everyone. While I would call it more a tour de force than a comedy show (and she’d disagree with me), Ten Steps to Nanette is an examining not only of the show that made Gadsby a household name, but also the lifetime of experiences that lead up to it.
In the book, Gadsby employs a brilliant technique of telling you what was happening politically as her childhood progressed. This serves to ground your interpretation of what she’s experiencing as a little girl in the nasty, harmful atmosphere that made clear to LGBTQIA+ people in Tasmania that their government wanted them to feel unwanted, unloved, and unlawful. And so, while Hannah grew up in a loving family that knew her well and quietly helped her find her way in the world (with a few biting words from mom), she was saddled with the ever-present loneliness that came from constantly having to rehearse social interactions to be allowed to stand on the fringes and protect herself from bullying. Not surprisingly, she discovered early that getting a laugh was the best way to gain diffuse negative attention. But time and again, government officials crassly tried to make the case that no amount of jokes or self-deprecation would clear the way for anyone like her. And predictably, that became more and more offensive as her ability to recognize the pattern of abuse grew.
Gadsby says time and again that she felt that no one could relate to her, but she tells her story in a way that is simultaneously relatable, sympathetic, and radically political. Gadsby’s autism diagnosis as an adult enabled her to realize that expecting herself to fit within the neurotypical box society presented was futile, and enabled her to both protect herself and see herself with compassion. At about that time, her comedy career, fed from her lifetime of astute observation, began to bring her some success and much-needed stability. The story of her struggle, though, is a story that could have been easier, and by telling it, she will perhaps help others to see themselves, and to grant themselves some of her hard-won self-knowledge.
If you liked Nanette, this book is an intriguing and well-written follow-up. If you have lived under a rock and don’t know the show, then read it anyway. It’s a worthwhile revelation.

Before the rest of my review I want to make a note that I have never actually seen the full version of Nanette, but I have seen clips and heard about it a lot. I didn't feel like not seeing it got in the way of reading this memoir. (However, I am planning to watch it now!!)

It's hard to say I enjoyed reading this book because it's honestly pretty heavy and discusses a lot of trauma. But I did like the book despite the discomfort that it brought and I'm glad that I read it and learned more about Hannah Gadsby. The writing is quite funny but also deeply emotional and vulnerable. I'd definitely say this leans more towards serious than comedic, although you can tell the author is a comedian.

The book is organized roughly chronologically and you follow the author from a young age up until the release of Nanette. Later in the book, there are also quotes from the special itself mixed in.

I learned a lot from this book (in particular about LGBTQ+ history in Tasmania) and I would recommend it, especially to people who like memoirs and people who like Nanette.

TW: rape, sexual assault, child abuse, homophobia, ableism (and possibly more- there is heavy content in this book)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC to review.

I feel like this is going to be a tough one for me to review, because my relationship with the content that Hannah Gadsby creates is so personal to me and has been frankly crucial to how I am coming to understand myself that it’s a bit difficult to try to take that out of the equation and look at Ten Steps to Nanette on its own. I’ve likely watched Nanette half a dozen times in the past couple of years (and once again in preparing this review) and I have easily watched Douglas, the next special, several dozen times. Partly because its very, very good but also because of how she discusses Autism and neuro-divergency more broadly, both of which are crucial to the story Gadsby writes in Ten Steps to Nanette, and crucial to the knowing of me.

Which is a very long way of saying that there are portions of this book that made me cry, not because of what Gadsby has gone through and survived, but because of the eloquent way she has in describing what can sometimes feel so isolating, and the language she puts to not trusting a diagnosis that feels right because it doesn’t look or feel like you were told it would. Of not feeling at home in your own skin when out in the world, but when you are in your own quiet home feeling deeply yourself. Of all the times that the world insists on being more than you can process in any given moment, how if you have just the right sorts of presentations or coping mechanisms you will have to fight to be taken seriously that you are not – in fact – doing all that well. That you will have to fight to believe yourself, to not let anyone diminish your own lived experience.

As much as Ten Steps to Nanette is set up in a typical memoir format, it also works differently. Some of it is a bit cheeky, starting with an epilogue and ending with a prologue, but they are also used exactly as they are titled. It isn’t a play on words, Gadsby is intentionally taking the pieces and putting them in the order that best serves her needs. Some chapters (or steps) are very short while others are much longer. Some bounce back and forth from the personal to the national, some are more biographical, others still are written in a more active voice much more like her stage work. But because Gadsby is very good at what she does the tone of this book stays the same: these are the facts, and this is how I felt, but the how of the tone is what changes because each step (and the wilderness years she generally leaves unexplored, this is not tragedy porn) need to be handled in their own way. By allowing her story the space it needs to be told in the manner it needs to be told in she is doing an incredibly important bit of writing as people all over who fall into many of her intersectionalities are struggling to remain safe and seen. She takes her rare bit of luck and her privileges and shines the light where it needs to be shined, without making herself or anyone else the victim of the story. Bad things happen, people are victimized, but that is not where the story ends or lingers.

I have tried to take my time, craft an in-depth review as I needed to sit with it a bit longer, give it a good think. Something I think Gadsby would entirely understand as I waited for the words to form, and then come out of my head and into the world. There is so much here, so much truth, so much reflection, so much care spent weaving in actual history with personal history, all leading to something that aims to deliver great meaning (and succeeds). And with legitimately funny footnotes tucked in, a personal favorite (not to diminish the intentionally not funny ones). I’m still not sure I’ve been able to.

I have, for instance, not delved into the structure of Nanette and how it became the thing that Gadsby needed to do, how the renouncement of self-deprecation, the rejection of misogyny, and the moral significance of truth-telling became a thing she could no longer not prioritize for her own well-being. Of how the world in 2017 caught up to her in some ways and the international resurgence of #metoo provided a springboard for Gadsby’s work into a larger sphere. Of how deciding she must be done has meant that she is now continuing in a different but healthier way. Of how so much of this work is about reassessment and reexamination – about queer identity, past trauma, and Autism and of giving the time needed to move away from the mental landscape of “there is something wrong with me and I should feel ashamed” towards “this is how I am made, and that’s enough to be worthy of all the good.”

CW: Assault, molestation, rape, injury, isolation, suicidal ideation, body image or other mental health difficulties (It should be noted that Gadsby put these in the book’s early sections where they belong – and stopped several times in the narrative to level set and remind the reader what they were going to encounter if they kept going. It is the kind of empathy and critical thought which I love and wish more authors did, even while I am putting this near the tail end of my own review.)

5 unabashed neurodivergent stars

Hannah Gadsby doesn't pull any punches with this memoir, which makes it funny at times and horrifying at others. She doesn't shy away from the bad and the ugly, but there are moments of light throughout her story that give the reader a deeper understanding of the complexities found in human nature.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Nothing I say in this review is going to adequately express how generally good this book is because I keep wallowing in the ways it is impacting me personally. It is very good and I think a lot of people should read it. Especially now when there is a rising focus on driving LGBTQ+ folks further into the margins and erasing them from the present.

Hannah Gadsby’s Ten Steps to Nanette has laid me out flat. Before flattening me, it knocked me for a loop, took me on a rollercoaster ride and has generally discombobulated me. I’ve known for a while that I have executive function issues and probably attention deficit disorder. Reading Hannah Gadsby’s writings about the way she perceives and interacts with the world felt so familiar. I don’t think I’ve spent so much of a book seeing myself since reading the first Murderbot Diaries instalment, All Systems Red. There are similarly a lot of differences too. I lack the physical and mental capabilities of Martha Wells’ fictional agender SecUnit. I had an easier childhood and young adulthood than the very real Hannah Gadsby and a much less successful adulthood. I think that she would understand the relationship between why my earlier successes happened (external structures) and my later in life fall off the cliff (no guard rails).

Ten Steps to Nanette is a fantastic memoir. She has a specific agenda beyond telling her life story. Gadsby never dives into trauma porn, but she breaks my heart every few pages. As she walks us through her life, she provides larger context in some places. Even before she knew she was a lesbian, she was internalizing the hateful and violent messages about homosexuality. Even if she had not been gay, she was still marinated in misogyny, fatphobia, and told a hundred ways that she wasn’t good enough. Kindness and compassion are a balm for the shame. She is walking us towards the pieces of self knowledge that allow her to be more compassionate towards herself and others.

If you watched Nanette or Douglas, or her other standup shows from earlier in her career, some of the content of this book will be familiar. It is funny, and informative. There is tension. At the beginning of the book, when talking about whether Nanette was a comedy or not, she says she took what she knew about comedy and “pulled it all apart and built a monster out of its corpse.” The source of Hannah Gadsby’s comedy is her own life. Ten Steps to Nanette is partly her pulling apart the bones of her own life, but she is not building a monster from it’s corpse. She is identifying the bones that were turned into monsters as a matter of survival.

Several years ago I was working with a high school senior who was struggling to get through school. She was attending a small, private school for kids with learning disabilities. She struggled to explain herself, would become overwhelmed, and shut down. One day we were meeting with a teacher to discuss how she could fix a project that she needed a passing grade on in order to graduate. During the meeting when she was trying to explain why she was having a hard time, she put her head down on the table clearly at the end of her words. The teacher spent a long moment looking at his student with her head on the table, clearly ready to be failed. He apologized to her for not recognizing how hard she had worked on the project and for not seeing the effort she was making. He asked her if she could make a couple of format changes and agreed to give her an extension without penalty. It was a moment of kindness that should not be as extraordinary as it was. I thought of that choice that the teacher made to see that his student was engaged, was making an effort even if she wasn’t fulfilling all of the technical requirements several times while I was reading.

CWs for everyday cruelty, CSA, physical assault, rape, abortion, physical injuries, surgery, suicidal ideation, self-loathing, homophobia, misogyny, homelessness, fatphobia, drinking, drug use, and shame.

I received this as an advance reader copy from Random House – Ballantine and NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

Doctor Hannah Gadsby is a powerhouse in every sense of the word; in comedy, on stage, and as a writer. I cannot stress how incredible this memoir is - hell, I can hardly think after finishing it. Gadsby's voice is prevalent throughout this work, beautifully and occasionally tragically so. Like always, she weaves words and phrases that steal your breath away and then gives it back to you so you can laugh. I'd mention numerous moments in this work, only to fawn over its brilliance, but I am hesitant to spoil it. Nanette is a shapeless, beautiful entity and all forms of it should be experienced unprepared - for the optimal gut-punch