Strong Female Character: Nero Book Awards Winner

Fern Brady

Feb 2023 · Hachette UK

About this ebook

NERO BOOK AWARDS WINNER 2023

WINNER, NON FICTION BOOK 2023, BOOKS ARE MY BAG AWARDS
SHORTLIST, BOOKSHOP.ORG INDIE CHAMPIONS
SHORTLIST, AMAZON NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR
SHORTLIST, GOODREADS CHOICE BOOK OF THE YEAR
Audible Books of the Year 2023
The Times Books of the Year 2023
Apple Best Audiobooks of 2023
BOOKSHOP.ORG Book of the Month January 2024


THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

'I tore through this hilarious, smart, sad, revealing book' - Bob Odenkirk

'Funny, sharp and has incredible clarity' - Jon Ronson

'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' - FRANKIE BOYLE

'Strong Female Character is a testament to the importance of self-knowledge.' - Rachael Healy, The Guardian

A summary of my book:

1. I'm diagnosed with autism 20 years after telling a doctor I had it.

2. My terrible Catholic childhood: I hate my parents etc.

3. My friendship with an elderly man who runs the corner shop and is definitely not trying to groom me. I get groomed.

4. Homelessness.

5. Stripping.

6. More stripping but with more nervous breakdowns.

7. I hate everyone at uni and live with a psycho etc.

8. REDACTED as too spicy.

9. After everyone tells me I don't look autistic, I try to cure my autism and get addicted to Xanax.

10. REDACTED as too embarrassing.

'Fern's book, like everything she does, is awesome. Incredibly funny, and so unapologetically frank that I feel genuinely sorry for her lawyers.' - PHIL WANG

'Of course it's funny - it's Fern Brady - but this book is also deeply moving and eye-opening'
- ADAM KAY

'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' - DAISY BUCHANAN

'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' - ELLE MCNICOLL

'A set text for all of us in 2023' - DEBORAH FRANCES-WHITE

'Fern is a brilliant, beautiful writer with a unique voice and even more unique story. Astute, honest and very, very funny.' - LOU SANDERS

'So funny and brilliant' - HOLLY SMALE

'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.' - Devon Price, author of Unmasking Autism

Ratings and reviews

Incredible and inspiring! I couldn't put this down... The insitful account of how life really is for an autistic female who has managed to mask her way through life if deffinalty gets you thinking and refelcting. Its eye openeing and heart warmingly funny I laughed out loud on numerous occasions and was shocked by others! Well worth a read.

I have learned so much and really admire Fern for her integrity in speaking out about her experience as an autistic women. Her courage has been amazing and I can't thank her enough for starting to dispel the myth that women can't be autistic. What a wonderful lady.

such an enlightening book, I intend to let many people I know with autism connections read this. It gives a great insight into the brain wiring and experiences from the perspective of an autistic person. Thank you for writing this, Fern.

About the author

Fern Brady is a woman. She is also autistic. She was born in Scotland (no, not Glasgow). She has no presets for being a 'good woman' - she never hated her body or indulged in messy millennial shame. She now lives out of wedlock in London. She has zero children. Fern's caustic wit, exceptional writing and electric stage craft has made her one of the UK's hottest comedy stars. As seen on Live from the BBC, Live from the Comedy Store, The Russell Howard Hour, and Live at the Apollo. She's had viral success with her BBC Life Lessons and supported Frankie Boyle and Katherine Ryan on tour. She can currently be seen on Taskmaster on Channel 4.