Strong Female Character

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What to expect

BRITISH BOOK OF THE YEAR: AUDIOBOOK WINNER 2024

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

Critics Review

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
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
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
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
DEBORAH FRANCES-WHITE
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.
RACHAEL HEALY, The Guardian
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
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.
The List
Strong Female Character will reassure fellow autistic folk that they are not alone
Chortle
Shocking and incredibly moving - and it will make you laugh at subjects that you didn't think you possibly could
Scotland on Sunday
A brutal, funny and heartbreaking memoir. The pace is brisk and her deadpan humour makes the darkest material hilariously funny.
The Times
Brilliant!
HR Magazine
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.
i Paper
[Brady] brings unsparing wit to a memoir that calls out the bulls--t in every culture she's experienced.
The Telegraph
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.
The Herald

User Reviews

Book 4.9
Narration 4.9
5.0
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Brittney 02/11/2025
5.0
5.0
quinn_bird 04/06/2025
5.0
5.0
Kiks 25/05/2025
3.0
3.0
seltzer 22/04/2025
5.0
5.0
BeccaRodgers 23/03/2025
5.0
5.0
Excellent book, with efficient and funny writting. Captivating, sad, empathetic and hopeful, with so many things I did not know about autism, especially in girls. Really glad I learned them this way, it made it more poignant and caring. Bought the book afterwards too.
Traficote 17/03/2025
5.0
5.0
An excellent account of what it's like to be a queer late-diagnosed autistic afab person (in this case a woman), of the kind who has meltdowns rather than shutdowns, who loves sex and strong touch, and who's outspoken and likes telling the same stories over and over again. Very relatable. Narrated in a beautiful autistic monotone.
Gal_they 07/02/2025
5.0
5.0
rubygray 03/02/2025
5.0
4.0
I feel like I've learnt so much about autism, it was so eye opening.
The book is also very funny
cece05 28/01/2025
5.0
5.0
cerysg 04/01/2025
5.0
5.0
No words for review I'm sick and trying not to explode which is exhausting ,, this is good ,, (currently waiting for 3+ years for confirmation)
fishhh 31/10/2024
5.0
5.0
kt 23/10/2024
4.0
5.0
andymole2409 29/08/2024
5.0
5.0
powercat 25/08/2024
4.0
5.0
Brutal. But necessary.
marianne 27/07/2024
5.0
5.0
Such a great book. Fern Brady is honest, hilarious, thorough, informative and a cracking storyteller.
sardow 24/07/2024
5.0
5.0
lazy.listener 21/07/2024
5.0
5.0
Amazing book, love that the narration is by Fern
eisoryam 27/06/2024
5.0
5.0
Rachaels22 11/06/2024
5.0
5.0
marthalambertt 10/06/2024
5.0
5.0
Fantastic book that has helped me no end with my own autistic journey. Thanks
BabyBailey1 22/04/2024
5.0
5.0
ehwood 02/04/2024
5.0
5.0
HannahSBjones 23/02/2024
5.0
5.0
juli_a_n_a 18/02/2024
5.0
5.0
phoebe 07/01/2024
5.0
5.0
Nory 16/09/2023
5.0
4.0
Darrell 30/07/2023
5.0
5.0
What an excellent and beautifully honest book. I'm so glad I found this book by accident. As a mum of two autistic teenagers one of whom is female and high functioning I totally understood and got everything Fern had to go through as a child and is still going through. This is a must read for any parent, young adult or adult who has been diagnosed or even someone who wants to understand more about autistic people. I take my hat off to Fern for having the confidence and guts to write such a brutally honest book on what it is genuinely like to live with autism. I feel very proud of her and I hope she's proud of herself 💞
Eviecatmum 26/05/2023
5.0
5.0
As an autistic woman I cannot recommend this enough. Funny, informative and so so relatable.
BioLucy 18/04/2023
5.0
5.0
Sastef 01/03/2023
5.0
5.0
Jennifer4AM 26/02/2023

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