Strong Female Character

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].