Reviews tagging 'Dysphoria'

Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation by Hannah Gadsby

16 reviews

danasaur's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

5.0


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sighclopss's review against another edition

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5.0


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shortstackz's review against another edition

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5.0

If you are a fan of Hannah Gadsby's performances, I highly recommend this in audiobook format. They lay their life bare, looking the hardest moments of their life directly in the face while still being kind to their "villains". That being said it is not something that everyone can read, it deals with a lot of the nuance of moving through trauma after rape or the systemic oppression of being a queer person before marriage was even a possibility. Please proceed with caution.

It's a story told honestly and gives context to the world around itself. I love how they contextualize Tasmania and the political climate of Australia in reference to their own journey through developing as an undiagnosed neurodivergent human. Hannah put forth the effort of acknowledging where their own privilege lies, and unapologetically says "please see the affected group for more on that". At it's heart, ten steps to Nanette is the directors cut of the Netflix special Nanette. The audiobook is definitely worth it on this one

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pannamarchewka's review against another edition

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4.5


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erebus53's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

This is a book I find it really hard to review. For starters If you don't know who Hannah Gadsby is, you probably ought to see the Netflix version of Nanette first. It provides a lot of context that you would probably gain insight from. I'm really grateful that this version of the book is narrated by the author. I think it would lose a lot of its oomph if someone else was narrating it for her.. it just wouldn't fit.

Nanette and the story of the creation thereof, is an exercise (exorcise) in trauma, in violence and exclusion meted out upon a Neurodivergent (in her case Autistic ADHD) lesbian woman from Tasmania (in Australia). There is profanity and no holds barred descriptions of medicalised womanhood, sexual assault, rape, bad dad jokes, and physical violence. The whole thing is designed to be in your face, because too may people just don't engage with the things that happen to you if you are underprivileged. 

As a result this book is full of jabs at cis-het-white-men.. but that is because it's less problematic to "punch up" than down. Gadsby is deliberately seeking to subvert the form of comedy, to parody the man-and-the-mic standup look, and to kick the audience in the gut with a bit of a wakeup call.

Yes of course I am biased. I'm also a vagina wielding Autistic f*** up. I know how it is.  Life doesn't ever really stop breaking you, but you do tend to learn survival skills along the way. I own my privilege.. there are plenty of things that I have going for me that mean that people take me seriously. I'm not brown, I spell conventionally.. I can define conventionally.. my parents were both together in their own home before my mother died and I inherited enough to buy my own mortgage (lucky me!) So yes, I am biased in my opinion of this book, but I like to think that it's because I am the target audience. I see my like, in Hannah Gadsby. She's about my age, also brought up in the Antipodes, and she wrote this book for the brethren and sistren who have also dealt with being othered for their sex, gender, presentation, sexual orientation, neurotype, sensitivities, and benign differences.

Bloody good book.

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pantherguin's review against another edition

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5.0

Great book, narrated by the author themselves. Thoroughly enjoyed. Highly recommend. 

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sarahelem's review against another edition

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5.0

What a bloody fantastic read. I loved Nanette and reading Gadsby's mémoir solidified my appreciation and love for this comedian and author (and human). The way she talks about misogyny in comedy, queer rights, and neurodiversity is poignant and provides essential content on these matters. A must read, in my opinion. 

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achingallover's review against another edition

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5.0

When I have my thoughts in order I will write more

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kadtide's review against another edition

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5.0


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ankelsocks's review against another edition

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5.0

TW: mental illness, suicide, physical- mental- sexual- child- abuse, trauma, physical trauma, depression, anxiety, genderdysphoria, lgbtqi+ abuse and more that I can't think of right now. 

I'm quite blown away by this book. The biggest chunk of it reads(listens) like an autobiography, detailing Hannah's life as a child in a tiny Tasmanian town to where she gains traction as a comedic artist. The last half is a detailed description of how she sculpted Nanette out of her trauma's. Red threads through the story are Hannah's autism, her relationship with her mother, her sexual- and gender identity and her (in)ability to interact with the world around her. The first half has its slow parts, but is generally really helping to gain insight in what made Hannah Gadsby who she is. She is witty, self -deprecating, but also critical and angry, especially when she mentions the political tensions surrounding homosexuality in Australia during her growing up. I listened to the audiobook, which I'd generally really recommend, since it's read by Hannah herself, telling you her story.
However much I loved this book, it was also incredibly triggering. Perhaps it was the added layer of hearing Hannah Gadsby read/tell the book herself, but the book is full to the brim with heavy topics. Suffering from mental illness myself, this book triggered anxiety attacks in me. I often listened to while cycling, and sometimes had to stop because the book made me too anxious or sad. 
If you can find a way to deal with that though, please read(or better: listen to) this book. 

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