Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Strong Female Character by Fern Brady

31 reviews

lydias1's review

dark funny informative sad fast-paced

3.5

A good book that I’d recommend to many! Very autistically written - efficient, direct and honest. I felt very seen. Worth adding a few trigger warnings as Fern very bluntly and explicitly discusses suicide, self-harm and abuse. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Cursing, Ableism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Physical abuse, Addiction, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Sexual violence, Mental illness, and Rape

Moderate: Police brutality

katbenimble's review

challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Please, please, please check trigger warnings before reading this book!

This memoir is described by the author as a tell-all, and she really did lay it all out for us - and in some really important ways.  I appreciate how Fern didn't back away from topics that would normally not be discussed and how she approached normalizing what everyday life looks like for her as an autistic woman.  The good, the bad, and the ugly.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Medical content, Grief, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Addiction, Bullying, and Classism

dean_'s review against another edition

dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Addiction, Biphobia, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, Classism, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Dementia, Grief, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Violence, Body shaming, Cancer, Bullying, Lesbophobia, and Police brutality

epellicci's review

dark informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

 Strong Female Character is an incredibly uncomfortable read. A “tell-all” biography, Fern Brady unpacks a remarkable amount of trauma into this book, covering her difficult childhood surrounded by friends and family who didn’t understand her, to present day autism diagnosis and learning to support herself. 

 While I got the sense that the book was a therapeutic venture for her, and have no doubt that it will help other autistic women to feel seen, I found Strong Female Character incredibly brutal. Her account of meltdowns, and the way they take over her being was eye-opening. The lived experience she brings to female autism is where this book is most moving and powerful. But what ultimately stood out to me most was the impression that Brady has not been able to process a lot of her trauma, and an intense dislike of other women as a result of often feeling like an outsider in their circles. It made me feel a lot of empathy for her, and I hope she is getting the help she deserves. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Violence, Ableism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Self harm

Moderate: Fatphobia, Rape, and Misogyny

Minor: Alcohol and Drug use

aoifereadsbooks69's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Ableism, Drug use, and Violence

unfiltered_fiction's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative fast-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Sexual violence, Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Suicide attempt, Fatphobia, and Suicide

bridgetkay's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Having been introduced to Fern Brady in a mixed line up at the Melbourne International Comedy Fest in 2022, I was excited to see that she had written an autobiography. This is a no-holds-barred account of Brady’s life growing up in Bathgate as an undiagnosed autistic girl. She writes about her experience so well that unmasks autistic behaviours in a way for neurotypicals to understand. This is a generous book from a remarkable woman.

Oh, and if you can, read this as an audiobook. You simply must read this from Fern’s voice. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Ableism, Bullying, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt

noonanjohnc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Mental illness, Ableism, Forced institutionalization, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual content, Violence, and Rape

Minor: Sexual content and Child abuse

saraossman's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Self harm, Mental illness, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

laurataylor's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Classism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fatphobia, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence