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4.51 AVERAGE
4.51 AVERAGE
A memoir situation by Australian comic Hannah Gadsby about the background, build up, and construction of her show ‘Nanette’, which is not your typical comedy special. Gadsby touches on trauma and life experience growing up gay in Tasmania, under very strict and late to change laws. The show definitely reflects the good, the bad, and the very ugly. Great read that will absolutely not be everyones cup of tea.
Highly recommend watching ‘Nanette’ on Netflix, followed by her excellent next special, ‘Douglas’.
Highly recommend watching ‘Nanette’ on Netflix, followed by her excellent next special, ‘Douglas’.
This book is probably going to mean the most to the same folks who enjoyed the show itself, being a blend of memoir and a relating of how the show came to be. Gadsby's writing voice is similar to that used in her shows, honest, clear, restless, and forthright where things matter. There is humor here, but it's best to go into it knowing that there's also a lot of heavy discussion of trauma, loss, and regret though none of it is locked into playing out the details in a way that could discomfort the reader nor, more importantly, leaving the author feeling like her most wounded parts need to be out on display for public consumption. I identified with parts of her experience and so it was sort of surreal reading it at times and a bit triggering at others, but we'll worth my time.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
I began reading Ten Steps to Nanette, and quickly realized I needed to see the Nanette show. I paused in my reading and headed to Netflix to view it. It was an amazing and unsettling experience of a comedy/not-comedy performance. I went back to reading the book with a new frame of reference. Hannah Gadsby tells her life story often using a very witty style of writing and turning events into comic episodes. But beware, this is not a funny book. Gadsby explores her story as she struggled to come to terms with her lesbianism, her diagnoses of ADHD and ASD and her non-typical mental life in the context of world that often rejected and abused her. She talks about her caring but off-kilter family relationships, her body dysmorphia, her bouts of panic, anger and depression, and, eventually, her ability to be secure in her own identity. It is an astounding and rewarding read.
I am not sure how I feel about this book. The Netflix performance of Nanette was powerful but the book tends to be too detailed and could have been more concise. It provides insight and understanding, without apology, into her life and the obstacles and challenges she has had to deal with. Refreshing and heart wrenching.
I am one of the eight squillion people who watched Nanette when it went viral in 2018 (which, as something pre-pandemic, feels like it was decades ago). I had never heard of Gadsby until that point, but quickly became an ardent fan. I listened to most of this audiobook on a long drive, and unsurprisingly, Gadsby was great company. The first half of the book felt like a more traditional memoir - lots of content from her childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. The second half got more into her life as a comedian, and how she navigated that as someone neurodiverse and LGBTQ+. One thing I found particularly fascinating was her intricate dissection of how comedy works, and how she jujitsu-ed comedy methods to ensure her content had the impact she wanted. As someone in one of my social media groups articulately said, the book is "elegantly written, devastatingly funny, heartbreakingly sad and courageously honest."
Already re-watched the show now that I've done with the book. If you REALLY liked the show, the book gives you some deeper understanding in her life and process which I thought was engaging. If you didn't like the show then why are you looking at reviews of the book??
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I enjoyed the part I would classify as memoir, but those book really took off for me when she focused on how her brain works and her writing process. It was striking and fascinating and weirdly comforting in places.
I’ve always found memoirs had to rate/review as to me they are a different kind of book. And not something that can be read in one sitting.
They are written to tell the story of someone’s life and who are we to judge on the subject matter or the way it is written.
This was a good read, dry and dull in places, funny in others. The story was captivating the insight into Hannah’s life was worth the read
They are written to tell the story of someone’s life and who are we to judge on the subject matter or the way it is written.
This was a good read, dry and dull in places, funny in others. The story was captivating the insight into Hannah’s life was worth the read
Best for:
People who like memoirs, especially ones that go in unexpected places.
In a nutshell:
Comedian Hannah Gadsby tells of her life growing up in Tasmania, her career in comedy, and how she built her one-of-a-kind show Nanette.
Worth quoting:
“The lies of a vulnerable minority should never have been put into the hands of the majority in a media landscape that is all too happy to be powered by the fumes of a toxic debate.”
“I find joy in my life where I once couldn’t because I was too busy trying to do the ‘right’ thing instead of checking in with my own needs first.”
Why I chose it:
I’m a fan of Gadsby’s comedy, and the way she constructs a show.
Review:
In this memoir, Gadsby shares so much of her life, and she does so in an interesting way. I read a LOT of memoirs, and this is one that took me a bit by surprise. It shouldn’t have, but it did. Like much of her comedy, Gadsby’s book is clever, intelligent, unique and unexpected.
The entire section about the 1990s is really well done, with each year discussed in a clever way highlighting things that happened that year in Australia and worldwide, as well as in her life. As someone completely unfamiliar with Australian politics, I appreciated hearing her take on things, and how the debate over the right for gay people to live their lives without prosecution, and then the right for people to marry who they loved, and how that deeply impacted her as a queer person.
She shares her trauma, but it isn’t traumatic, if that makes sense. She doesn’t provide detail unless she needs to. As always, she is careful with her words and edits where its needed.
I started the book and read the first couple of chapters but then put it down for a month. It’s a long book, and while its so well-written, it wasn’t an easy read. Then yesterday, which was a holiday here in the UK, I decided to finish it. I read basically all day, and I finished it, and I think that was the best way to take it in. All in one or two sittings. Some books lend themselves easily to chapter by chapter; I think this one is best when the reader can really dive into Gadsby’s story.
Something to note, which again, shouldn’t be a surprise. My partner was sitting next to me basically the entire time I was reading the book, and when I finished, he commented that I didn’t laugh at all while reading it. And it is true that I didn’t laugh out loud because it’s not a funny memoir. There are parts where I chuckled inside - I mean, Gadsby is brilliant, and that translates well to the page - but this is not a funny book. It is a serious memoir that takes on serious topics.
Recommend to a Friend / Keep / Donate it / Toss it:
Donate it
People who like memoirs, especially ones that go in unexpected places.
In a nutshell:
Comedian Hannah Gadsby tells of her life growing up in Tasmania, her career in comedy, and how she built her one-of-a-kind show Nanette.
Worth quoting:
“The lies of a vulnerable minority should never have been put into the hands of the majority in a media landscape that is all too happy to be powered by the fumes of a toxic debate.”
“I find joy in my life where I once couldn’t because I was too busy trying to do the ‘right’ thing instead of checking in with my own needs first.”
Why I chose it:
I’m a fan of Gadsby’s comedy, and the way she constructs a show.
Review:
In this memoir, Gadsby shares so much of her life, and she does so in an interesting way. I read a LOT of memoirs, and this is one that took me a bit by surprise. It shouldn’t have, but it did. Like much of her comedy, Gadsby’s book is clever, intelligent, unique and unexpected.
The entire section about the 1990s is really well done, with each year discussed in a clever way highlighting things that happened that year in Australia and worldwide, as well as in her life. As someone completely unfamiliar with Australian politics, I appreciated hearing her take on things, and how the debate over the right for gay people to live their lives without prosecution, and then the right for people to marry who they loved, and how that deeply impacted her as a queer person.
She shares her trauma, but it isn’t traumatic, if that makes sense. She doesn’t provide detail unless she needs to. As always, she is careful with her words and edits where its needed.
I started the book and read the first couple of chapters but then put it down for a month. It’s a long book, and while its so well-written, it wasn’t an easy read. Then yesterday, which was a holiday here in the UK, I decided to finish it. I read basically all day, and I finished it, and I think that was the best way to take it in. All in one or two sittings. Some books lend themselves easily to chapter by chapter; I think this one is best when the reader can really dive into Gadsby’s story.
Something to note, which again, shouldn’t be a surprise. My partner was sitting next to me basically the entire time I was reading the book, and when I finished, he commented that I didn’t laugh at all while reading it. And it is true that I didn’t laugh out loud because it’s not a funny memoir. There are parts where I chuckled inside - I mean, Gadsby is brilliant, and that translates well to the page - but this is not a funny book. It is a serious memoir that takes on serious topics.
Recommend to a Friend / Keep / Donate it / Toss it:
Donate it