Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Nanette – kymmenen askelta by Hannah Gadsby

76 reviews

mads_jpg's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective slow-paced

3.75

Bloody funny and emotional but also bloody long. I genuinely really enjoyed it but I do wish some parts were edited down just a liiiittle bit more, but I can see with a story this personal it must've been hard to cut it down. If you liked Nanette then you'll obviously like this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail

waitingforgoodoggo's review against another edition

challenging dark funny informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Haven't looked into all the Pablo Picasso stuff but the "feedback" I read on it reinforces my opinion that most people would rather dog pile on someone for laughs or to signal that they're "smart" and "hip" and "cool" instead of having a single nuanced brain cell. If you didn't like whatever Hannah was saying with the Picasso exhibit just say that and move on, or just don't say anything at all! I'm tired of cruel takes. Anyways this was a good memoir and I'd read another one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Rape, and Violence

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, and Bullying

Minor: Drug use, Fatphobia, and Classism

sabsey's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective

5.0

"If pushed, I usually say that a friend entered me into the Raw Comedy competition because I was making him laugh and he thought I needed to broaden my audience. Sometimes I will elaborate and say that at the time I was recovering from surgery and unable to work, was looking for something to do. On rare occasions I'll go as far as to explain that I'd be injured while working on a farm and had undergone a partial wrist fusion. None of this is untrue, but it is a gross simplification. It does nothing to accommodate the reality of my situation, the drifting, the isolation, the houselessness....what can I say? There is just never a straight line to be found through a life punctuated by trauma."


I don't have a lot to say that isn't just: go read this for yourself.

There is one particularly moving (and frightening aspect) of this memoir is in the opening third as Gadsby recounts her childhood growing up in a particularly conservative region of Tasmania - and that is the rhetoric and slander she recounts surrounding the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Tassie in the 90's is the exact same rhetoric and slander that is now being used to pull lgbtq+ books off shelves in america, the same phrases that are turning story time's in public libraries from safe spaces to dangerous ones, the same propaganda that is killing trans people all across the world - and it's a bit shocking to read how the same attitudes and logic from the 90's are still being spread today.

"The reasons they [George Brookes, Chris Miles, and Say No To Sodomy Group] and other speakers, gave as reasons for 'saying no to sodomy' at the rally were similar to those outlined in the pamphlet - the real gay agenda being the complete removal of the legal age of consent, which is the classic tactic you should now be very familiar with: equating homosexuality with pedophilia."

That's not a big - or any part of the story really, however - but what is the focus is how these institutional structures, how shame and ignorance has a deep, meaningful and lasting impact on young lgbtq+ people for their ENTIRE lives. This is an amazing read, and Gadsby (for all her claims of being a coward) does not hold back in a lot of places where it matters most. 

Dont' get me wrong - there is a lot of great humour in here as well, but it's also a pretty confronting biography. It contextualises not just her comedy special, but serves as a pretty important perspective on how our attitudes towards mental illness, neurodivergence and lgbtq+ youth has not come nearly as far as we think it has.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment

thewoodlandbookshelf's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical content, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

burdasnest's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

I know this memoir details the ways in which Hannah Gadsby's brain has not been historically valued, but truly no other brain could have produced this funny, subversive, relatable, trauma-dumpster-fire of a work. I truly believe their unique way of thinking has gotten at intersectional issues that have yet to be recognized academically, all while just trying to take up their proper space in the world and reduce the burden of trauma for people to come.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Addiction, Genocide, Pedophilia, Racism, Police brutality, and Abortion

lugalante's review against another edition

dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

I felt so held. I hope one day I will create as freely as they did when making Nanette

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime and Homophobia

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

havelock's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

sarahelem's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Cursing, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Dysphoria, and Classism

Minor: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Excrement, Medical trauma, Abortion, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail

adocchiaperti's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Mental illness

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

juliaya's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia

Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical trauma

Minor: Addiction, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexism