Reviews with content warning for Sexual harassment - Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation

"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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raisinreads's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring

3.75

Took me a bit to get into, but i did enjoy it; i love Hannah and hope she's doing well :)

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jnlundy's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

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sarahelem's review against another edition

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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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travelseatsreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.0

I knew absolutely nothing about Hannah Gadsby when I saw Ten Steps to Nanette pop up on Netgalley and once I read the blurb I instantly knew I wanted to know more.

Ten Steps to Nanette is Hannah's brutally honest memoir where she openly talks about her unusual childhood growing up in Tasmania, where it was illegal to be gay until 1997, her uphill battle to attain her ASD diagnosis as an adult, a mountain of trauma she experienced, her life as a comedian and all the funny nitty gritty bits in-between.

This isn't an easy read by any means and I spent huge sections spiraling from crying with laughter to tears of genuine sorrow at some of Hannah's experiences. But, what is clear is that Hannah has an amazingly powerful and poignant story to tell which everyone needs to hear and learn from. It's not doom and gloom as Hannah has a real talent in making even the darkest of situations have some comedic value. So do yourself a favour and go watch Nanette on Netflix and then pick up Ten Steps to Nanette on audiobook for a truly enlightening giggle.

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