Reviews

Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation by Hannah Gadsby

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charli_d's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

gillianw's review against another edition

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5.0

Lovely, harrowing, heartbreaking, and uplifting with a very funny Jennifer Aniston anecdote that made me laugh while rolling my eyes at celebrity culture. I feel like this is the companion piece to Gadsby’s truly brilliant Netflix special (which I had to stop reading the book for and watch for the third time), with stories from the show fleshed out and given a bit more context. Trauma is very much at the forefront of this book and Gadsby doesn’t play it down or soften the blow. But we need to hear more stories like hers, and more voices like hers; from people who often have to live with the threat of near constant ridicule or violence simply because they don’t fit the “normal” mold. I think this is true now more than ever when trans rights are being eroded and criminalized at an alarming rate, and white nationalism is an ever growing threat gaining a foothold in too many Western countries.

I’m giving this 5 stars because I think it would be a travesty to give the fruits of Hanna Gadsby’s beautiful, busy brain anything less.