A review by lovemusicreplay
Strong Female Character by Fern Brady

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative medium-paced

5.0

Note: I listened to the audiobook and not the book itself, which in my opinion really brought out the tone of the book. I would recommend that if you can, that you listen to it as an audiobook. Whilst I don't know how the tone reads on paper, I think I got way more out of the audiobook than I wouldn't have had in a book.

I listened this after I heard Paris Hilton's memoir that she released recently, and I can't recommend these 2 books enough as an understanding of growing up neurodivergent without being diagnosed. Both Fern and Paris experienced being mistreated an misunderstood by institutions such as schools and wellness facilities at a time where awareness of how both autism and ADHD for women in particular was not there that much.

Now, before I start talking about both books for too long and the review becomes irrelevant - Fern's audiobook was incredibly informative with a first hand experience of being autistic and what the impact of late autism diagnosis can have on the person and their family and friends. It flips a lot of the stereotypes of what autistic people should look and act like in my head, and challenged my assumptions. It also challenged me when it came to Fern navigating life as a young person and adult. Usually, I would react to some of the stories with disgust, questioning why someone would make that choice. I still feel nuanced about it, but when Fern explains why she went down a certain path in combination with the lack of support she had, I understand it better. 

Her story is wild, it'll rock your world at times, but it's worth a read, and offers me as someone neurotypical the opportunity to see how people with autism may see the world. I feel like I understand friends who are autistic somewhat better as a result, and she is a true boss. Thanks Fern 😊 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings