Strong female character BY fern brady
Thursday, may 28, 6:30 PM

Scottish comedian Fern Brady was told she couldn't be autistic because she'd had loads of boyfriends and is good at eye contact. It took until she was thirty-four to get a diagnosis. Strong Female Character is about the years in between—and the unique combination of sexism and ableism that so often prevents autistic women from being believed.

In a memoir as hilarious as it is heartbreaking, Brady traces her chaotic, nonlinear journey: from her working-class upbringing in Bathgate, Scotland, to a psychiatric facility as a teenager, to stripping, getting arrested, finding a lifeline in comedy, and finally her breakout appearance on Taskmaster as her full, unmasked self. It's a coming-of-age story and a sharp, furious reckoning with a world that kept telling her who she was supposed to be.

Strong Female Character is a story of how being female can get in the way of being autistic—and how being autistic gets in the way of being the "right kind" of woman.

International Bestseller. British Book of the Year: Audiobook Winner 2024. Nero Book Awards Winner 2023. Books Are My Bag Non-Fiction Winner 2023. A Harper's Bazaar Best Book of the Year.



Why we chose it: We try to pick books that center women's experiences, especially the ones that don't get centered enough. Autistic women are massively underdiagnosed, often because they don't fit the profile the medical world built around autistic men. Fern Brady knew something was different about her for nearly two decades before anyone listened. That felt like exactly the kind of story we want to bring to this table. Plus she's a comedian, so we feel confident that it's not going to be a slog!

Content considerations: mental health and psychiatric hospitalization, substance use, sexual content, descriptions of meltdowns and sensory overload, class and childhood trauma.

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PAIRED WITH: 2023 Misty magic

Bright, alive, and unapologetically itself, this Pet-Nat from Moose Mountain Vineyars mirrors the voice of Strong Female Character: honest, surprising, and impossible to smooth into convention. It's energetic, lively, lightly cloudy, and gently untamed.  Like Fern Brady's storytelling, the wine balances brightness with vulnerability and embraces imperfection over conformity. Lively on the surface, layered underneath, the slightly wild nature of the wine celebrates individuality over conformity.
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​Purchase the wine by the glass during Book Club Meeting!

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BE SURE TO RSVP

Come enjoy some wine and tell us what you thought of the book with an informal discussion. Registration will be capped, so please register early if you are planning on attending. Remember, if you RSVP and attend, you get a Bingo bonus stamp! ​

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raVES & REVIEWS

“Strong Female Character is a testament to Brady’s quality of said character, her tenacity in the face of a world not yet ready to grapple with all she brings to it. ―New York Times
 
“Brady is very funny. But she responsibly and powerfully intends more than just a sad-but-humorous recounting of her experience… Though Brady is annoyed that we’re this far into the 21st century and she still has to explain all this, any reader of Strong Female Character will be glad she did.” ―Washington Post

“Strong Female Character is a testament to the importance of self-knowledge. Fern Brady is a natural and engaging writer, weaving bleak episodes with moments of pure comedy as she reappraises crucial moments in her life through the lens of her autism diagnosis. Brutal honesty and a talent for storytelling combine to make an insightful memoir that’s not only very funny, but will no doubt provide invaluable moments of recognition for many readers.” ―Rachel Healy, The Guardian

“Fern Brady’s book is alive in your hands. Brave doesn’t cover it and I’m not sure what will. Fizzing with intelligence, it will hit you in the heart, lungs, and liver. You’ll laugh, cry, be still, and if you’re not autistic—by God you’ll learn. If you are autistic, you’ll be seen, heard, held, rocked, and loved here.” —Deborah Frances-White, author of The Guilty Feminist