43 pages • 1 hour read
Strong Female Character
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
Strong Female Character is a 2023 memoir by Fern Brady, an Irish-Scottish comedian. Brady was diagnosed with autism in 2021 at the age of thirty-five, and Strong Female Character chronicles her experiences as an undiagnosed child and young adult through the lens of feminism. The memoir’s audiobook edition, narrated by Brady herself, was awarded the 2024 British Book Award for best nonfiction audiobook of the year.
This guide refers to the 2023 Kindle edition of the text, published by Brazen.
Content Warning: This guide contains discussions of self-harm, suicidal ideation, sexual violence (including rape), eating disorders, domestic violence, medical neglect, sex work, and ableism.
Summary
Fern Brady (referred to within the text by her first name) is raised in the small Scottish town of Bathgate, and she can tell from a young age that she is somehow different from most of the people around her. She recalls struggling intensely with socializing as a child and the anxiety associated with her early realizations about being different, a feeling that would accompany her throughout life. Her parents communicate to her that she is “very, very clever but also very, very bad,” not knowing what to make of her strange behaviors (13).
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