'Hannah Gadsby always dreamt of being a cool kid, but she had to accept that, just like her childhood dream of being a dog, 'normal' isn't always possible. In the vein of David Sedaris, Hannah's memoir is a series of interlinked stories that draw together the varied funny and sometimes dark events of her life. The result is a deeply personal, astutely observed, sometimes devastating but frequently hysterically funny book.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
'A comic's hard-won journey is paved with doubt, misogyny and mental health issues.'
'Hannah Gadsby’s show Nanette (2017–18) starts out funny but then shifts to long, angry monologues that refuse its audience the release of laughter. By breaking the conventional contract between a comedian and her audience, Gadsby rejected her own former practice of turning her traumatic experiences into jokes. Nanette’s international run and subsequent release as a Netflix special spanned the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey, which gauged public support for marriage equality, as well as the international #MeToo movement against sexual assault. As high-profile performers such as Louis C.K. and Bill Cosby respectively admitted to and were tried for sexual misconduct, comedians became important figures in public debates about the relationship between artists and their work. Gadsby brought to these debates the perspective of a gender non-conforming lesbian and sexual assault survivor from rural Tasmania. Nanette became an emblem of queer and feminist anger or – depending on one’s point of view – of the humourless, politically correct ‘cancel culture’ many comedians rail against.' (Introduction)
'With the unfortunate exception of menus and checkouts, the idea of ”disruption” now feels like a prepandemic phenomenon. But Hannah Gadsby breathes new life into the concept in her bestselling book, “Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation,” which takes the usual look-back-everything format and gives it a few worthwhile tweaks.' (Introduction)
'Hannah Gadsby’s memoir Ten Steps to Nanette covers her life from her childhood up to Nanette, the Netflix stand-up that shot her to global fame. However, she says very clearly she doesn’t want this book to be seen as “rags to riches inspiration porn”.'
'Hannah Gadsby’s show Nanette (2017–18) starts out funny but then shifts to long, angry monologues that refuse its audience the release of laughter. By breaking the conventional contract between a comedian and her audience, Gadsby rejected her own former practice of turning her traumatic experiences into jokes. Nanette’s international run and subsequent release as a Netflix special spanned the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey, which gauged public support for marriage equality, as well as the international #MeToo movement against sexual assault. As high-profile performers such as Louis C.K. and Bill Cosby respectively admitted to and were tried for sexual misconduct, comedians became important figures in public debates about the relationship between artists and their work. Gadsby brought to these debates the perspective of a gender non-conforming lesbian and sexual assault survivor from rural Tasmania. Nanette became an emblem of queer and feminist anger or – depending on one’s point of view – of the humourless, politically correct ‘cancel culture’ many comedians rail against.' (Introduction)
'A comic's hard-won journey is paved with doubt, misogyny and mental health issues.'
'There is a moment in Hannah Gadsby’s Ten Steps To Nanette that spoke so eloquently about an experience I have never quite been able to articulate that I had to put the book down and go make a cup of tea. Recalling her upbraiding by an art teacher following her submission of a fact-filled essay,'
'With the unfortunate exception of menus and checkouts, the idea of ”disruption” now feels like a prepandemic phenomenon. But Hannah Gadsby breathes new life into the concept in her bestselling book, “Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation,” which takes the usual look-back-everything format and gives it a few worthwhile tweaks.' (Introduction)
