A heavy and very moving memoir about neurodivergence, healing from trauma/abuse, and queer identity/homophobia.

Hannah Gadsby is fantastic storyteller. This book was a deep dive into her life and how her brain works and it was very fascinating to read about her journey to her autistic diagnosis. It was very heartbreaking to read about her childhood and her traumas. It really opens one's eyes to how things were for someone in the LGBTQ+ community during the 80s and 90s when homophobia was rampant.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced copy of this book.

A beautiful, emotional, vulnerable memoir. Hannah Gadsby has such a wonderful and unique mind. She brings the same thoughtfulness and sharp insight to her memoir as she does to her groundbreaking comedy.

She is able to give so much insight into how she experiences the world as someone who is neurodivergent and queer. Gadsby's description of childhood abuse are devastating. I loved the stories about her family and coming of age. I listened to the audiobook, which she deftly narrates.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Much like Nanette, this book was equal parts belly laugh and a punch to the gut. It was fascinating to be let into Hannah Gadsby's thinking and comedic process, especially as someone with ASD who navigates the world differently than most. I appreciated that she was fully transparent with the parts she was willing to share, and held firm boundaries in making her personal trauma available for public consumption. My only critique (and the reason it only gets 4 stars from me) is because it was so long-winded.

I've been a fan of Hannah Gadsby's for years, and was excited to recieve an ARC of this title. While the subject matter is raw and at times difficult to read, Gadsby keeps the reader hooked until the very end.

One of the best memoirs I’ve read. Gadsby was already a personal hero of mine, but I was blown away by this powerful work of storytelling. One strength on display here (that’s likely linked to her autism) is the stunning depth and insight of Gadsby’s self-reflection. She’s done a lot of work here, both on understanding herself and her own story and also in terms of her medium. Her approach to writing ethically and truthfully about personal trauma, for instance, was extremely thoughtful and led her to certain genre innovations (that worked well.)
Alongside her personal story, Gadsby also weaves in the history of the gay rights movement in Australia and New Zealand, which I found genuinely interesting (yet heartbreaking) to learn about.
I’m really glad Gadsby had the opportunity to tell her story in this longer, written format (and audiobook). I’m just so impressed with her as a person and as a writer and performer, and I would recommend this memoir to anyone/everyone! Definitely need her content warnings, and maybe have some tissues on hand - if you can do so safely, however, this one’s really worth the read.

Memoirs are notoriously difficult to rate and review. I can talk about the craft, but it feels insensitive to talk about the subject matter. Thankfully, when it comes to Hannah Gadsby, we were able to expect both excellent writing & a "story" personal enough not to verge on voyeurism. Like in her specials, she will make you laugh, she will make you cry, she will make you question your very own existence. It's definitely not a title to miss.

Powerfully written memoir, written with bravery, humor and grace. I laughed, I cried (truly). Fans of Gadsby will definitely want to read this.

I always feel like memoirs are subjective, and therefore difficult to review, but Gadsby's story is particularly difficult for me to review because it's relatable has left me self-reflective, to the point that I had to read it in pieces, giving myself a chance to decompress and process parts of it over time. So many trigger warnings, though Gadsby gives them herself throughout so you know when and where to pause or skip ahead when needed.

Hannah Gadsby is so talented, and reading Ten Steps to Nanette was a delight. Thank you to the publisher.

This memoir is phenomenal! Hanna Gadsby is such a gloriously funny, poignant, wise, classy human being. This. Book. Is. Golden. Excuse me, while I go watch Nanette and Douglas again. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is one of those stories that sticks with you long after you finish the written portion. Hannah Gadsby's Nanette show and her written memoir are both poignant pieces of queer media meant to be treasured and passed on.

Nanette was a game changer for its audience and creator, even the art of stand-up itself. I, personally, was deeply impacted by the Netflix special upon its release and Hannah's subsequent special Douglas. The moment this book was announced I *knew* I needed to read it.

I am so glad that I did.

Hannah lays out her path to Nanette, not the creation of a stand-up special but the culmination of her life experiences that led to the raw anger and vulnerability that she shared with us on stage. Much like the special, I found myself laughing, crying, and settling into uncomfortable tensions. I cannot recommend this book enough, though it is important to look up any trigger warnings before going in.

Hannah Gadsby is a living legend and I am so grateful for her voice.

I learned a great deal reading Hannah Gadsby's Nanette, not only about Gadsby herself but also about the worlds of autism and standup comedy. Nanette is terrifically funny but mostly brutally honest: sometimes painfully so. Gadsby does an excellent job of communicating her inner thoughts and external reactions through joy, heartache, and even abuse. This isn't an easy read but is certainly worthwhile for anyone who loves Gadsby's work as well as for anyone who is curious about her based on her specials. Recommended!

I am just so utterly obsessed with Hannah Gadsby. As with many other people, I first heard of her because of Nanette, so I greatly appreciated reading about her life and her creative process leading up to the special. I knew that she had experienced large amounts of trauma in her life, but reading about the adversity and struggles she has endured made me so grateful she is still on this earth. As an autistic genderqueer lesbian, reading about her figuring out her identities and coming into her own was so meaningful and personal to me. I struggled with some of the same issues as her and it made me understand not just that I am not alone, but also that I can persevere. I appreciate everything she does and creates and I am so happy to see her success.

If you've seen Hannah Gadsby perform live or on one of her Netflix specials, you know that her voice is wholly original and absolutely authentic. It's a joy to read Ten Steps to Nanette and hear that voice so clearly captured on the page. But knowing Gadsby is not a prerequisite to enjoying and appreciating her memoir, which is, I hope, just the first of at least several. Nor is Ten Steps a book of comedy. Rather, it's Gadsby's origin story, and, in some ways, a message of hope, empathy, and even a bit of how-to for queer humans, women, the neurodivergent, and those who love them. Gadsby's descriptions of her feelings and sensations are visceral and terribly painful, although she doesn't wax sentimental... that's not in her skillset. What she does is inspire those feelings in the reader. She did the same with her performance of Nanette, but the delivery device operates entirely differently. This is why her talents are so impressive, as is her persistence, as is her grit and determination to work around an obstacle to reach her destination. Gadsby has generously and courageously opened a window into her thinking that is fresh and unique, moving and terrifying. But the reader needn't worry. There are well-earned laugh out loud moments throughout, as well. Life would be unbearable without them. READ THIS BOOK.

This book was difficult to read but in the way it was also difficult to watch Nanette. It is so well written and so raw and vulnerable that you feel exposed just reading about it. I don’t know if I’ve read anything by someone as self-aware as Hannah Gadsby. If you like Hannah’s work so far, I think this is a brilliant and necessary read. Honestly, I feel like more people could stand to listen to other people’s stories and expand their world views. But she also talks about some very serious and possibly triggering topics so I understand that this might not be a read for everyone. All in all, really well written and highly recommended.

Its rare to read a memoir where it feels like the subject is talking directly to you, but in Ten Steps to Nanette it feels like Gadsby is talking directly to you. Her asides, and interludes that clue you in to the world (or area) events going on at the time, really make you feel like you're living in the moment with her.

I felt like I had a great insight to Gadsby after watching Nanette, but this book proved that it didn't even show us the tip of the ice berg.

Hannah Gadsby has a magical way with words, a fact fans of her comedy special are well aware of. This memoir shows just how precisely Gadsby can make you laugh, think, and cry in one short anecdote. From Gadsby's youth to entering the comedy scene to the creating the show that made her an international sensation, this book was funny and thought-provoking in equal measure. I imagine it makes a fantastic audiobook, since I could hear it in Gadsby's voice from the writing!