I’m fairly certain my parents and my school considered the possibility that I was on the autism spectrum when I was younger. My parents mentioned this once years ago and I keep not asking more. It’s equal parts alarming and comforting to read Fern Brady’s memoir, Strong Female Character, and recognise some (but not most) of those behaviours and feelings in myself. Fern is an excellent comic, and equally good writer. There’s a strong voice to this, identifiably her. She writes of the formative memories, a tantalising combination of the relatable and the, well, less so. Yes there is going to school, and making friends, and going to uni, and first jobs, and (to some of us), the push to go into stand up. But there’s also the mental breakdowns, the smashing furniture, the assault. Fern writes about this with such frankness but without ever being detached from it. There’s a lot to think about after reading Strong Female Character - not least the popular understanding of autism being largely based around male subjects, and the difficulty in being able to advocate for oneself as a woman with autism. It’s sad to think of how unwelcoming and unaccommodating the world can be. I hope this book, in some small way, changes that. It deserves to.