Ten Steps to Nanette

A Memoir Situation

By: Hannah Gadsby

Narrated by: Hannah Gadsby

Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Multi-award-winning Hannah Gadsby broke comedy with their show Nanette. Now they take us through the defining moments in their life and their powerful decision to tell the truth—no matter the cost.

Don’t miss Hannah Gadsby’s Something Special, now streaming on Netflix!

“Hannah is a Promethean force, a revolutionary talent. This hilarious, touching, and sometimes tragic book is all about where their fires were lit.”—Emma Thompson

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: PopSugar, Vulture

“There is nothing stronger than a broken woman who has rebuilt herself,” Hannah Gadsby declared in their show Nanette, a scorching critique of the way society conducts public debates about marginalized communities. When it premiered on Netflix, it left audiences captivated by their blistering honesty and their singular ability to take viewers from rolling laughter to devastated silence. Ten Steps to Nanette continues Gadsby’s tradition of confounding expectations and norms, properly introducing us to one of the most explosive, formative voices of our time.

Gadsby grew up as the youngest of five children in an isolated town in Tasmania, where homosexuality was illegal until 1997. They perceived their childhood as safe and “normal,” but as they gained an awareness of their burgeoning queerness, the outside world began to undermine the “vulnerably thin veneer” of their existence. After moving to mainland Australia and receiving a degree in art history, Gadsby found themselves adrift, working itinerant jobs and enduring years of isolation punctuated by homophobic and sexual violence. At age twenty-seven, without a home or the ability to imagine their own future, they were urged by a friend to enter a stand-up competition. They won, and so began their career in comedy.

Gadsby became well known for their self-deprecating, autobiographical humor that made them the butt of their own jokes. But in 2015, as Australia debated the legality of same-sex marriage, Gadsby started to question this mode of storytelling, beginning work on a show that would become “the most-talked-about, written-about, shared-about comedy act in years” (The New York Times).

Harrowing and hilarious, Ten Steps to Nanette traces Gadsby’s growth as a queer person, to their ever-evolving relationship with comedy, and their struggle with late-in-life diagnoses of autism and ADHD, finally arriving at the backbone of Nanette: the renouncement of self-deprecation, the rejection of misogyny, and the moral significance of truth-telling.

©2022 Hannah Gadsby (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“For fans of Gadsby, [their] delivery on the page will delight just as it does on screen. [They] remain honest, with stories that draw laughter over situations that are always based in truth—harsh or otherwise.”—Time

“A joyful read . . . Gadsby’s voice is intimate and close, and spending time with it is a lot like listening to a good friend relay a fascinating life story over a couple of pints at the bar.”—Oprah Daily

“Similar to [their] groundbreaking comedy specials Douglas and Nanette, Gadsby’s memoir reads like a conversation with a longtime friend. . . . A can’t-miss memoir that will make readers laugh, cry, and everything in between.”—Library Journal (starred review)

Loved it!

Explicating the process of creating her show Nanette, Hannah Gadsby brings us along though her childhood and experiences as a young adult coming out and coming through and getting on about the business of comedy. A love letter to her mother.

Thought provoking and inspiring

I’m so grateful to Hannah for this book and for Nanette. I’m not sure I can express how this book impacted me.
In this book Hannah shares such deeply personal and difficult topics, some things which bear a similarity to things in my life of which I am deeply ashamed. Hearing them said out loud allowed me to consider that perhaps I’m ok as I am and don’t need to be ashamed.

I’m also blown away by the vulnerability and struck by how difficult it must have been to create and share Nanette. Makes me wonder what the world would be like if we all shared our deepest feelings and experiences.

Finally Hannah gives us a glimpse of how her mind works which gives me some insight into those around me who may experience the world in similar ways.

This book gave me greater insight into the experiences of others, was thought provoking and inspiring!

A must read

I didn't want it to end

I savoured every last minute and loved it all. Hannah Gadsby's journey is remarkable and this memoir was as brilliant as her shows. If I could give this 11 stars, I would!

An intriguing look into Hannah Gadsby and Nanette

I am reviewing this audio book from the perspective of someone who identifies with Gadsby's struggles. She and I are almost the same age, so we grew up in a similar atmosphere of social and political homophobia. Even though I am from the US, things weren't a whole lot better in my small town in Indiana than they were for her in Tasmania. I too grew up as an unacceptable outsider (a lesbian closeted even to myself) with body image issues and unfortunate run-ins with traumatic experiences. Her bold choice to stand tall and challenge the world to see the reality of one woman's struggle makes me feel empowered, seen, and a little less alone.

Unlike Hannah, I am neurotypical. Throughout the book, she provides fascinating insight into how her brain works, and how she developed into the person she is today. As she tells her story, The reader sees her go from being a person who barely copes with her "otherness" to a person who thrives and respectfully honors each facet of what makes her uniquely different from others.

I was riveted when she got to the end of the story- the part where Nanette is born and unleashed on an unsuspecting world. The description of the artistic and personal processes she used to craft and shape the show into a living, breathing thing is fascinating to me in a way I can't describe. I felt excitement, anticipation, respect, admiration, and more than a little awe. I plan to circle back and listen to that whole part again right away. I want to experience the process with her again.

If any of this resonates with you, I highly recommend this audio book.

Thank you Hannah

Now I need to rewatch Nanette with new eyes. One of those books that you’re sad when it’s finished.

Whew! Heavy…and worth it.

Be prepared. This, like Hannah’s stand up, is heavy. It took me longer to get through than most books- I had to take some mental breaks. Her uninhibited storytelling of her lived experiences is appreciated and needed.

Thought provoking, funny, courageous, brilliant

Hannah Gadsby’s “Ten Steps to Nanette” is as brilliant as her show “Nanette” itself. This memoir is a highly entertaining and ambitious work that explores autism, post traumatic stress, and gender stereotyping, among other weighty topics, with enormous depth and sensitivity. Gadsby‘s effort to help her reader understand her inner life is at once thought-provoking, funny, and courageous. Gadsby also pulls back the curtain on her artistic process in a way that is truly inspiring. It’s a must read for human beings.

I’m speechless ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I laughed and I cried. Hannah is brilliant. More people need to hear her words! I’m so thankful for her.

Gads, will you please be my friend?

Just finished spending the last several days in Hannah-land. Now that I'm done, I don't know what I'll do with myself. I'm so appreciative of what Hannah shared, and of her humor and voice and just everything.

Well worth the credit. I have added Hannah to my "buy tickets immediately" list, should she choose to tour again. (Please tour again.)

Beautiful!

As a neurodivergent person, there was so much to relate to. It is a beautifully written memoir that is both funny and heartbreaking. Thank you, Hannah Gadsby!