Description
'There is nothing stronger than a broken woman who has rebuilt herself.' Hannah Gadsby, Nanette
Multi-awardwinning Hannah Gadsby transformed comedy with her show Nanette, even as she declared that she was quitting stand-up. Now, she takes us through the defining moments in her life that led to the creation of Nanette and her powerful decision to tell the truth - no matter the cost.
Gadsby's unique stand-up special Nanette was a viral success that left audiences captivated by her blistering honesty and her ability to create both tension and laughter in a single moment. But while her worldwide fame might have looked like an overnight sensation, her path from open mic to the global stage was hard-fought and anything but linear.
Ten Steps to Nanette traces Gadsby's growth as a queer person from Tasmania - where homosexuality was illegal until 1997 - to her ever-evolving relationship with comedy, to her struggle with adult diagnoses of autism and ADHD, and finally to the backbone of Nanette - the renouncement of self-deprecation, the rejection of misogyny, and the moral significance of truth-telling.
Equal parts harrowing and hilarious, 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.
About the Author
Hannah Gadsby stopped stand-up comedy in its tracks with her multi-award-winning show Nanette, which played to sold-out houses in Australia, the UK and New York. Its launch on Netflix, and subsequent Emmy and Peabody wins, took Nanette (and Hannah) to the world. Hannah's difficult second album (which was also her eleventh solo show) was named Douglas, after her dog. Hannah walked Douglas around the world, selling out and scoring another Emmy nomination. Before all of this Hannah appeared as a character called Hannah in Please Like Me and toured her native Australia and the UK as a stand-up comedian. She made art documentaries and did plenty of other things over the course of more than a decade in comedy, but that will do for now.
Reviews
As a document of what can happen when a different kind of voice seizes the conversation, Ten Steps to Nanette shows Gadsby taking control of the page along with the stage. * Sunday Times *
A serious book about comedy...there is real merit in this deep exploration of a complex work and its creator * Irish Times *
Here, she reveals the winding road that led her [to Nanette]...with her unique mix of humour and fury * Stylist *
In this stunning debut, Emmy Award-winning comedian Gadsby guides readers on a tour of her life that's every bit as intimate, gutting,and untidy as the performance referenced in the title...[a] stirring tale of resilience. * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *
Similar to her 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) *
A witty and provocatively written life story * Kirkus Reviews *
Hannah is a Promethean force, a revolutionary talent... This hilarious, touching, and sometimes tragic book is all about where her fires were lit. -- Emma Thompson
As uproariously funny as it is profoundly furious. * New Yorker on NANETTE *
Book Information
ISBN 9781911630258
Author Hannah Gadsby
Format Paperback
Page Count 400
Imprint Allen & Unwin
Publisher Atlantic Books
Weight(grams) 383g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 32mm
