This book pulls no punches。 Fern Brady's childhood and early adulthood as an undiagnosed autistic woman reads like a hurricane of trauma。 She makes it clear that she's not out of the storm， having to unpack years of masking and battle societal pressures to be neurotypical， but the fact that she's written this book is so important。I think it achieves her intention of bringing awareness to a disability that is still not properly understood， especially when it manifests in women and girls – and it This book pulls no punches。 Fern Brady's childhood and early adulthood as an undiagnosed autistic woman reads like a hurricane of trauma。 She makes it clear that she's not out of the storm， having to unpack years of masking and battle societal pressures to be neurotypical， but the fact that she's written this book is so important。I think it achieves her intention of bringing awareness to a disability that is still not properly understood， especially when it manifests in women and girls – and it achieves it without sugarcoating or shying away from traumatic or devastating experiences。 It's her matter-of-fact way of writing and observing the world that shows how difficult and frustrating it is to be in a society that never says what it means， or means what it says。 Especially as she， as a woman， has a view of herself， her body， her sexuality， her talent and worth， in a way that society can't quite infiltrate。 It's enviable。 But it just goes to show how women bend themselves into all sorts of shapes just to fit in; I can't imagine what it's like being autistic under all that existing pressure。I found the book really readable， although I often struggled to find the flow of it。 I was aware that there was （to use the damned word） "a journey of discovery" going on， but sometimes the narrative jumped about and I wasn't quite sure what order events occurred， and it felt more like a list of events than anything else。 But I really liked her （often brutal） honesty and observation。 Definitely worth a read if you want to learn more about what it's like to live （and hide your life） as an autistic woman – but buckle in。 It's a rollercoaster。[Thanks to Octopus Books for sending me a proof！] 。。。more