Listen free for 30 days

  • Ten Steps to Nanette

  • A Memoir Situation
  • Written by: Hannah Gadsby
  • Narrated by: Hannah Gadsby
  • Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (270 ratings)

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Ten Steps to Nanette cover art

Ten Steps to Nanette

Written by: Hannah Gadsby
Narrated by: Hannah Gadsby
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.22

Buy Now for $26.22

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

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
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: LGBTQ2S+

What the critics say

“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)

Featured Article: The Best Audiobooks of 2022 for All Your Listening Needs

The best audiobooks of 2022 are here! Check out our list and discover the very best audiobooks of 2022. You’re bound to find your next great listen here!

What listeners say about Ten Steps to Nanette

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    256
  • 4 Stars
    12
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    230
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    220
  • 4 Stars
    15
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Soared to the top of my favourite Audible books!

I loved this memoir so much that I was actually bereft when it ended. Listening to Hannah tell their story was a joy in itself. There's not much comedy, but they toss in a little gem every so often. Their story is heartbreaking and, also inspiring. What Hannah endured is both deeply unjust and sad, but how they grew along the way is incredibly inspiring. I especially loved what was shared about their ADHD and Autism diagnosis and how they learned to set themselves up for success afterwards.

I absolutely loved the comedy show Nanette. I've watched it many times as I also feel the anger portrayed during that show, and I am grateful they followed up with a book to expand more on what led up to it. If you loved the comedy special, you won't be disappointed. Hannah is an amazing storyteller, and what they are sharing is invaluable in today's growing hostility towards the lgbtqia2s+ community. This was a valuable listen during pride month and will be folded into my memoir recommendations going forward. Thank you for sharing your story, Hannah!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

No words...

I realize that this is less than helpful as far as a review goes, but I have no words. Read/listen to it yourself.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

b.r.i.l.l.i.a.n.t

B.r.i.l.l.i.a.n.t memoir. I laughed and cried. I heard it as an audio book and it hit deeply because of Hannah's distinctive and emotive way of speaking. So many deep quotes, I gave up trying to bookmark them. I'll definitely buy a paper copy.

The writing style is unique. She draws parallels between what was happening in her world with what was happening in the US for example at the same time. It encourages the reader to do the same. What was happening in my life, you may find yourself wondering.

At the end of most chapters, there's a hilarious footnote.

It was also moving to know what it took for her to film that transformational special on Netflix. Transformational for her and her worldwide audiences.

An homage to the neurodivergent, the queer, the fat, the non-mainstream gender presenting, the survivors of sexual assault and trauma, to families of those who have these intersecting identities.

I am sad that this book is over. I am so happy that I live and breathe at the same time as Hannah Gadsby.

Easy choice. Highly recommend if you're open to listen to a story that is open and frank about deep seated trauma.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely enthralling

Could not stop listening. It's wonderful and Hannah's storytelling gives meaning and grace to life events that are tough and real.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Mind blowing, as expected.

Brilliantly written and read. Would that we all had such compassionate, Extraordinary insight into our own lives. I admire Hannah Gadsby with all my heart.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I will play it again!

I love the intonation and rhythm of Hannah’s story telling. An excellent listen. I am very happy I made this purchase.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Nanette but elevated

I truly enjoyed how Hannah was able to describe her past and how it became shaped into her masterpiece of a show, and her being the narrator as well is a gift!
10/10 recommend listening/reading.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Thank you, Hannah!

I loved this story, even more than I loved the comedy special. Thank you for giving hope to the weird, traumatized, autistic, small town girl, who needs a hug, but doesn't want to be touched.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Both Hilarious and Poignant

Hannah tells a tale that many of us recognize. Not quite fitting in, feeling ostracized with our family and peers, and she managed to turn it into a living after a great deal of suffering. I’d love to think the suffering is over for Hannah, and that she only has joy with her dogs ahead

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A life

I don’t know what I expected…I’d seen the author on a short bit of a Colbert show and felt, “there’s someone I’d like to hear about”. I try to not follow much social media so didn’t know who she was. Of course my 22 year old did and told me a quick synopsis, I figured it sounded outside of my usual listen/read and would give it a shot. WOW….thanks so much for sharing so much. I am a mom and spend time bartering my time away to whatever would trade for it, if only I could make my children enjoy more of life than what the world will make difficult because of less empathetic and intelligent people. I appreciate your sharing and heard you. I don’t know if all who read it will….but I think all who can should hear this.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!