Look back in hunger – Jo Brand

I've been a bit behind with book reviews lately, mainly because I've been enjoyng reading so much lately. Jo Brand is one of those comediennes that people seem to feel very strongly about. Some love her, some can't stand her. Her acting efforts have won awards, but also a lot of criticism. The same goes for her comedy.

Strangely, to me at least, she's one of those people who seems to be on TV, or Radio 4, frequently, but yet I don't know much about her. I knew that she used to be a nurse and that some of her comedy and writing work has been based on those experiences, but that was pretty much where my knowledge of her ended. I was intrigued therefore when I saw Look Back in Hunger: The Autobiography in a charity shop, so I picked up a copy to see what else I'd missed.

This was one of the quickest, easiest and fascinating reads I've had in a long time. The book's not exactly stuffed full of impressively long words like Stephen Fry's autobiography, but Jo has certainly had a fascinating life that was far from conventional. Her story is told in her usual frank manner which makes the whole thing feel like you've heard her story over a few drinks in the pub one evening. As long as you're not in the group who can't stand her I'd definitely recommend picking up a copy to find out what made Jo Brand the character she is.