Coel takes us through her life as a working class, Black woman trying to make her way in writing and acting. She’s thrown into a world of misfits early on and thrives on it, a misfit being to her someone who will stand their ground and speak out, a positive thing.

She encourages everyone to make some silence for themselves and have a think about what they are doing in life to help others, about how they operate. She shares a mistake she made with the writing of a person of a different ethnicity to her own, how she was called out for it and how she dealt with it – brave stuff to admit in print and lecture hall. In fact like Shon Faye, writer of “The Transgender Issue” which I’m reading at the moment, she talks strongly about how systems have to be changed not just reactions to one or more race.

My longer review on my blog: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2021/09/18/book-review-michaela-coel-misfits/

In 'Misfits' Michaela Coel gives us an inside look at the television industry from the outside - from the perspective of someone who hasn't done things the 'correct' way and challenges the system to do better.

Coel's unique voice and outlook is evident from every word on the page, sometimes dreamy but always hard hitting, 'Misfits' is her way of adding narrative and meaning to her story. It's a short read and interesting throughout but from how it was advertised I think I was expecting more of a detailed biography drawn together into a manifesto. This is definitely a manifesto supported by a biography.

If you're looking for a short read that will give you some insight into the challenges facing those trying to tell their own stories you need to pick this up.

This is a very brief glimpse into the life, career and challenges along the way of Michaela Coel actor and screenwriter. Taken from her lecture notes and script this book is interesting and an easy read. Michaela could have achieved so much more by turning her life story into a full length autobiography. Perhaps “Misfits” will encourage her to do this. Very difficult to rate due to the books length.

I found this book rather random and boring. I felt the author just wanted to write a book, without considering why anyone would want to read it.

I read this brief book in one sitting. It blew me away. Michaela Coel has made a plea for talented people to be helped and encouraged, particularly those that come from the margins of society. Outsiders like Coel need to be helped, and not discriminated against. Hers is an incredible talent.

Misfits builds on Michaela Coel's MacTaggart Lecture. It's a short read, so much so that I read it in one sitting but its interesting and enjoyable.

It would have been incredible to have seen Cole's MacTaggart Lecture at the Edinburgh TV Festival in 2018, which is what this manifesto is built around. A short but insightful book from one of our generation's most radiant minds.

Essentially Misfits is the full transcript of the MacTaggart lecture Coel gave in 2018. The added introduction and epilogue provide context to the essay. A short, dynamic piece of writing that discusses the power of being different and the need to identify and use that power in the right way.

I had so much anticipation for this book but unfortunately it did not live up to my hopes.
This book didn't go anywhere. It just felt like random diary entries. I didn't enjoy this book at all, and just could not understand why this was written in the first place.
The 'essays' didn't correlate with each other - the whole thing just felt very random and I was bored reading it.
Disappointing!!

As a huge fan of Michaela Coel I was so excited to read this book. It’s authentic, funny and serious all in one. It touches on her upbringing, her love of theatre, acting and writing, and the many obstacles she’s had to overcome. It also provides a much-needed call to action for the state of the media industry. I just wish the book was longer!

3 ½ stars

“Speaking can be a terrifying action. Our words—even when spoken from a position so powerless that all that’s produced is a moth-like squeak—can be loud enough to wake the house: a house that is often sleeping peacefully and does not want to be disturbed; a house in which perhaps you’ve found a home.


I’m very much in awe of Michaela Coel. While I liked Chewing Gum well enough, I May Destroy You blew my mind. It made me cry, it made me laugh, it gave me friggin goosebumps. If you haven’t watched it, do yourself a favour, and do it ASAP.

I would recommend Misfits to those who haven’t watched Coel's MacTaggart Lecture. That talk, transcribed here in Misfits, is powerful indeed. Honest and incisive, this talk is definitely a must-listen/read. Coel recounts growing up Black in London, from the racism she experienced at school (from both the students and the staff) to her time at drama school. She describes a few specific episodes that highlight her love for theatre and creativity. Coel also discusses how racist, sexist, and toxic the filming industry is. Later on, Coel also speaks of being sexually assaulted, and while she doesn’t go into too much detail, this part is particularly brutal. Additionally, Coel expands on her idea of being a misfit and exploring notions of belonging and identity.

As much as I loved Coel's words, I’m not entirely sure why her talk was published as a book. The talk is sandwiched between two short new pieces, the first one preceding said talk where she writes about having anosmia, moths, and recalls a peculiar dream she had some years ago (it felt a bit disjointed). The latter bit is a short afterword. I would have probably appreciated this release more if it had included some more essays by Coel but I nevertheless was grateful to re-experience her lecture.

As a big Michaela Coel fan who had already watched the recording of her MacTaggart lecture, I was hoping that her first book would do a deep dive into some of the themes that made this lecture so poignant. Although I enjoyed the new introduction, I was slightly disappointed that the book didn't allow us to see a different side to Michaela Coel or provide in-depth reflection on the impact of the lecture and her subsequent work.

I'm not sure why it was done but the quotes of lines I'd already read in Misfits by Michaela Coel was distracting and annoying.

Misfits is exactly my type of book; a book for those who understand, celebrate and value individuality over conformity and a fantastic and much-needed, agenda-setting literary debut. Inspired by her acclaimed and unflinching Edinburgh TV Festival MacTaggert Lecture in 2018 in front of an audience 4,000 strong, Michaela Coel’s passionately argued and devastatingly articulate manifesto for greater transparency and radical honesty is a clarion call for speaking truth to power. In just one of the quotes within it, she states: "What carried me through [secondary school] was the abundance of black girls, white girls, mixed girls—misfits. My friends were all misfits—a huge gang of commercially unattractive, beautiful misfits, who found the mainstream world unattractive". There is no doubt a lot of us can relate to this sentiment; I know I certainly can. Misfits look at life differently. But many are also seen as outsiders because life looks at them differently. Michaela Coel has felt like an outsider all her life. Because that's how life looked at her.

Misfits is a triumphant call for honesty, empathy and inclusion from all who are "different". With spunk and humour, Coel tells about her struggle to be herself in a world that demands the opposite. This topical, necessary book, laced with deeply personal anecdotes, advocates for outsiders. Within these pages, she recounts stories from both life and work which are utilised to argue for greater transparency, and with insight and wit, it lays bare her journey to reclaiming her creativity and power, inviting readers to reflect on theirs. It is a sharp and rousing argument not to try to fit in. This is a powerful and sensational manifesto on how speaking your truth and owning your differences can transform your life. By turns inquisitive, devastating, beautiful and hilarious, Michaela’s storytelling forever urges us to think again. Her fiercely empowering and inspirational debut draws on the same kaleidoscope of ideas and emotions as her hit TV shows and will inspire readers to reflect on their own relationship to power. Highly recommended.

Michaela Coel is a British actress, screenwriter and producer. Probably best well known for her tv series I May Destroy You. This book is a personal memoir of her writing and experiences. The main section of the book is a transcript of a speech she gave at the Edinburgh Festival.

The title of the book comes from Coel's definition of a Misfit, "one who looks at life differently". And that is the theme of the book. Her reflection of life as a misfit. From her childhood growing up in East London within the financial hub City of London. To her introduction into the television industry when she was writing Chewing Gum.

I read this book one sitting, partly because it is a short book. But also because of Coel's excellent story-telling. I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Coel's work. But also those who are not familiar with her work. And want an alternative view of the television industry.

A short and sharp read that includes the full transcript of Coel's Edinburgh Festival MacTaggart lecture. The introduction to lecture provided a wonderful insight and gave more context to the content.

Fans of Michaela Coel will not be disappointed with Misfits.

Written on the back of Coel's MacTaggart Lecture, this book explores the journey she took to becoming an internationally celebrated writer and actor, as well as the personal journey she went on from drama school to the screens of millions of people around the world. Written with great poetry, there's an enviable ease with which the writing unfolds, giving you a moment to realise its brilliance the moment after you've read it. A short and sweet book, I would press it into the hands of those - like me - with dreams of writing for television and film, who want to drop into the industry with the same excitement - and be reminded of what we must do when we get there.

This short book packs a punch. I am interested in Michaela Coel after the amazing I May Destroy You, and it was great to hear about her life, and read her McTaggart lecture.

Inside the mind and experiences of the wonderfully brilliant Michaela Coel, preparing for her delivery of the MacTaggart Lecture. And the moth.

Since listening to an interview by Louis Theroux on his ‘Grounded’ podcast I’ve became fascinated with Michaela’s mind: how she’s able to question things without being sanctimonious; being open enough to create a much needed dialogue about tricky issues, and humble enough to be always willing to learn.

This comes across in her debut book, Misfits.

The main body of the book is a lecture Coel has delivered to professionals within the television industry: not so much a call-out, but an invitation, a plea for transparency within the industry, aptly bookended by an introduction and epilogue in which she examines her own reluctance to deal with conflict and trauma head on.

This is a very short book that can be read in just over one hour. Still, its message and use of metaphor are powerful enough to provide food for thought long after the last page has been turned, and hopefully, an honest examination about our own attitudes towards others–even (and perhaps, especially) if they’re ‘just the way things are.’

The only issue I have with this book is from a design perspective. The fluidity of Michaela’s writing is often interrupted by intrusive quotes of lines from her manifesto, every couple of pages, as if I hadn’t just read them myself, in what seems like a desperate attempt for social media shareability. Please allow your readers to decide for themselves which parts of the text resonate with them, instead of force-feeding them in this patronising manner.