Furiously Happy

If read in small doses, this is a five-star book; if read in a single sitting, three. I split the difference. It helps—but it's not necessary—to have read the first book first. When I read the book in small doses—say, a chapter or two at a time—I felt like I was feeling all the things I was supposed to be feeling: I was right there with the author, enjoying the humour and feeling heart-hurty with empathy. When I read big chunks at a time, some of the humour started to feel forced, and not in a way that I associate with being furiously happy. It's the kind of book that I like to devour, so I had to force myself to take breaks so that I could better appreciate it. And I really do appreciate it. This is Lawson's life, a really intimate look inside her head, and I both applaud her bravery and am grateful for her generosity in sharing it with us.

I hadn't read her first book or blog, but this was a fun read that made me want to go back and read her other work. I'm not quite sure it counts as a collection of essays, but it was similar to that, and easy to read a little bit at a time.

(Bookriot Read Harder Challenge 2016: #24 Read a book with a main character that has a mental illness.)

Though a bit more over-the-top ridiculous than your usual memoir, Lawson is endearingly hilarious in an exactly ridiculous, over-the-top way. It's an easy read that causes the occasional chuckle out loud (even if the writing sometimes feel a bit forced). But the real power of this book is in the moments where she describes her mental illness - not in terms of what it has taken away from her, but rather what it has given. If anyone has struggled with any kind of mental illness, be it depression, anxiety, insomnia or ADHD, the book provides a beautiful sense of understanding and solidarity.

How do you even begin to explain a Jenny Lawson book? Known as The Bloggess on the internet, Lawson is one of the most laugh-out-loud, hysterically funny, off-the-wall-crazy-pants writers I've ever come across. From her antics with taxidermied animals to the bizarre arguments she has with her husband to the weird tangents her brain goes on, Lawson is one of the most entertaining people on the internet. In Furiously Happy, she explores her lifelong fight with mental illness, from depression to anxiety to a number of manias, and she does so in a lovely, non-judgmental way. She does get serious - she talks about her “folder of 24” - 24 letters from suicidal people telling her that she, and the community she's built, are the reason they're still here. Lawson tackles the topic of depression head on, and by writing down the bizarre things that go through her head, lets people know THEY'RE NOT ALONE, and that's incredibly important.

As the subtitle of the book says, it might be a book about a serious topic, but oh. my. is it funny. Between sneaking a taxidermied ecstatically happy raccoon into view of her husband's video conferences, and trying to snuggle koalas in Australia while dressed in a full-body koala costume, Lawson also talks about waking up in the middle of the night thinking her arms have fallen off, and being stalked by carnivorous swans. Lawson's blog is hilarious, and this book is one of the most insanely funny things I've ever read, and now I have to track down her other two books. (Let's Pretend This Never Happened and You Are Here)

You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.