Furiously Happy {Kirkus Review}


Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things



Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things
By: Jenny Lawson



Spurred by her #furiouslyhappy Twitter campaign, blogger Jenny Lawson takes us on a hilarious, self-deprecating, and sometimes life-altering ride of her ups and downs in life while battling life with her inner demons in this irreverent memoir.

In her follow up to Let's Pretend This Never Happened, Jenny Lawson has written an entertaining, candid, and moving take on her own battle with mental illness. While she is quick to point out that everyone's battle with their inner demons is different, her illness(es) will sometimes leave her unable to leave her bed or her house for days. Her roller coaster ride is filled with loops and twists, but thankfully, she receives a great deal of support from family and friends. Furiously Happy stemmed from a Twitter campaign that started when she received a letter about a friend that had passed away and she was tired of being sad and decided she had enough. She posted to her blog, stating, "I am going to be furiously happy, out of sheer spite. Can you hear that? That's me smiling, y'all." She used the furiously happy movement to make the moments when her depression wasn't debilitating to live her life and make memories, and that's what she encouraged others to do. This book is a collection of essays that range from serious to hysterical. In "Fear," she gets serious and shows her vulnerability by talking about self-harm and how she "can't even tell myself why I am this way" and goes on to discuss how "the scales that weighs everyone else's emotions don't work for me." In "Voodoo Vagina," she talks about how her friend sent her a felt vagina that subsequently disappeared when she went to get a camera to take photos of it and then she and her husband had to hunt it down. Lawson writes an impressively engaging and candid book while keeping it moving and upbeat.

Through often irreverent stories and a constant reminder that depression lies, readers will leave feeling a connection with Lawson and, likely, a new outlook on a dark aspect of life. 

Comments

  1. Hillarie FinleyFebruary 10, 2019 at 4:08 PM

    Brandy,
    I read Furiously Happy three years ago and I also found it to be engaging. It was refreshing to read something that can tackle serious topics like depression and self-harm, but sprinkle in the lighthearted moments, because even in the darkest moments there can be light. I think your review does an excellent job of representing the book.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BrandyFebruary 11, 2019 at 3:33 PM

      Thanks! Furiously Happy is one of my all-time favorite books ever. :)

      Delete

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