Furiously Happy

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.

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.

Freaking Amazing. This book is real and funny and painful just a little bit.

I think just about everyone will enjoy this book. The stories are told with so much humor that you can't help but laugh and contain tiny intimate glimpses of life with multiple mental illness.

You will laugh out loud and look a little I'll yourself with this book- definitely read it. Or, better yet, listen to the audio book. It is read by the author, so it just feels like she is telling you some wild stories. Good stuff.

Update: I just read this book again for the second time this year, and still had the same reaction of laughing and crying. It never failed to improve my mood even though I knew what it was going to say.

This book was the best kind of ridiculousness. It was the kind of ridiculousness that reminds you that life is funny. Life with mental health problems can be funny too, and in laughter there is empowering. As someone with anxiety myself, this book spoke to me on a deep level. It made me laugh and relate and cry. It made me feel not alone. It reminded me that though mental health problems suck, they aren't the end of the line. They are just a different line. Am I stretching this metaphor? This book also made me weirdly interested in taxidermy. Who knew.

Not even going to rate the book.
Was a collection of absolute nonsense. I get why people my have been drawn to the book because of its at times humorous, ridiculous ideas. But it was absolutely terrible, listening to the author ramble on about unimportant stuff and rushing past the important ones, aka mental health.

The “funny” in the tittle is literally one loud exhale through the nose during the entire read.
Steer clear of this one.

This book is a must read. Jenny Lawson has made me laugh so hard I cried, and made me cry so hard I laughed. She not only understands mental illness, but she eloquently describes how to make the best of it. This book is in fact a self-help book. But not one of those self-help books that makes you feel guilty and worse than you were prior to reading it. This book makes you feel alive again!

This was such a hilarious read! Both sad and endearing at times, I found Jenny Lawson's outlook on life very motivating. She talks openly about her mental health issues and shares some really funny anecdotes. I'm glad I stumbled upon this book, I will definitely revisit it to get inspiration on not-so-great days.

Favorite book I read in 2020. It's so, so good. Hilarious, yet sobering. I had to stop running several times because I was laughing so hard. Truly showcases how it is to live with severe mental disorder(s). Jenny is a spectacularly good writer and I can't wait for her new book while I'm listening to her first one right after this one

Furiously Happy is, in my humble opinion, something that should be read by anyone who struggles with any kind of depression, anxiety, or other mental illness, as well as those close to someone who does. Lawson uses absurd and hilarious stories along with some really serious truth nuggets to shine a light on the stigma of mental illness, and what it's really like to live with it.

The daughter of a taxidermist, Lawson loves taxidermied animals (mostly the craziest looking ones she can find). That's why the cover of the book features a taxidermied raccoon with a crazy look on his face and his hands in the air :D. The premise behind the term “furiously happy” is this: Lawson is determined to make the good days of her life so furiously happy that they carry her right through the bad ones. She takes those good days and she fills them with moments to remember, and that's what she thinks about during the next week when she's too anxious and depressed to leave her bed. No matter how dark the current day, she knows that those moments will come again on the next good day.

One of my favorite paragraphs:

“Without the dark there isn't light. Without the pain there is no relief. And I remind myself that I'm lucky to be able to feel such great sorrow, and also such great happiness. I can grab on to each moment of joy and live in those moments because I have seen the bright contrast from dark to light and back again. I am privileged to be able to recognize that the sound of laughter is a blessing and a song, and to realize that the bright hours spent with my family and friends are extraordinary treasures to be saved, because those same moments are a medicine, a balm. Those moments are a promise that life is worth fighting for, and that promise is what pulls me through when depression distorts reality and tries to convince me otherwise.”

That passage is so beautiful, I can't even come up with the words to describe it.

Read my full review here: http://www.literaryquicksand.com/2016/04/review-furiously-happy-by-jenny-lawson/

I definitely admire Jenny Lawson for writing so frankly about mental illness, and I think she's funny in general. I think this book overall has the same feel a lot of blog-books have for me, where like, this definitely comes across like “a bunch of printed out blog entries and tweets” rather than an essay collection or a real narrative? For me, also, I think her humor sometimes veers into the “LOL IM SO RANDOM” genre? But, I mean, it was a fun, quick read and I know her stuff really resonates with a lot of other people. Of course if you're a huge fan of hers you probably already read this like a year ago anyway.

It's more like a 3.75 than a 3. I think it was wise to do this in audio, Jenny's voice adds so much to the content, although sometimes it was a bit much to handle. I feel she lightly touched on the mental illness issues, but for someone that suffers from a variety of things I have to say she puts a great spin on life and was able to bring some cheer with the funny and at times ridiculous episodes of her life. It may not address the problems as much as some people would like, but it does give you a bit comfort to know there are other people that suffer with the same things and it may help you take a bad day and turn it into a good one. Funny, entertaining and a joy to listen to. Jenny should do standup comedy, I would pay to see her show! :)