Staff Pick
Furiously Happy is a book I turn to time and again. Both heartbreaking and hilarious, Jenny writes with painful honesty about living with chronic mental and physical illnesses. In the final essay of the book, she recounts a conversation with her husband, in which she states, "Your life would be so much better without me." He replies, "It may have been easier, but it would never have been better," and this has always stuck with me. I highly recommend you buy two copies, because this is one you'll want to read and share over and over again. Recommended By Deana R., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
#1 New York Times Bestseller
In Furiously Happy, a humor memoir tinged with just enough tragedy and pathos to make it worthwhile, Jenny Lawson examines her own experience with severe depression and a host of other conditions, and explains how it has led her to live life to the fullest:
"I've often thought that people with severe depression have developed such a well for experiencing extreme emotion that they might be able to experience extreme joy in a way that normal people' also might never understand. And that's what Furiously Happy is all about."
Jenny's readings are standing room only, with fans lining up to have Jenny sign their bottles of Xanax or Prozac as often as they are to have her sign their books. Furiously Happy appeals to Jenny's core fan base but also transcends it. There are so many people out there struggling with depression and mental illness, either themselves or someone in their family and in Furiously Happy they will find a member of their tribe offering up an uplifting message (via a taxidermied roadkill raccoon). Let's Pretend This Never Happened ostensibly was about embracing your own weirdness, but deep down it was about family. Furiously Happy is about depression and mental illness, but deep down it's about joy and who doesn't want a bit more of that?
Review
"You'll laugh, wince, writhe in discomfort, cry, then laugh again…But the two things you'll never do is doubt Jenny's brilliance or her fearlessness…She's changing the conversation one rented sloth at a time." Brené Brown
Review
"Jenny made me laugh so hard I feared for my safety! I think that's how she was able to get past my defenses and make me feel more okay about myself." Allie Brosh
Review
"We’re living in an era of bestselling books by female comedians… But Lawson’s book needs no lovable, familiar face on the front cover…She’s unapologetic, candid, outrageous, and the book reaches new levels of hilarity because of it." Entertainment Weekly (A)
About the Author
Jenny Lawson, The Bloggess, is an award-winning humor writer known for her great candor in sharing her struggle with depression and mental illness. Her two memoirs, Let's Pretend This Never Happened and Furiously Happy, were #1 New York Times bestsellers.