
It's the difference between "surviving life" and "living life". Some of us are just better at hiding it.' Except go back and cross out the word 'hiding.'"įuriously Happy is about "taking those moments when things are fine and making them amazing, because those moments are what make us who we are, and they're the same moments we take into battle with us when our brains declare war on our very existence. Like John Hughes wrote in The Breakfast Club, 'We're all pretty bizarre. "Most of my favorite people are dangerously fucked-up but you'd never guess because we've learned to bare it so honestly that it becomes the new normal. I say he should have been clearer about that before I rented all those kangaroos. My husband says that none is the new limit. And that would be ridiculous because no one would invite a herd of kangaroos into their house. "Some people might think that being 'furiously happy' is just an excuse to be stupid and irresponsible and invite a herd of kangaroos over to your house without telling your husband first because you suspect he would say no since he's never particularly liked kangaroos. A hysterical, ridiculous book about crippling depression and anxiety? That sounds like a terrible idea.īut terrible ideas are what Jenny does best. (Sept.In Furiously Happy, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jenny Lawson explores her lifelong battle with mental illness. Lawson insightfully explores the ways in which dark moments serve to make the lighter times all the brighter.

Though mostly comedic, the text also addresses such serious issues as self-injury and why mental illness is misunderstood. She also shares days of darkness, social anxiety, and a range of fears that sometimes keep her housebound. Lawson decides that rather than wave a white flag, she will combat mental illness by being "furiously happy." Helping her stuffed raccoons ride on her cats, visiting Australia in a koala bear costume, and battling menacing swans are just a few of the ways she creates humor in a life that might defeat a less inventive individual. Popular blogger/author Lawson (Let's Pretend This Didn't Happen) writes that this "funny book" about mental illness is not so much a sequel to her last book, but rather "a collection of bizarre essays and conversations and confused thoughts stuck together by spilled boxed wine and the frustrated tears of baffled editors." While followers of Lawson's blog will be familiar with her fascination with unusual topics (e.g., stuffed critters, the mysteries of Japanese toilets), newcomers may initially be jolted by the author's litany of diagnoses (depression, anxiety, autoimmune disorders, phobias, insomnia, etc.) as well as her unique ability to turn life's lemons into hilarious stories.
