In Furiously Happy, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jenny Lawson explores her lifelong battle with mental illness. A hysterical, ridiculous book about crippling depression and anxiety? That sounds like a terrible idea. But terrible ideas are what Jenny does best.As Jenny says “Some people might think that being ‘furiously happy’ is just an excuse to be stupid and irresponsible and invite a … 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. And that would be ridiculous because no one would invite a herd of kangaroos into their house. Two is the limit. I speak from personal experience. My husband says that none is the new limit. I say he should have been clearer about that before I rented all those kangaroos.
“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. Like John Hughes wrote in The Breakfast Club, ‘We’re all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it.’ Except go back and cross out the word ‘hiding.’”
Furiously 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. It’s the difference between “surviving life” and “living life.” It’s the difference between “taking a shower” and “teaching your monkey butler how to shampoo your hair.” It’s the difference between being “sane” and being “furiously happy.”
Lawson is beloved around the world for her inimitable humor and honesty, and in Furiously Happy, she is at her snort-inducing funniest. This is a book about embracing everything that makes us who we are – the beautiful and the flawed – and then using it to find joy in fantastic and outrageous ways. Because as Jenny’s mom says, “Maybe ‘crazy’ isn’t so bad after all.” Sometimes crazy is just right.
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I LOVED THIS BOOK!
I you want to be happy …. this could possibly make you giggle out loud.
Funny, good reading.
Interesting perspective and insight into living with mental illness.
laugh out loud funny
I’ve struggled with severe mental health issues for the past twelve years and when my parents became ill with cancer, I was in an incredibly dark place. I don’t have any family and my siblings are states away; Jenny Lawson made me feel like I wasn’t alone, all the while raising my spirit with her unabashed hilarity and her honest description of how she deals with her own darkness. I’ve bought at least seven hard copies of this book, two digital copies, and the audio book which she narrates. Every time I think I’ll get to keep one, I meet another person who I think could benefit and give it to him/her. That’s how good this book is. This book was a life saver and I cannot praise it enough.
An amazingly accurate book on so many things I think about and deal with also. I highly recommend this book. The only thing that I didn’t enjoy was the cursing. Anyone who deals with depression or knows someone who does should read this, it will make so much sense for those who have it and help others to understand where we’re coming from.
It helps if you are not normal to realize someone else has these thoughts.
You will find parts in Jenny’s book that will hit close to home. I love to see the world in another’s eyes, although when a person can make you laugh with them and also weep with them it’s just so special. I loved both of her books.
Just read this book- I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Laugh out loud funny Ms Lawson shares her life’s journeys in such a way I felt drawn right into the story. Refreshingly honest, did I mention funny .
Best book ever! Have been a fan of the bloggess for years, but this takes it to the next level with a screamingly hilarious pee-in-your-pants-a-little realistic look at mental health in modern times.
I love Jenny and her way of looking at the world!
She is so funny. I love her books.
Hilarious!
Not as hilarious as her first book as it deals with mental health issues. Still, plenty of laugh-out-loud passages.
Jenny Lawson’s distinct style of describing the world with exuberant curiosity provides belly laughs on every page. Reading Jenny, I’m struck by how unique so many of us are, and the camaraderie we can feel when we let down our guard or desire to “appear normal.” Jenny’s descriptions of her antics will have you grinning from ear-to-ear and eager to interview her husband for “his side of the story.” Even as a fiery animal rights activist, I can see a deep love of animals in many of Jenny’s stories, as she rescues the body of many a dead critter for a new life. A must read for anyone who finds joy and laughter a necessity of life.
Laughed aloud so many times. My sides ached.
Not what i thought
Jenny Lawson is my new favorite author!! Don’t eat or drink while reading this book (or her other one for that matter) unless you don’t mind risking spewing your drink through your nose or spitting food out from laughing so hard! I admire her courage of facing and dealing with her mental health issues and sharing her life stories with the rest of the world! I now own 3 copies of each of her books so in case one gets lost, I will have a back up one to share and one to re-read over and over again!
A great book! Just as funny as “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened”. I really enjoyed reading this and can’t wait for more in the future from Jenny Lawson!