Furiously Happy

August 31, 2015
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. 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. She also shares days of darkness, social anxiety, and a range of fears that sometimes keep her housebound. Though mostly comedic, the text also addresses such serious issues as self-injury and why mental illness is misunderstood. Lawson insightfully explores the ways in which dark moments serve to make the lighter times all the brighter.

September 1, 2015

Lawson (Let's Pretend This Never Happened) returns with another autobiographical work, this one focused on her experiences living with mental illness. The title comes from a hashtag Lawson started on Twitter after a friend's death to encourage people living with depression and anxiety to stockpile ridiculous, joyful memories "to take into battle with us when our brains declare war on our very existence." Her own furiously happy exploits lead to stories about her collection of odd taxidermy, the time she rented a sloth and a wallaby to surprise her husband and daughter, and a trip to Australia, where she donned a kangaroo costume in an effort to get closer to wild kangaroos. As delightful as much of the book is, Lawson is also candid about her struggles with depression, self-harm, and crippling anxiety, the difficulties of nailing down the right combination of medications to treat her conditions, and her fears about the effects of her illness on her family. VERDICT The stigma surrounding mental illness can only be lifted if people affected are willing to talk about their experiences and everyone else is willing to listen. This book is a profane, hilarious, touching, and essential part of that conversation. Recommended for all public libraries.--Stephanie Klose, Library Journal

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2015
Lawson, known as The Bloggess to readers of her immensely popular blog of the same name, fills her second memoir with stories that revolve around the crazy things that happen in her life, with an emphasis here on her struggles with mental illnessmainly anxiety and depression. Lawson is known for blowing just about everything out of proportion, often proudly. For example, she recounts how she was once convinced that a herd of swans was chasing her in order to eat her, or, worse, impregnate her (hey, she read about it on the Internet!). In most of these anecdotes, her long-suffering husband attempts to bring her back to reality. But, in some, she digs deep, revealing how her mental issues leave her feeling frightened and useless. Scenes from her therapists' offices are funny but usually uncomfortably so. Lawson is a witty comic writer, but the repeated subject matter here feels best read in bits and piecesas one would with a blog.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: TheBloggess.com gets a reported one to two million page views per month, and promotion at book and library conferences has been high. While Lawson's offbeat brand of humor might not be a hit with all readers, the 300,000-copy print run suggests that this book will make the best-seller lists as quickly as her first title, Let's Pretend This Never Happened, did.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)