How to Weep in Public

January 18, 2016
Comedian Novak explores her personal experience with depression and offers tongue-in-cheek advice for fellow “depressos” in this humorous, if somewhat grating, memoir. She traces the roots of her disease from her childhood, through her teenage years (often spent listening to motivational speaker Tony Robbins cassette tapes alone in her car), to being fired from her first post-grad job at a boutique advertising agency after sleeping for 28 hours and missing a day of work. She offers solidarity and support for those suffering from depression, and insight into the self-defeating brain of a depresso for outsiders. Novak is funniest when riffing on self-help platitudes, advising readers on topics such as the easiest way to get out of bed in the morning (sleep with a wedge pillow so that there’s less vertical distance to travel) and how to weep in public (avoid making your face puffy by bending over so that the tears fall straight down to the ground). Her writing is full of unexpected metaphors (college depression, she writes, “has many tentacles, probably knotted around your cheap furniture, suctions clinging to your elfa bins”), unapologetically offensive humor, and a graphic, unsparing description of colonics and the Master Cleanse, but adds levity to the daunting topic of depression. For anyone feeling down in the dumps, a dose of Novak will help mitigate the pain.

January 15, 2016
A comedian's humorous take on depression. Beginning with babyhood and progressing through to a semimature adulthood, stand-up comic Novak whacks depression left and right, giving it a steady beating as she wallows in her own depressive state. "This book is your chance to lean into your depression," she writes, "to firm up the depressed habits you already possess, while adding a wonderful array of freshly disturbing, unpleasant symptoms and behaviors to your repertoire--a richer variety of grays to your already gray landscape." The author leads by example, digging deeply into her own depressed life and laying bare various bits of personal trivia, problems, and issues that definitely pinpoint her as a "depresso." Novak relates such childhood stories as refusing to produce a urine sample for the doctor or how upset she was when she could no longer hunt for Easter eggs. She discusses how her one-night stands and drug usage helped her get through college, how a healthy relationship was beyond her control, and how she managed to survive a job in a corporate world, where she mastered avoidance techniques that she continues to use. Taken in small doses, Novak's tongue-in-cheek bantering is funny; read too much, however, and you'll feel overloaded, as the single refrain of depression becomes excessive and overworked. Bathroom humor also is prevalent, and the author divulges too many details about the colonics she used to combat her belly fat. For those seeking quick hits of depressive humor, Novak provides ample lists pinpointing a variety of topics: top nine birthday presents for the child depressive-in-training, ways to avoid charming your therapist, and top four tips for crying in a restaurant. Best read in short spurts with a stiff drink in hand, this book is an amusing look at depression that could inspire a depressed person to rejoin society.

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March 15, 2016

A perfect storm of comedy, memoir, and self-help guide, stand-up comic Novak's book is not a flowery tale of overcoming depression. Instead, it's a manifesto of sorts on how to embrace the condition's oppression and languish in its murky waters. Discussing her life from infancy to present, the author shares an insider's perspective on experiencing the illness without remorse, including using drugs and alcohol, eating almost nothing but soup, and wandering around naked. Biting, brash, unconventional, and thoroughly entertaining, Novak's stories and "advice" could be construed as disrespectful and offensive yet perhaps may also offer a window into a larger discussion. Best of all, her wry humor may indeed be just the thing for someone depressed to relate to, and, as she writes, "Even if you're feeling better, maybe you don't want to start telling people yet." VERDICT Fans of Jenny Lawson's Furiously Happy and Judd Apatow's Sick in the Head will enjoy this title.--Kaitlin Connors, Virginia Beach P.L.

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