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Furiously happy : {a funny book about horrible things}  Cover Image Book Book

Furiously happy : {a funny book about horrible things} / Jenny Lawson.

Summary:

In [this book, the author] 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 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 [this book], 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.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9781250077028 (trade paperback)
  • Physical Description: xxii, 346 pages : illustrations (some colour) ; 21 cm
  • Edition: First Flatiron Books paperback edition.
  • Publisher: New York : Flatiron Books, 2017.

Content descriptions

General Note:
Originally published in hardback in 2015.
Formatted Contents Note:
A series of unfortunate disclaimers -- Furiously happy, dangerously sad -- I've found a kindred soul and he has a very healthy coat -- My phone is more fun to hang out with than me -- I have a sleep disorder and it's probably going to kill me or someone else -- How many carbs are in a foot? -- Pretend you're good at it -- George Washington's dildo -- I'm not psychotic; I just need to get in front of you in line. -- Why would I want to do more when I'm already doing so well at nothing? -- What I say to my shrink vs. what I mean -- LOOK AT THIS GIRAFFE -- The fear -- Skinterventions and Bangtox -- It's like your pants are bragging at me -- Nice bass -- It's hard to tell which of us is mentally ill -- I left my heart in San Francisco. (but replace "San Francisco" with "near the lemur house" and replace "heart" with a sad question mark.) -- Stock up on snow globes, the zombie apocalypse is coming -- Appendix: An interview with the author -- I'm turning into a zombie one organ at a time -- Cats are selfish yawners and they're totally getting away with it -- Koalas are full of chlamydia -- Voodoo vagina -- The world needs to go on a diet, literally -- Crazy like a reverse fox -- An essay on parsley, wasabi, cream cheese, and soup -- And then I got three dead cats in the mail -- Things I may have accidentally said during uncomfortable silences -- My skeleton is potaterrific -- It's called "catouflage" -- We're better than Galileo, because he's dead -- Things my father taught me -- I'm going to die, eventually. -- And this is why I prefer to cut my own hair -- It's all in how you look at it (the book of Nelda) -- Well at least your nipples are covered -- Death by swans is not a glamorous as you'd expect -- The big quiz -- Cat lamination -- That baby was delicious -- These cookies know nothing of my work -- It might be easier, but it wouldn't be better -- Epilogue : Deep in the trenches.
Subject: Lawson, Jenny, 1973-
Humorists, American > 21st century > Biography.
Journalists > United States > Biography.
Mental illness > Humor.
Genre: Biographies.
Autobiographies.
Humor.

Available copies

  • 0 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Cookstown Branch 070.92 Lawso 31681002844231 NONFIC In process -

  • Baker & Taylor
    A #1 New York Times best-selling author presents a memoir about the most compelling theme in her work: living with severe depression and mental illness—and taxidermied roadkill raccoons. Reprint.
  • Baker & Taylor
    "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 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"--
  • McMillan Palgrave

    #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?


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