Memoir: Furiously Happy

Memoir: Furiously Happy
Rating: Ananas out of mango.
Synopsis: I did a lot of laugh crying. Uncontrollably. On the metro. With no shame.

Longer version: This is a book about mental illness.

Generally speaking, I don't live with mental illness. I can go to work everyday -- with clothes! --- honor social commitments, and (somehow) manage to keep friends.

Reading this is January helped me remember my seasonal affective disorder, which always messes me up this time of year. I'm grouchy and moody and don't want to see people. And need to.

This book also helped me remember the times when anxiety, or depression, or panic were overwhelming. That's partly by design: by being brutally honest about her own mental illness, The Bloggess normalizes it. She makes me think about my own issues as mental illness, which maybe they are.

Anyway, about this book? It is fantastic.

This is a series of small tales, most no more than a few pages. You can pick up and read one in a few minutes, then set it down. Or, you can power through and read several at once. Each story is from Jenny's life, and most give a glimpse into the that terrifying world.

The book has a lot of fights with her husband, Victor. The following is NOT from the book, but is from her blog:

Me: People say, “You can be anyone you want.” But I’m pretty sure that’s identity theft.

Victor: You’re underestimating yourself. You can be a successful entrepreneur if you applied yourself.

Me: No. I don’t have that ability. I could pretend to be someone who’s an entrepreneur, but that’s really identify-theft too. I already have an identity, and it’s “that-girl-who-says-fuck-a-lot-and-hasn’t-intentionally-killed-anyone-yet.”

Victor: You’re just afraid to try new things. If you focused you could start a restaurant or learn to do your taxes.

Me: And now you’re having an identity crisis. Except it’s over my identity. Sort of selfish, really. Plus, you’re trying to take away my identity of “someone who doesn’t want to do things”. So if anything you’re guilty of identity theft. You’re stealing my identity.

Victor: That’s not how identity theft works.

Me: Well, it’s not how I work either. There’s a lot of confusion going around.

Winner: I don’t know. I don’t even know who I am anymore.

If the above made you laugh? Then read the book.

The book has one of the best examples of the Spoon Theory in one chapter, but what really got to me? The story of 24 people who are alive now because of how her community reacted when she came out as living with mental illness.

Yeah. The book is intense. It is also very good. You should read it.