Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book about Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson

40 reviews

julieb3a's review against another edition

2.0

Her writing sounds like my 8th grade stream of consciousness. Maybe I would have liked it more if I didn’t do the audiobook. Laughed twice, but most of the time it was a no for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Self harm

nuthatch's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Self harm and Suicidal thoughts

senation1s's review against another edition

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

5.0

Very funny and lighthearted way to look at depression and self-expression. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Minor: Self harm and Suicidal thoughts

madmadmaddymad's review

dark funny reflective slow-paced

5.0

A wacky and absurd book about suffering from depression.

My favorite part was the story about digging for her keys in the garbage can at the zoo, and then not knowing what she threw away when her husband came and told her he had her keys. Also, the story about visiting Australia. Easily the most chaotic road trip I’ve ever been on (and I wasn’t even there) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Fatphobia, and Mental illness

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Animal death

rafacolog's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

pipn_t's review against another edition

funny medium-paced

It took me a chapter or two to get into it, but I really enjoyed it once I got used to the style of the author.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm

perytonne's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Self harm, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Chronic illness, Cursing, and Animal death

kiwichill's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.0

The audiobook adds to the experience of reading this book as Jenny narrates it herself.  As someone who also suffers anxiety and depression,  and chronic health issues,  I found her book very relatable.   I laughed till I cried several times 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Self harm

Minor: Classism, Excrement, Animal death, Blood, Cursing, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Drug use, Stalking, Colonisation, Alcohol, Cannibalism, and Addiction

jordan_noel's review against another edition

dark funny reflective fast-paced

4.5

Furiously Happy is open and honest, hilarious and relatable. It’s about acknowledging when you can do nothing but simply exist and furiously celebrating when you can do more. I loved her shameless explanations of how she finds ways to make her life better and her use of sarcasm and confidence to fight off social pressures. Overall, I just had a very fun, very emotional time with this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Cursing and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Body shaming, Self harm, and Animal death

kbreader's review

I respect the author for being vulnerable. It is not easy to talk about mental health and share personal struggles, including serious concerns like self harm. It is not easy to take on the comedian role and especially when one is a woman.

The humor in this book makes sense for the year it was written in. To me, the harshness or omission of nuance of the jokes seemed overdone.

The chapters in which she discussed her mental health and how she is coping  - good or bad - did interest me.

The other unrelated stories varied as to whether I read them or not.

Also, the argument chapters between her and her husband did not appeal, but could be personal preference. I started to skip reading these dialogues. 

Strangely, I happened upon some interviews online with the author. I actually found her demeanor to be very different from how she presents herself in the book. I found her live interviews to present a person I was more interested in, a more gentle and relatable soul even if flawed. Maybe we all have more than one persona. However, it left me wondering - would I have enjoyed this book more if she presented her quirkiness with more gentleness and the parts about mental health with less need to make every paragraph end with a punchline?

Truly hope she and her family are doing well.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm and Mental illness