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A review by kristinisreading
Agorafabulous!: Dispatches from My Bedroom by Sara Benincasa
5.0
I think the title Agorafabulous is misleading. It makes the book sound like a lightweight romp of someone who, sure, has Agoraphobia but manages to stay trendy and chic the same time. It would also be misleading to think of this is a humor book. It's a memoir written by a comedian and it is often funny, but it is raw and deeply revealing.
There's a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow quote that I like that goes, "If we could read the secret history of our enemies we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility." This book is a reminder that people walk around with lives hidden from view that we can scarcely imagine. In the introduction there was a juxtaposition that set the tone for the book. In one paragraph the author is detailing an explicit, slightly raunchy adolescent moment, and two paragraphs down describes a situation so tragic it takes your breath away.
I admit I like memoirs written by smart, neurotic, sarcastic women, and this certainly fits. Even more it's a wonderful portrait of a person living with mental illness. It reveals that the illness does not fully define a person. I really liked this book and would recommend it.
There's a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow quote that I like that goes, "If we could read the secret history of our enemies we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility." This book is a reminder that people walk around with lives hidden from view that we can scarcely imagine. In the introduction there was a juxtaposition that set the tone for the book. In one paragraph the author is detailing an explicit, slightly raunchy adolescent moment, and two paragraphs down describes a situation so tragic it takes your breath away.
I admit I like memoirs written by smart, neurotic, sarcastic women, and this certainly fits. Even more it's a wonderful portrait of a person living with mental illness. It reveals that the illness does not fully define a person. I really liked this book and would recommend it.