A review by tashadandelion
The Hilarious World of Depression by John Moe

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

This book is exactly as the title promises -- a delving into an extremely heavy topic with a liberal dose of laugh-out-loud humor peppered throughout. I found myself exceedingly conflicted as I read; on one hand, empathetic-me was torn up emotionally while taking in Moe's family story (any further detail strays into spoiler territory) but on the other, I found myself smiling, chuckling or flat out LOLing frequently, and we Americans could all use a good laugh during these days of election-borne weirdness and viral-borne illness. In the end, I found his story endearing and useful, especially if one has ever felt the burden of a depressive episode or a lifelong struggle with "Clinny-D", as he and his podcasts guests jokingly refer to it. I had never heard of either John Moe or his podcast by the same name as the book before picking this up and diving in. There is one interesting connection though; I went to high school with one of the people prominently mentioned throughout the book, so that made Moe's life all the more relatable. In the end, we all bear many commonalities, though Clinny-D would tell us otherwise. I'm relieved that the author has found an equilibrium that is working for him, and I send the wish into the universe that it remains that way until his end, and may that end be peaceful and a long time from now. Amen. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide