Furiously Happy

August 31, 2015
Popular blogger/author Lawson (Let's Pretend This Didn't Happen) writes that this "funny book" about mental illness is not so much a sequel to her last book, but rather "a collection of bizarre essays and conversations and confused thoughts stuck together by spilled boxed wine and the frustrated tears of baffled editors." While followers of Lawson's blog will be familiar with her fascination with unusual topics (e.g., stuffed critters, the mysteries of Japanese toilets), newcomers may initially be jolted by the author's litany of diagnoses (depression, anxiety, autoimmune disorders, phobias, insomnia, etc.) as well as her unique ability to turn life's lemons into hilarious stories. Lawson decides that rather than wave a white flag, she will combat mental illness by being "furiously happy." Helping her stuffed raccoons ride on her cats, visiting Australia in a koala bear costume, and battling menacing swans are just a few of the ways she creates humor in a life that might defeat a less inventive individual. She also shares days of darkness, social anxiety, and a range of fears that sometimes keep her housebound. Though mostly comedic, the text also addresses such serious issues as self-injury and why mental illness is misunderstood. Lawson insightfully explores the ways in which dark moments serve to make the lighter times all the brighter.

September 15, 2015
Lawson, known as The Bloggess to readers of her immensely popular blog of the same name, fills her second memoir with stories that revolve around the crazy things that happen in her life, with an emphasis here on her struggles with mental illnessmainly anxiety and depression. Lawson is known for blowing just about everything out of proportion, often proudly. For example, she recounts how she was once convinced that a herd of swans was chasing her in order to eat her, or, worse, impregnate her (hey, she read about it on the Internet!). In most of these anecdotes, her long-suffering husband attempts to bring her back to reality. But, in some, she digs deep, revealing how her mental issues leave her feeling frightened and useless. Scenes from her therapists' offices are funny but usually uncomfortably so. Lawson is a witty comic writer, but the repeated subject matter here feels best read in bits and piecesas one would with a blog.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: TheBloggess.com gets a reported one to two million page views per month, and promotion at book and library conferences has been high. While Lawson's offbeat brand of humor might not be a hit with all readers, the 300,000-copy print run suggests that this book will make the best-seller lists as quickly as her first title, Let's Pretend This Never Happened, did.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

Starred review from November 30, 2015
Lawson—aka “the Bloggess”—delivers a captivating roller-coaster ride of a performance that elicits wickedly uproarious laughter and heartfelt emotional catharsis. In this collection of personal issues, Lawson mixes her lifelong struggle with mental and physical illnesses and her quirky brand of humor, connecting those two threads together with the notion that those who suffer the deepest lows should embrace a form of happiness that allows for the wild and uninhibited side of life. Lawson possesses a distinct vocal pitch and tangential style of delivery that matches the unapologetically scattershot nature of her narrative. Her renderings of the daily banter of her marriage to a supportive husband with a diametrically opposite temperament ring with authenticity. As a quirky animal lover who also loves taxidermy, Lawson doesn’t miss a beat in giving voice to the rich characterizations she has created for the critters in her life, both living and dead. Her language is not for the faint of heart, but the appeal of Lawson’s sheer humanity cannot be denied. A Flatiron hardcover.

July 1, 2015
Lawson (Let's Pretend This Never Happened, 2012), "The Bloggess," pokes fun at herself as she addresses the serious nature of her mental and physical illnesses. "I've struggled with many forms of mental illness since I was a kid," writes the author, "but clinical depression is a semi-regular visitor and anxiety disorder is my long-term abusive boyfriend." Rather than hiding the facts, she openly divulges, in a darkly humorous way, how she copes with rheumatoid arthritis, depression, panic attacks, anxiety, and the days when she is driven to pull her hair out or cut herself. Along with discussions about taxidermic giraffes and raccoons, whether cats yawn, and mobs of swans attacking her, readers learn the particular ways Lawson has learned to cope with those moments that threaten to overwhelm her-e.g., readings that send her cowering behind the podium or fleeing to the bathroom, passing out during a gynecological exam because she's afraid of medical coats, or trying to find a solution to her sleep problems by attending a sleep clinic. The details are sometimes graphic-"I always tell gynecologists that if I pass out when they're in my vagina they should just take that opportunity to get everything out of the way while I'm out"-but always honest and usually funny. Lawson's goal is not to offend, although that might happen to some readers, but to lay bare the truth about her struggles in life so that others can benefit. She does a solid job exposing the hidden nature of mental illness by putting a direct spotlight on her own issues, thereby illuminating an often taboo subject. Her amusing essays open up a not-so-funny topic: mental illness in its many guises. Kudos to Lawson for being a flagrant and witty spokesperson for this dark subject matter.

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Starred review from September 1, 2015

Lawson (Let's Pretend This Never Happened) returns with another autobiographical work, this one focused on her experiences living with mental illness. The title comes from a hashtag Lawson started on Twitter after a friend's death to encourage people living with depression and anxiety to stockpile ridiculous, joyful memories "to take into battle with us when our brains declare war on our very existence." Her own furiously happy exploits lead to stories about her collection of odd taxidermy, the time she rented a sloth and a wallaby to surprise her husband and daughter, and a trip to Australia, where she donned a kangaroo costume in an effort to get closer to wild kangaroos. As delightful as much of the book is, Lawson is also candid about her struggles with depression, self-harm, and crippling anxiety, the difficulties of nailing down the right combination of medications to treat her conditions, and her fears about the effects of her illness on her family. VERDICT The stigma surrounding mental illness can only be lifted if people affected are willing to talk about their experiences and everyone else is willing to listen. This book is a profane, hilarious, touching, and essential part of that conversation. Recommended for all public libraries.--Stephanie Klose, Library Journal

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.