Furiously Happy Book Review
“Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things” by Jenny Lawson is a hilarious, but poignant follow-up to her first memoir, “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened.” This is my book review of Furiously Happy.
In this book of personal essays, Lawson delves even deeper into her battles with mental illness. Despite her struggles…or perhaps TO SPITE her struggles, she adopts a philosophy of radical joy and resilience. Lawson’s decision to be “furiously happy” is both a battle cry against depression and anxiety and a celebration of the small moments of joy that make life worth living. Her essays range from the absurdly funny to the deeply touching. The simultaneously frightening, yet contagiously cheerful raccoon on the cover perfectly encapsulates the book’s essence.
In “Furiously Happy”, Lawson expertly balances laugh-out-loud silliness with heavier themes. Her writing is conversational and engaging. She sprinkles in self-deprecating jabs at herself, yet somehow delivers them in a self-respectful, confident way. Her anecdotes seem to shout “I’m an idiot!” But also reassures herself (and/or the reader), “It’s OK though, we’re all idiots”. Or maybe it’s just me that believes I’m an idiot, but not any more or less of an idiot than everyone else. I simply exude a different flavor of idiocy than other idiots. Where was I? The book’s structure is composed of short essays, making it easy to pick up and read in small doses. Although I found it difficult to put the book down due to my love for humorous personal essay compilations…you know, like this one: “Essays Out of Left Field“.
Oh, and about that raccoon…
Who is Jenny Lawson?
Ms. Lawson is many things: A wife, mother, owner of a bookshop, multiple New York Times Bestselling author, artist, owner of cats and various taxidermied animals. I don’t know Ms Lawson personally, but she seems like someone any reasonable or unreasonable person would want to hang out with. She is weird and brilliant and neurotic. If you are just being introduced to Jenny Lawson now, in this very post, I would suggest you start familiarizing yourself with her work via her award-winning blog.
Or if you are specifically curious about the happily-furious raccoon on the book cover, maybe start here:
Now onto the ranking of Furiously Happy!
My innovative system for rating humor books is explained here
Wholesomeness Score: 2.5/5
Lots of swears, descriptive human anatomy references, and plenty of talk about the struggles of mental illness. Content about mental illness certainly does not make a book UN-wholesome per se. However, some people might be sensitive to the raw, honest discussion. Also contains dead animals. Or more like FEATURES dead animals. Including the cover. It’s fine with me, but you should probably be aware…
Hilarity Score: 5/5
Funny. Very funny. Furiously funny. Here are 3 random examples:
In the book, Lawson cites a goal of hugging a koala bear, whilst dressed like a koala bear.
She also states in a footnote:
“But frankly I do sort of wonder how people taste. Cannibals say that we taste like pork, and bacon is my spirit animal, so we’re probably delicious.”
-Jenny Lawson, Furiously Happy
Lawson offers the one-line statement below, completely unrelated to anything else in her story. There is no additional context to add below to help you understand what she is referring to. It’s just stand-alone nonsense.
“Benedict Cumberbatch is like Alan Rickman Benjamin Buttoning.”
-Jenny Lawson, Furiously Happy
I have no idea what that means. I’m not sure it’s even supposed to mean anything.
These excerpts were simply examples I pulled by opening the book to 3 random places. They are bizarre, hilarious (at least by my definition) and they are exactly the kind of ridiculousness I’m here for.
Overall Book Awesomeness Score: 4.5/5
This book has a high level of overall awesomeness. Jenny Lawson is funny and weird and broken in the best possible way. There is plenty of ridiculousness to make you laugh out loud (if you’re one of those people who can’t control themselves.) But it also provides valuable and serious insight into living with anxiety and depression. She urges readers going through similar struggles to FIGHT for their own happiness. Bravo, Ms. Lawson.
Furiously Happy Book Review – Conclusion:
“Furiously Happy” is an uplifting memoir that combines raw honesty with laugh-out-loud humor. Jenny Lawson’s fearless approach to sharing her life’s ups and downs offers comfort and camaraderie to those who struggle with mental illness. Her message is clear: it’s okay to not be okay. Finding joy, even in the midst of pain, is not only possible but essential. This book is a must-read for anyone looking for a heartfelt, hilarious, and profoundly human perspective on life’s complexities. Also recommended for fans of taxidermied raccoons.
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Funny Follow: Duh, follow Jenny Lawson
Follow her on Instagram or her blog: thebloggess.com or even her very own independent bookshop: Nowhere Bookshop.
Funny Racoon T-shirt
Because why not?
I’m on a mission to read all the funny books! All of them. That seems doable, right? And after I read them, I intend to share my findings with you, because I assume you also want to read all the funny books! Let me know if you have any funny book recommendations!