Furiously Happy
Furiously Happy is the second book written by the humorist Jenny Lawson. A continuation of her previous autobiography Let's Pretend This Never Happened, this book deals more directly with Lawson's experience with mental illness, depression and anxiety.[1]
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| Author | Jenny Lawson |
|---|---|
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Mental Illness |
| Genre | Humor |
| Publisher | Flatiron Books |
Publication date | 2015 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 329 |
| ISBN | 978-1-250-07700-4 |
The title refers to Lawson's philosophy of being "furiously happy" after becoming so depressed that she eventually decided to force herself to be happy out of frustration and spite, driving herself to adventures and experiences in order to build happy memories to sustain her through bouts of depression. This propels her to do such things as travel to Australia in order to hug a koala while wearing a koala suit, to wear a fancy ballgown on ordinary occasions in order to feel beautiful, and to connect with people in the real world in spite of painful physical ability and severe social anxiety. She also related experiences of other mentally ill people who have gone on their own adventures after being inspired by her.
Lawson's memoir also discusses the real challenges of mental illness, such as anxiety and depression. She fully puts these terms into perspective and the daily struggles one might face. One example of her realness is by explaining the physical and mental pain of public appearances such as book signings.
References
- Hughes, Kathryn (2015-09-16). "Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson review – how to feel OK when you have a brain that is trying to destroy you". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-04-29.