The first 70 pages were a little sub-par for my Jenny Lawson expectations— having read and laughed out loud or commiserated with much of her previous book, Furiously Happy, I had lofty expectations, and felt a little let down. Then I read the chapter “An Open Letter to My Health Insurance Company”, and was blown away by her eloquent fury. While the previous book was probably the best book written to date to offer a personal perspective on life with anxiety, panic attacks, and social phobia— all while making the reader laugh out loud and relate and feel empathically sad, quite a feat— this book deals with serious depression. The Open Letter chapter really breaks through, and moves the book toward what I expect from Lawson— honest reporting on the experience, feelings, and social effects of mental illness, sensitively delivered, with self-deprecating, devastating humor. The humor makes it all real, a human experience, and relatable for most readers, while maybe not personally suffering to that degree, can nevertheless relate and experience vicariously.

The essay, “The Things We Do to Quiet the Monsters” gives a relatable, creative description of her depression, and the experimental treatment she experienced, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Her candid and funny account of the treatment shows just how far a patient will go to seek relief from the relentless suffering of depression. Make sure you use the bathroom before you read “Awkwarding Brings Us Together”, a true test of your bladder control. By tweeting out her own awkward moment:

“Airport cashier: “Have a safe flight.” Me: “You too!” I CAN NEVER COME HERE AGAIN.”

she unleashed an unexpected torrent of followers’ awkwardness that will have you screaming with laughter and tormenting your loved ones by forcing them to listen as you read them out loud. I’ll pick just one to share, and impossible Sophie’s Choice, since they are all hilarious:

“Bought a new dress for grandma’s funeral; arrived, cousins shocked, laughing; grandma has on same dress.”

— Desert_Flowers

Okay, one more:

“My carry-on got pulled for a random search by the TSA. I had packed it so tight I warned the officer that “it might explode.”

— Thearetical

Lawson is very candid about arguments with her husband Victor, who most readers believe to be a true saint. Fortunately, he seems to have a wicked sense of humor, too. Her mistakes, goofiness, and totally different perspective on life makes you realize that we can all laugh at ourselves, and there is beauty to all that makes us human. Leave your perfect Facebook behind, and share the mistakes, the sadness, the bad stuff—not out of self-pity, but to honestly show our complete humanity. She defiantly writes and shares in the face of Facebook and Instagram perfection, with a singular creativity and humor that is endearing, and will have you smiling randomly. Highly recommend.