Reviews for Broken

by Jenny Lawson

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

The Bloggess is back to survey the hazards and hilarity of imperfection.Lawson is a wanderer. Whether on her award-winning blog or in the pages of her bestselling books, she reliably takes readers to places they werent even aware they wanted to goe.g., shopping for dog condoms or witnessing what appears to be a satanic ritual. Longtime fans of the authors prose know that the destinations really arent the point; its the laugh-out-loud, tears-streaming-down-your-face journeys that make her writing so irresistible. This book is another solid collection of humorous musings on everyday life, or at least the life of a self-described super introvert who has a fantastic imagination and dozens of chosen spirit animals. While Furiously Happy centered on the idea of making good mental health days exceptionallygood, her latest celebrates the notion that being broken is beautifulor at least nothing to be ashamed of. I have managed to fuck shit up in shockingly impressive ways and still be considered a fairly acceptable person, writes Lawson, who has made something of an art form out of awkward confessionals. For example, she chronicles a mix-up at the post office that left her with a big ol sack filled with a dozen small squishy penises [with] smiley faces painted on them. Its not all laughs, though, as the author addresses her ongoing battle with both physical and mental illness, including a trial of transcranial magnetic stimulation, a relatively new therapy for people who suffer from treatment-resistant depression. The authors colloquial narrative style may not suit the linear-narrative crowd, but this isnt for them. What we really want, she writes, is to know were not alone in our terribleness.Human foibles are what make us us, and the art of mortification is what brings us all together. The material is fresh, but the scaffolding is the same.Fans will find comfort in Lawsons dependably winning mix of shameless irreverence, wicked humor, and vulnerability. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.


Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

The Bloggess is back to survey the hazards and hilarity of imperfection. Lawson is a wanderer. Whether on her award-winning blog or in the pages of her bestselling books, she reliably takes readers to places they weren’t even aware they wanted to go—e.g., shopping for dog condoms or witnessing what appears to be a satanic ritual. Longtime fans of the author’s prose know that the destinations really aren’t the point; it’s the laugh-out-loud, tears-streaming-down-your-face journeys that make her writing so irresistible. This book is another solid collection of humorous musings on everyday life, or at least the life of a self-described “super introvert” who has a fantastic imagination and dozens of chosen spirit animals. While Furiously Happy centered on the idea of making good mental health days exceptionally good, her latest celebrates the notion that being broken is beautiful—or at least nothing to be ashamed of. “I have managed to fuck shit up in shockingly impressive ways and still be considered a fairly acceptable person,” writes Lawson, who has made something of an art form out of awkward confessionals. For example, she chronicles a mix-up at the post office that left her with a “big ol’ sack filled with a dozen small squishy penises [with] smiley faces painted on them.” It’s not all laughs, though, as the author addresses her ongoing battle with both physical and mental illness, including a trial of transcranial magnetic stimulation, a relatively new therapy for people who suffer from treatment-resistant depression. The author’s colloquial narrative style may not suit the linear-narrative crowd, but this isn’t for them. “What we really want,” she writes, “is to know we’re not alone in our terribleness….Human foibles are what make us us, and the art of mortification is what brings us all together.” The material is fresh, but the scaffolding is the same. Fans will find comfort in Lawson’s dependably winning mix of shameless irreverence, wicked humor, and vulnerability. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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