By Alyssa Opdyke
Jenny Lawson uses humor and charm to further her discussion on mental health. Courtesy of Twitter
Most readers and writers advise their peers in literature to avoid judging a book by its cover.
Jenny Lawson’s “Furiously Happy” is an exception to the rule.
Pick out the book from a crowded humor section in any bookstore, library or online marketplace, and it stands out not only for its slightly frightening title, but for the cover itself: adorned with the photo of a frantic-looking, open-armed, taxidermied raccoon in contrast to the glamorous gold and silver background.
Delve into the book, and instantly recognize the vitality of the cover for such a charmingly erratic piece. Lawson, author of The Bloggess blog, highlights her daily life of “arguments” with her Republican, “grown-up” husband Victor, her supportive daughter Hailey, her unassuming neighbors and, most prominently, her encounters with both taxidermied and live possums, raccoons and other wild animals — of which she both rants and raves.
As enjoyable as Lawson’s humor sections of “Furiously Happy” are, the most refreshing aspect of the book is an element she minimally touched on in her first, New York Times bestseller, “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened”: living with depression, anxiety, imposter syndrome and a number of other mental illnesses and struggles.
Lawson’s approach to the controversial issues is refreshingly honest, often pausing between humor-focused chapters to delve into mental-health related issues, such as self harm, agoraphobia and feeling the inability to escape both physically and mentally. Though Lawson quickly returns to more lighthearted topics immediately after, these darker chapters will resonate with all readers, whether living with mental illness themselves or simply living as allies to those struggling.
“Furiously happy” is even Lawson’s personal mantra. In the face of the voices of depression and anxiety, often designed to scare one into living in fear and sadness, Lawson forces herself and encourages other to live as furiously and feverishly happily as possible to silence and defeat these voices.
Lawson concludes “Furiously Happy” with a sendoff of encouragement, recalling her love of the community formed around her writing, and the true reward she considers for her writing — The 24, a concept only understood once readers complete the book.
“Furiously Happy” will make readers both laugh out loud and wonder why no one had written so candidly yet hilariously about mental health before. It is a true representation of Lawson’s encouragement to “Be bizarre. Be weird. Be proud of the uniquely beautiful way that you are broken.”
