by Jen
A few weeks ago, this video popped up in my Facebook news feed:
How is it possible for one video to be both heartbreaking and heartwarming? I don't know, but this was genius marketing because I immediately clicked over to Amazon to pre-order my copy of Jenny Lawson's second book - the magnificently titled Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things.

So when my copy arrived in my mailbox this Tuesday, I set about to devour it immediately. It's taken me a few days, but has resulted in several humorous moments in my own life - such as when my husband became concerned for my well-being upon hearing me make a choking sound and turning to find me laughing so hard that I literally couldn't breathe and tears were running down my face. (The chapter where Lawson describes the sleep study she participated in was my demise that time.) Or the next evening, when I took the book with me to my son's football practice and sat there trying not to laugh out loud (but still with tears running down my face because it was so funny!) as I read Lawson's tale of the surgeon who removed her gallbladder.
As marvelous as Lawson's humor can be, the book isn't just a barrel of laughs; humorous anecdotes are intertwined with serious glimpses into Lawson's lifelong struggle with mental illness. As someone who suffers from anxiety (though admittedly mine isn't as severe as what Lawson describes), I was both sympathetic and empathetic reading about how anxiety, depression, and other disorders have affected her as a woman, a parent, a wife, and a friend.
I hope we can look forward to more books by The Bloggess in years to come. Jenny, if you happen to read this, I'm one of those on the outskirts whispering, "Me too." Thank you for letting us all laugh and cry along with you.