One particular example she gave (complete with corresponding drawings) was that she says “My fish are dead.” And people are saying things like “I’ll help you find your fish. Having not experienced depression before, it was really interesting to understand more of what might go on in the head of someone struggling with depression. I found her transparency in talking about her thoughts and feelings with depression very enlightening. Both Lawson and Brosh deal with severe depression. It is similar to Lawson’s book in that it is all random, crazy experiences she has had with a few chapters here and there talking about mental illness. I don’t have a dog and don’t particularly desire to, so I didn’t connect with those chapters, however, I feel like most dog-owners/lovers would find them highly relatable. I don’t know.Īs for content, there are a lot of dog stories. Maybe because they’re a smidge on the creepy side.

Maybe it’s that, here, her ponytail always looks like a birthday hat and as an artist I, personally, find it a terrible rendering choice. Pyle’s Strange Planet drawings, and I find those more humorous than these. To her credit, the consistency in the drawings is pretty incredible. Based on the FAQs of her blog website, she creates all of the drawings in MS Paintbrush and they are all done very deliberately.

Here are a couple pictures of the types of drawings she makes:Īlthough there were some that I found funny and entertaining, generally, the drawings didn’t really keep me engaged. If you are new to the scene, I’ll tell slash show you some things to help you know if it’s worth your time.įirst- the book is mostly pictures interspersed between short text to illustrate her stories and introspection about motivation, animals, cake, hot sauce, getting lost, and adulting. If you are familiar with Allie Brosh’s popular blog (with the same title) then you already know what to expect in this book and you’ll probably love the book. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Jenny Lawson gave an endorsement and blurb on the back of this book. Having just read Jenny Lawson’s book Broken (in the best possible way), Hyperbole and a Half felt very similar in humor and writing style. Thanks to the aforementioned reading challenge I created, I was forced to actually read it! I had vaguely heard good things about the blog this book came from so when I saw it at Half Price Books for $3, I thought, ‘Why not?’ And then it sat on my shelf for the next 3 years.

Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened

Allie brosh books