To say that How to Weep in Public is
relatable would be a gross understatement; I've suffered from
depression for a large portion of my life, and like Jacqueline, and
most anyone with depression, have periods of good and bad, where I'm
“better” and “worse.” I was mildly cynical – no, perhaps
the better term would be “apprehensive” now that I think of it;
or something between the two – when I chose a book about depression
as my first book in the BFB program. You see, this has been one of my
worse periods, of late. I've fallen into that mind-and-body numbing
apathy of depression where very little is interesting or
entertaining, and even just reading
is too much, sometimes, and reading is by far my favorite pastime.
However, before I was even two pages into the introduction, I was
hooked. No, more than that. I was smiling! Before much longer, I was
laughing! Big, doofy
belly laughs in an otherwise silent room that would surely have had
the family dog looking at me like I was loony were he in the room
(thankfully, he was not, thus I faced only the judgment of my fish)
and it only got better from there.
In the
introduction, Jacqueline states that there will be no promises of
help; that she's just there to keep you (the reader) company. She
kept her promise – there were no promises of help, and she did very
much so keep me company. However, the “liability” for my feeling
better she tried to shirk on the last page, I will not allow. I was,
by the end of the book – that I had not read so much as inhaled in
the course of an evening with the voracity of someone starving
stumbling upon a free buffet – feeling better. Yes, my apathy is
still present, but the overwhelming weight of the world feels
lighter, and the fact she simply made me laugh as much as she did was
incredible.
Be
aware, however; this book will not be for everyone – Jacqueline
does use some four-letter words, and sexual metaphors, both of which
are typically utilized to lighten the mood, and they do so quite
well, but I also find they help get certain points across in a much
more direct manner than if they had been more primly stated. Instead
of flowery words, we have the very real experiences of a woman who
has spent literally her entire life in the trenches of depression,
and is unapologetic in both her use of aforementioned metaphors, but
is very to-the-point and direct about what she has to say. Her use of
wit and sarcasm, her self-esteem issues and her occasional cynical
remarks speaks to me greatly, as I myself am a highly sarcastic,
cynical individual with self-esteem issues, as I've come to learn
many people with depression tend to be. Is this, perhaps, due to a
common link between the aforementioned and intelligence, and thusly,
intelligence and depression? Perhaps so, but science is still
scratching its... head.. about exactly what
causes depression in the grand scheme of things, so speculation is
all there is.
There
was, genuinely, not a single thing I didn't adore about this book. I
know it will be one I will read again, and again, and again, and I'm
sure each time I read it, I will glean more from it in the re-read
than I did in the time before, as is often the case with literature
(and, let's face it, my memory isn't the best, so I'll always forget
things, here and there, too.) If you're looking for a book on
depression that's real, that's hilarious, and that is a genuine guide
to how to get through life with depression, I highly recommend this
book to you. I, in fact, can't recall a non-fiction work that I've
enjoyed as much as I have this book, so truly, that only adds to my
recommendation, to be honest with you.
I received this book from the Blogging
for Books program in exchange for this honest and unbiased review.
