Raccoon Rodeo!

This book raised expectations, but sadly did not meet them. But I don’t think it ever could have, and so that isn’t a fair thing to say. This is not a book about mental illness, or even one woman’s struggle with mental illness. It’s a glimpse into her life, and her coping mechanisms. Everything in her life becomes fodder for dealing with the demons that try to possess her: her home life, her writing, her marriage. As one group member said, this would make a great standup comedy routine. But it takes a tremendous amount of energy to deal with Jenny Lawson’s daily life, and sometimes it gets very messy and she doesn’t do well. Things get very dark, and she hides. But the reader gets the feeling that, while it may take some time, things will improve. I don’t think she could have written the book the title seemed to promise, but she wrote the book she needed to write. Some felt that because they did not have a personal knowledge of what mental illness can do they could not fully understand what Lawson was trying to get across. It’s not the “Blue Mondays” that we all experience from time to time. This is crippling, harrowing terror. One aspect I found interesting is that because Lawson has “privilege” i.e. money and access to care, was she better off than someone who does not? It’s something to ponder in our uncertain times.