Soooo...A lot of people are depressed. A lot of people have stupid dogs. A lot of people cannot draw. But not a lot of people are depressed, with stupid dogs, cannot draw AND ARE FUNNY. Allie Bosch is funny. Scary, poignant, funny. Think of this book as a “Where The Wild Things Are” for adults. And it turns out all the really scary shit is in your head.
I think I got turned onto this through Terry Groos and her NPR fanzine “Fresh Air”. That is probably unfair to Terry and the show but I do respect that on her show, at every break (and there are at least 5 of them in one of her typical hourly shows will say something like:
“I am here with Allie Bosch, author of the blog “Hyperbole and a Half” which has just been released in paperback”.
Terry really shills for her guests. I don’t know, maybe it’s nice. In any case Terry Gross bats about .400 in putting on interesting people and a .400 average will (I am told) keep you in the majors for quite a while. Anyway, Bosch started her blog while mired in depression and the things she writes about it are true, and frightening and if damaged enough, funny. Most of the drawings have her in them. I learned from Gross’ show that the yellow thing on her head was her attempt to draw a pony tail.
Anyway, crude drawing of her, her dogs, her mom and occasionally objects. The art adds to the damaged quality of the prose but her narration of her plight, or her dogs plight, or her mothers mental illness are all spot on and leave simple people like me humbled both by the writings quality, it’s honesty and it’s humor. I mean, if you cannot laugh about severe and clinical depression, what can you laugh about?
This is a book to put by your toilet. Easily chopped up chapters time out excellently for the task you are poerfomring there. Sometimes it is good to read a really easy book with a lot of pictures but this book made me laugh out loud at least a dozen times and… I need that. Buy this book, give it to a friend, but not if it is the copy you kept by the toilet.
Peace, and your welcome.
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