I don’t remember who
recommended this book or how it made its way onto my reading list, but I checked
it out from the library on my Kindle and fell in love with it immediately.
It’s
the first graphic memoir I’ve ever read. I never thought a memoir with pictures
would be my thing. But, this book is creative, brilliant, and downright
hilarious. Brosh shares wonderful stories from her childhood – always
self-effacing and endearing. And her more recent stories are engaging and funny – like the time a wild goose got into her house and attacked her boyfriend.
I
have never laughed out loud so many times while reading anything. The whole
time I didn’t realize I was missing out by reading it electronically. When I
went to buy the book, I discovered the pictures are vibrant and amazing. I’m
saving Brosh’s next book, Solutions and Other Problems, as a treat for a
bad week when I need to laugh.
“Funny and smart as hell” (Bill Gates), Allie Brosh’s Hyperbole and a Half showcases her unique voice, leaping wit, and her ability to capture complex emotions with deceptively simple illustrations.
FROM THE PUBLISHER: Every time Allie Brosh posts something new on her hugely popular blog Hyperbole and a Half the internet rejoices.
This full-color, beautifully illustrated edition features more than fifty percent new content, with ten never-before-seen essays and one wholly revised and expanded piece as well as classics from the website like, “The God of Cake,” “Dogs Don’t Understand Basic Concepts Like Moving,” and…
This
new memoir by NPR’s All Things Considered host, Mary Louise Kelly, resonated
with me on so many levels.
Kelly chronicles the last year of her life before
sending her older son to college, but she also includes stories from her past,
both personal and professional. As a working mom about to send my own kid to
college and as someone who constantly struggles to balance work with
parenthood, I felt validated and comforted listening to this book.
Kelly is a
thoughtful storyteller, and I loved her narration of the audiobook in that voice that is so
familiar to me as a fan of NPR.
“This voice-driven, relatable, heartfelt and emotional story will make any parent tear up.” ―Good Morning America, “15 Delightful Books Perfect for Spring Reading”
Operating Instructions meets Glennon Doyle in this new book by famed NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly that is destined to become a classic―about the year before her son goes to college―and the joys, losses and surprises that happen along the way.
The time for do-overs is over.
Ever since she became a parent, Mary Louise Kelly has said “next year.” Next year will be the year she makes it to her…
I love a good character-driven novel, and these characters were unique,
flawed, and lovable.
All of them were great, but the pet dog was my favorite
(the author shares the dog’s thoughts, which are so funny and insightful). The
story is mostly a light, fun read, but it also deals with serious issues around
gender discrimination and even sexual assault in the early 1960s. The audiobook
is well-narrated and easily kept my attention. Highly recommended!
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • Meet Elizabeth Zott: a “formidable, unapologetic and inspiring” (PARADE) scientist in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show in this novel that is “irresistible, satisfying and full of fuel. It reminds you that change takes time and always requires heat” (The New York Times Book Review).
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Oprah Daily, Newsweek, GoodReads
"A unique heroine ... you'll find yourself wishing she wasn’t fictional." —Seattle Times…
A memoir of triumph in the face of a terrifying diagnosis, Up the Down Escalator recounts Dr. Lisa Doggett’s startling shift from doctor to patient, as she learns to live with multiple sclerosis while running a clinic for uninsured patients in central Austin. Recounting before and after the discovery of her MS, she chronicles vexing symptoms while trying to be an attentive mother, wife, and a caring family doctor.
Facing the prospect of a career-ending disability as she adjusts to life with multiple sclerosis, Dr. Lisa Doggett is forced to deal with a new level of uncertainty and vulnerability, and the everyday fear that something new will go wrong. Taking off her white coat—becoming a patient herself—she confronts unimaginable fears, copes with her limitations, and sidesteps her skepticism of alternative medicine to seek help from unlikely sources. Drawing on riveting patient stories, Doggett reveals the dark realities of the dysfunctional U.S. healthcare system, made all the more stark when she becomes the one seeking care.
MS pushes Doggett—a perfectionist at heart—to soften her inner drill sergeant and embrace self-compassion. As a patient, she learns to advocate for herself to ensure on-time medication deliveries and satisfactory treatment plans; to navigate chronic dizziness, relapses, and parenting frustrations; and to push her physical limits as a runner to go farther than ever before. As the director of a health clinic for the uninsured, Doggett’s MS inspires an even deeper empathy as she confronts challenging cases, prompting her to work harder on behalf of those in her care, many of whom struggle with illnesses more serious than her own.
This hopeful and uplifting book will encourage those living with chronic disease, and those supporting them, to power forward with courage and grace. It will spark conversations to redefine perfect parenting and trigger uncomfortable discussions and outrage about the vicious inequalities of health care in the U.S. Most of all, it will inspire readers to embrace the gifts of an imperfect life and look for silver linings, despite life’s detours that sabotage plans and take them off their expected paths.
