Broken (in the best possible way)
- Downloads：6543
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-20 09:50:58
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jenny Lawson
- ISBN：1250799260
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jenny Lawson comes her most personal book yet。
As Jenny Lawson’s hundreds of thousands of fans know， she suffers from depression。 In Broken， she explores her experimental treatment of transcranial magnetic stimulation with brutal honesty。 But also with brutal humor。 Jenny discusses the frustration of dealing with her insurance company in “An Open Letter to My Insurance Company，” which should be an anthem for anyone who has ever had to call their insurance company to try and get a claim covered。 She tackles such timelessly debated questions as “How do dogs know they have penises？” We see how her vacuum cleaner almost set her house on fire， how she was attacked by three bears， business ideas she wants to pitch to Shark Tank， and why she can never go back to the post office。 Of course， Jenny’s long-suffering husband Victor―the Ricky to Jenny’s Lucille Ball―is present throughout。
A treat for Jenny Lawson’s already existing fans， and destined to convert new ones， Broken is a beacon of hope and a wellspring of laughter。
Includes Photographs and Illustrations
As Jenny Lawson’s hundreds of thousands of fans know， she suffers from depression。 In Broken， she explores her experimental treatment of transcranial magnetic stimulation with brutal honesty。 But also with brutal humor。 Jenny discusses the frustration of dealing with her insurance company in “An Open Letter to My Insurance Company，” which should be an anthem for anyone who has ever had to call their insurance company to try and get a claim covered。 She tackles such timelessly debated questions as “How do dogs know they have penises？” We see how her vacuum cleaner almost set her house on fire， how she was attacked by three bears， business ideas she wants to pitch to Shark Tank， and why she can never go back to the post office。 Of course， Jenny’s long-suffering husband Victor―the Ricky to Jenny’s Lucille Ball―is present throughout。
A treat for Jenny Lawson’s already existing fans， and destined to convert new ones， Broken is a beacon of hope and a wellspring of laughter。
Includes Photographs and Illustrations
Reviews
Meadow Lea
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I honestly don't know what to say。 She has written another wonderful book！ I laughed， I cried， I found myself relating to the words she had spun。 I really enjoyed it！ I honestly don't know what to say。 She has written another wonderful book！ I laughed， I cried， I found myself relating to the words she had spun。 I really enjoyed it！ 。。。more
Spencer Forsyth
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3。5 stars for me。 It was good， just。。。not quite as amazing as the first book。 To be fair， thats a tough one to match。
Sherry Donahue
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I really needed this one！ So funny！
Susan
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I cannot read this book in public， I laugh too much and you just can't explain it to others。 Some chapters are not funny， like her letter to her insurance company。 Other chapters are so funny I cried。 Her chapter on souls is just beautiful。 And， Victor is a saint。 I cannot read this book in public， I laugh too much and you just can't explain it to others。 Some chapters are not funny， like her letter to her insurance company。 Other chapters are so funny I cried。 Her chapter on souls is just beautiful。 And， Victor is a saint。 。。。more
Kim
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I LOVE Jenny Lawson。 She's honest and everything she says is either extremely poignant or hilarious （and she knows this）。 I would HIGHLY recommend her。 I LOVE Jenny Lawson。 She's honest and everything she says is either extremely poignant or hilarious （and she knows this）。 I would HIGHLY recommend her。 。。。more
Karen Voitik
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>Book Review – Broken （in the best possible way）>I am an independent reviewer。 This book is a humorous biography of a journalist with a very non-humorous disorder。 Jenny has suffered most of her life with depression and anxiety。 She is a very funny writer and tells her story with a humorous filter。 She talks of how she has god and bad days and exactly how her depression feels to her。 She celebrates her successes and an unusual treatment she underwent to help reprogram her brain。>I felt for Jenny >Book Review – Broken （in the best possible way）>I am an independent reviewer。 This book is a humorous biography of a journalist with a very non-humorous disorder。 Jenny has suffered most of her life with depression and anxiety。 She is a very funny writer and tells her story with a humorous filter。 She talks of how she has god and bad days and exactly how her depression feels to her。 She celebrates her successes and an unusual treatment she underwent to help reprogram her brain。>I felt for Jenny and suffering from depression myself， can relate especially to her issues with the current insurance system and its habit of not covering anything that may be helpful。 I love the writing style of arguing with her husband in the paragraph。 This book is surprisingly upbeat and laugh-out-loud funny。 I am giving this book 5 stars。 I hope Jenny continues to write and see things in such a fun way。 。。。more
Anissa
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Some heartfelt essays。 We do NOT share the same sense of humor so I found the book to be annoying overall。 Surprised at how much this book is not for me。
Guy
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Crying Laughing; Laughing Crying There is some serious stuff in here about mental health which is really good and important even if you can’t relate to it。 There is some truly hilarious and true stuff in here。 I haven’t laughed out loud from a book in so long I don’t remember。 It might have been her last book， Furiously Happy。 But if you don’t find anything in this book funny then you’re dead and we can’t be friends。 ‘Cause I don’t know how to be friends with dead people。
Alaura
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Basically anyone I work with can attest to me reading this and laughing until I fell on the floor。 Yep， I enjoyed it！
Martha New
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Vulnerable and funny。 Jenny Lawson has a way of reaching out and connecting with her readers。 I see myself and others close to me in her anxiety and the quirkiness of her story。
Tina Reisdorf
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So many laugh out loud moments。 Her books remind me of those amazing talks with a friend that leave you reassured that everyone else is just as weird as you are。 Some are just better at hiding it than you。
Martina Munroe
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Mostly engaging and supportive series of essays based on events in JL's life。 I thought a few of the chapters were unnecessary but I think they just didn't jibe with my sense of humor。 Mostly engaging and supportive series of essays based on events in JL's life。 I thought a few of the chapters were unnecessary but I think they just didn't jibe with my sense of humor。 。。。more
Beth
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I love the authenticity of this author and her candid sharing of real stories/real battles with mental illness。 But， for some reason， this book didn't do it for me。 I think the first few stories were so over hte top - I couldn't tell if she was trying to be funny， sarcastic， real。。。 I'm all for a good story but between the vulgar language and overly dramatic narrative， I got lost in the purpose of the book。 Bummed， because her previous work is awesome。 And， I think lots of people will or already I love the authenticity of this author and her candid sharing of real stories/real battles with mental illness。 But， for some reason， this book didn't do it for me。 I think the first few stories were so over hte top - I couldn't tell if she was trying to be funny， sarcastic， real。。。 I'm all for a good story but between the vulgar language and overly dramatic narrative， I got lost in the purpose of the book。 Bummed， because her previous work is awesome。 And， I think lots of people will or already do love this book。 We need more authentic authors like Lawson in the world - I still admire her for that。 But， if I'm being honest， this book just didn't cut it for me personally。 。。。more
Kim
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I love Jenny Lawson and I love how loyal her fans are。 It's well-earned。 If you're a fan， this book will not disappoint。 This is by no means a content or trigger warning， but instead a hope that in future books Jenny is more sensitive around the topic of weight and the stigma around weight gain， especially in regards to the misconception that weight gain causes poor health outcomes。 I love Jenny Lawson and I love how loyal her fans are。 It's well-earned。 If you're a fan， this book will not disappoint。 This is by no means a content or trigger warning， but instead a hope that in future books Jenny is more sensitive around the topic of weight and the stigma around weight gain， especially in regards to the misconception that weight gain causes poor health outcomes。 。。。more
Alexandra
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Great books。 So many times i busted up laughing。 I needed it too。 Always love her books。 Wonderful work。
Abby
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I'm reviewing this book after quitting 25% in。 If you don't believe in reviewing a book you haven't finished， feel free to skip。 I normally wouldn't review one I'd quit less than halfway through， but because it's a non-fiction compilation and I've read two others in this style by the same author， I feel comfortable doing so。I loved Jenny Lawson's first two books。 They were laugh out loud funny， but also had poignant insights。 Her narration of the audiobooks made them even better; her delivery wa I'm reviewing this book after quitting 25% in。 If you don't believe in reviewing a book you haven't finished， feel free to skip。 I normally wouldn't review one I'd quit less than halfway through， but because it's a non-fiction compilation and I've read two others in this style by the same author， I feel comfortable doing so。I loved Jenny Lawson's first two books。 They were laugh out loud funny， but also had poignant insights。 Her narration of the audiobooks made them even better; her delivery was charming and on-point。This book fluctuates between feeling like someone attempting to "do" Jenny Lawson and feeling like Jenny Lawson leaning into her own mythology。 In short， like she's lost her sense of authenticity。 You could probably stop reading this review here， but I'll try to explain further if anyone is interested:Most of the jokes feel forced。 A lot of the anecdotes feel like she went out of her way to be as awkward as possible in what could have been mundane scenarios， or to get into weird arguments with her husband， just so she could write about it。 Like she's gotten to a point where she pictures herself writing the story as she's living it， and lets that shape her choices。 （If you're thinking， "duh， these books are about awkwardness and anxiety and the cringey-yet-humorous situations that can stem from them！" I know。 And I really enjoyed the first two。 And I liked a lot of her blogging。 And it's from that viewpoint that I'm saying this one feels different， and it feels too intentional and forced。）There is also a growing sense of like。。。 okay， you're almost 50 now， and you've been writing this kind of content for about 15 years。 You include huge amounts of detail， you're aware of which life experiences are going to widely read as absurd or funny or painful， and yet you're still doing this whole， "oh， silly awkward me， look at the pickles I unwittingly find myself in！" thing。 This feels like a touchy paragraph to write， because I don't believe in the whole "women over a certain age shouldn't do X" or demeaning women through cuteness， but the phrase that kept popping into my head was， "this isn't cute anymore。" It's not BECAUSE she's almost 50， but because at this stage in her journey of publicly documenting， talking about， analyzing， etc。 her every awkward moment， it feels like there should be some kind of growth or evolution happening， and instead it feels like she's just fixating on the general concepts that made her popular and trying to give those a larger role in her life for the sake of content。The result is a book that feels more like a product than anything， and is just not as good as the others。 This sense of being hyper self-aware of her selling points while still presenting herself as sort of blissfully oblivious does not create the same witty， outrageous， poignant content that so many grew to love。 Instead it's that I'm cringing at her， while before I felt like I was cringing with her， and jokes that aren't very funny， and stories that don't feel either funny or meaningful， and narration that's coming entirely from a place of ego instead of the gut or the heart。The poignant aspect feels overblown now as well。 Whereas before she had a pretty good sense of when and how to ground some of the wild stories with something a bit more seri0us or touching， now it feels like each paragraph is a list of cringey one-upping type stories of awkwardness punctuated by a chicken soup for the soul moral。Even her delivery feels different this time， in a way that's hard to describe。 Like she's burnt out on doing this， but also smug？I know this review is unnecessarily long， but it feels hard to write because I am sensitive to the fact that it may sound like I'm criticizing her for being anxious， awkward， etc。 and I'm truly not。 Those were the things that used to make her stuff feel relatable， and now it feels more like when an indie company gets super successful and suddenly their previous innovations become hollow buzzwords that they keep capitalizing on while cutting corners instead of continuing to develop their work in exciting ways （or even just coasting for a while while remaining authentic）。 。。。more
Heather
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Another winner by Jenny Lawson。
Mark A。 Vierthaler
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I've been a reader of Jenny Lawson for。。。 Well。 A while。 Ever since the early days of The Bloggess。 I own all of her books， and her heartwarming and painfully real missives continue to make me both laugh and cry - often at the same time。 Excellent as always。 I've been a reader of Jenny Lawson for。。。 Well。 A while。 Ever since the early days of The Bloggess。 I own all of her books， and her heartwarming and painfully real missives continue to make me both laugh and cry - often at the same time。 Excellent as always。 。。。more
Amy Stanton
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Jenny Lawson writes about her self in a funny and poignant way。 She's honest in the way only she can be。 Jenny Lawson writes about her self in a funny and poignant way。 She's honest in the way only she can be。 。。。more
Robyn
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Absolutely wonderful， laugh out loud， heart wrenching book。 I actually listened to this and highly recommend it; however， people may look at you funny when you can’t stop laughing。
Jennifer
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Listen to this - she talks about poop way more than me; didn’t know it was possible
Jane Ciccone
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Terrible， too much rambling and too many run on sentences。 I didn’t even make it last the first three pages。
Patricia
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Hilarious and also sweet
Marybeth
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I love all of Jenny's books - most because I'm crying laughing throughout them。 I loved the serious chapters scattered in this book as well - a lot of them hit close to home。 I love all of Jenny's books - most because I'm crying laughing throughout them。 I loved the serious chapters scattered in this book as well - a lot of them hit close to home。 。。。more
Molly Cornell
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*3。5 I LOVED Furiously Happy， but I had a hard time getting into it。 I think it was just too all over the place for me to invest？ Of course， it was still incredibly funny and I still enjoyed reading Broken （in the best possible way）， but I think it isn’t necessarily as good as Furiously Happy。
Melissa
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This was an amazing audiobook。 I am always in awe of Jenny Lawson and how vulnerable and hilarious she is when letting us into her life。 I distinctly remember all of the emotions I felt from Lawson's prior book， Furiously Happy， and I genuinely feel like she just understands me。 She understands so many people who are unable to voice all of what they're going through or feeling。 This was just a wholly amazing audiobook and I recommend it to every single person out there！ I listened to it in less This was an amazing audiobook。 I am always in awe of Jenny Lawson and how vulnerable and hilarious she is when letting us into her life。 I distinctly remember all of the emotions I felt from Lawson's prior book， Furiously Happy， and I genuinely feel like she just understands me。 She understands so many people who are unable to voice all of what they're going through or feeling。 This was just a wholly amazing audiobook and I recommend it to every single person out there！ I listened to it in less than a day， if that helps convince you！ 。。。more
Beth Schroeder
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Jenny Lawson is one of my favorite writers of all time。 I fell in love with her first book years ago， read her blog regularly， and greatly enjoyed her 2nd book。 She is one of the most hilarious people on the planet。 She also struggles with treatment resistant depression， anxiety， and a number of other mental illnesses。 She writes about her struggles in a brutally honest way that is sometimes hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking， but always relatable to me。 Her new book is perfection。 Some chapt Jenny Lawson is one of my favorite writers of all time。 I fell in love with her first book years ago， read her blog regularly， and greatly enjoyed her 2nd book。 She is one of the most hilarious people on the planet。 She also struggles with treatment resistant depression， anxiety， and a number of other mental illnesses。 She writes about her struggles in a brutally honest way that is sometimes hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking， but always relatable to me。 Her new book is perfection。 Some chapters had me laughing out loud so hard I scared my dog and some had me weeping。 The last chapter is one of the most beautiful things I have ever read in my life。 I cannot recommend her works enough。 Read them！ I love this woman and the way she helps us broken people feel a little less alone ❤ 。。。more
Grace
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I received a paperback Advanced Reader's Copy （ARC） through a Goodreads Giveaway。 I received a paperback Advanced Reader's Copy （ARC） through a Goodreads Giveaway。 。。。more
Kaity
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I enjoyed Furiously Happy so much more than this， and that makes me sad。 I appreciate Kenny Lawson's honest take on her health and especially mental health as I find it so relatable， but the conversations with her husband seem so unbelievably extra this time around that I skipped full chapters。 I enjoyed Furiously Happy so much more than this， and that makes me sad。 I appreciate Kenny Lawson's honest take on her health and especially mental health as I find it so relatable， but the conversations with her husband seem so unbelievably extra this time around that I skipped full chapters。 。。。more
Alyssa Johnson
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