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Broken (In the Best Possible Way)

Broken (In the Best Possible Way)

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  • Create Date：2021-03-31 15:11:29
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Jenny Lawson
  • ISBN：1250077036
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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

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Reviews

Jodi ，

For anyone that has struggled with anxiety and/or depression。。。。go read this。 The rest of you， go read this， too。 And while you’re at it， read her other books as well。Pro tip。。。don’t put on mascara before reading， as you will just cry-laugh it off。 You’re welcome

Kathleen ，

Absolutely love Jenny Lawson。 This book has tons of hilarity， like her others， but also real depth in discussing her mental illnesses （anxiety and depression） and the lengths she goes to in order to keep them under control， including transcranial magnetic stimulation。 Powerful and clear perspective on mental illness， would definitely recommend。 Received in advance of publication in a Goodreads giveaway。

Kathleen Gray ，

Reading this collection of essays will make you laugh， shudder， and occasionally shake your fist at the world。 If you， like me， are only vaguely familiar with Lawson， you， like me， will discover a new essayist who puts it all on the table with humor and a stark honesty。 Topics range from her battle with depression to the impact of her arthritic ankles。 Then there's the post office。 And her fans。 And her husband Victor。 I know I probably missed a few things but I really enjoyed this because Lawso Reading this collection of essays will make you laugh， shudder， and occasionally shake your fist at the world。 If you， like me， are only vaguely familiar with Lawson， you， like me， will discover a new essayist who puts it all on the table with humor and a stark honesty。 Topics range from her battle with depression to the impact of her arthritic ankles。 Then there's the post office。 And her fans。 And her husband Victor。 I know I probably missed a few things but I really enjoyed this because Lawson， despite it all， keeps her head up。 I loved the cover， which is filled with meaning。 Thanks to edelweiss for the ARC。 I'm off to find Lawson's blog。 。。。more

Carin ，

More excellence and funny from Jenny Lawson！As usual， a series of essays， often hilarious， often dealing with her mental and physical health issues， and the poor， suffering Victor。 Her daughter plays more of a role here， which makes sense as she's older。 And for me， this particular collection seemed to skew slightly less funny， but it's still always a good day when you get a new book from Jenny Lawson！ The transcranial magnetic stimulation treatments were so cool （although fighting with her insu More excellence and funny from Jenny Lawson！As usual， a series of essays， often hilarious， often dealing with her mental and physical health issues， and the poor， suffering Victor。 Her daughter plays more of a role here， which makes sense as she's older。 And for me， this particular collection seemed to skew slightly less funny， but it's still always a good day when you get a new book from Jenny Lawson！ The transcranial magnetic stimulation treatments were so cool （although fighting with her insurance company over them wasn't。） And I can't stop thinking about her thinking that dog rain boots are essentially small condoms， and then she went to the pharmacy to try to get some herself， and she was looking for those rubber glove fingers that you can put over an injury， and the whole exchange was hysterical and bizarre。 Much fun！ 。。。more

Leslie ，

I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway， what follows is my honest opinion。I loved this book。 It's the first one I've read by the author but you can be sure that I already have her other books on reserve。 Lawson does such a remarkable job of describing her life with depression with humor and a keen eye for irony that her essays elicited compassion and laughter。 However， although Lawson does provide a nuanced portrait of an individual in the grips of depression， it's not a one-note book， the I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway， what follows is my honest opinion。I loved this book。 It's the first one I've read by the author but you can be sure that I already have her other books on reserve。 Lawson does such a remarkable job of describing her life with depression with humor and a keen eye for irony that her essays elicited compassion and laughter。 However， although Lawson does provide a nuanced portrait of an individual in the grips of depression， it's not a one-note book， there is so much more to it than that particular topic。 My favorite part of the book was the section on 'how to know if you're an introvert'。 Lawson actually wrote her own introvert/extrovert quiz and it is hilarious。Another section that had me in stitches involved embarrassing things that people have said to others。 Besides including her own notable embarrassing statements， Lawson prints episodes that others have sent her。 I'm just going to imprint the section in my brain to pull out and review the next time I put my foot in my mouth。 My third favorite section involved conversations between Lawson and her editor regarding edits for the book。 As you can imagine， she doesn't give in easily， and you'll quickly see her editor's attempts to diminish her use of made up words。I'm in awe of how Jenny Lawson has used her mental health issues to develop her empathy and compassion for others。 It's not just her ability to see humor in difficult situations， it's also her ability to see light in the midst of darkness。 She's realistic about the struggle but continues to look forward。 That's comforting to those of us who also walk in the shadow of this disease。 。。。more

Leah ，

I think the best thing about this book was it felt so real。 Not everyone has the same journey so not everyone has the exact experiences。 But Jenny makes everything feel relatable。 It is a good reminder that I am not alone in my struggles。 And that there are good times too。 The book is a good mix of emotions and is broken up well into bite size segments if you are looking for something specific （ie。 commiserating， or zany）。 *I was beyond lucky to receive this book through a giveaway。 This review I think the best thing about this book was it felt so real。 Not everyone has the same journey so not everyone has the exact experiences。 But Jenny makes everything feel relatable。 It is a good reminder that I am not alone in my struggles。 And that there are good times too。 The book is a good mix of emotions and is broken up well into bite size segments if you are looking for something specific （ie。 commiserating， or zany）。 *I was beyond lucky to receive this book through a giveaway。 This review is voluntary and all thoughts are my own。 。。。more

Kat Williamson ，

This was wonderful。 Absolutely wonderful。 I laughed so hard at some chapters that I nearly peed my pants。 Then in the next chapter I needed tissues to sop up all my feelings。 I finished reading this book on my back porch with a glass of wine in hand， sobbing and smiling。 It was the perfect ending。 Thank you， Jenny， for making me feel all my feelings in one finely crafted book。

Holly ，

Jenny Lawson （aka thebloggess） has done it again。 Her new book， Broken （In the Best Possible Way）， releasing April 6， 2021， is another all nighter！ I could not put it down！ Jenny slays dragons （not real ones， that would be crazy！） in her fight against health insurance companies that might be trying to kill her。 She conquers demons （these *might* be real， I live with them） by fighting daily against her mental illnesses with humor & grace。 She shows she is all of us， well maybe not all， I didn’t g Jenny Lawson （aka thebloggess） has done it again。 Her new book， Broken （In the Best Possible Way）， releasing April 6， 2021， is another all nighter！ I could not put it down！ Jenny slays dragons （not real ones， that would be crazy！） in her fight against health insurance companies that might be trying to kill her。 She conquers demons （these *might* be real， I live with them） by fighting daily against her mental illnesses with humor & grace。 She shows she is all of us， well maybe not all， I didn’t grow up with raccoons in my bathtub！ Her long running jokes with Victor make up the laugh track to a loving & long term marriage。 And Hailey is all grown up （well mostly， she’s a TEENAGER now， I know it’s crazy）！I can’t recommend this book enough to fans of Theblogess， friends with mental-illness， family of friends with mental-illness， and pretty much everyone else on the planet。 Jenny is a treasure & her book Broken is a spectacular testament to learning how to not just live， but thrive with chronic illness。 Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book prior to publication in return for an honest review。 https://www。nowherebookshop。com/book/。。。 。。。more

Andrea ，

Once again I am floored by Jenny Lawson’s writing。 I found myself laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe at times followed by passages so heartfelt I had to pause for a moment to process them。 This book was amazing。 I would highly recommend it to everyone and am so grateful for my advanced copy。 Do yourselves a favor， read it as soon as you have a chance; this is one that will stick with me for a long time。

Kerry ，

Many laugh out loud moments and I appreciate the author being frank about her struggles in a serious but yet humorous way。

Kim ，

This was a great audiobook （read by Lawson） to listen to in small chunks。 Had me laughing on my commute。 Sometimes her antics and meandering storytelling become repetitive which is why it took me a few months to finish it， but the moments that really surprised me made up for it。 Relatable， especially with her social anxiety and talking to her neighbors， lord， I've been there so often。 It was healing to hear her perspective on her own mental health journey， too。 Now I need to read Furiously Happy This was a great audiobook （read by Lawson） to listen to in small chunks。 Had me laughing on my commute。 Sometimes her antics and meandering storytelling become repetitive which is why it took me a few months to finish it， but the moments that really surprised me made up for it。 Relatable， especially with her social anxiety and talking to her neighbors， lord， I've been there so often。 It was healing to hear her perspective on her own mental health journey， too。 Now I need to read Furiously Happy。 Also， Jenny Lawson has a bookstore now？ What？！ 。。。more

Stephanie ，

Jenny Lawson is brave， and funny， and smart， and willing to share her struggles with anxiety and depression in her blog posts， essays， and books。 Why “brave？” I share some of her afflictions and， while I totally bought in to the concept that depression won’t lose its stigma until people are willing to talk openly about their struggles， my own experience has been that lots of people can’t handle hearing about it。 OK， lots of them are a-holes but I lost a number of “friends” after I opened up abou Jenny Lawson is brave， and funny， and smart， and willing to share her struggles with anxiety and depression in her blog posts， essays， and books。 Why “brave？” I share some of her afflictions and， while I totally bought in to the concept that depression won’t lose its stigma until people are willing to talk openly about their struggles， my own experience has been that lots of people can’t handle hearing about it。 OK， lots of them are a-holes but I lost a number of “friends” after I opened up about my own struggles。 So her willingness to open up and talk about her experiences is amazing to cowards like me。 The thing about Jenny that sets her apart from others who have been willing to talk about anxiety and depression is that she is legit FUNNY。 And what better time to laugh at our situation than in the middle of a worldwide pandemic？ So I was very happy to receive a copy of Broken from Henry Holt & Co。 and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。In addition to being hilarious， some of her anecdotes are borderline heartbreaking。 Not sure if this is more true for us readers who share her “issues，” but her stories resonate with people for many reasons， and I find the idea that I am not totally alone in my mental state to be REALLY reassuring。 I love that she has ideas she’d like to pitch to the panel on Shark Tank， and that she “can never go back to the post office。” She puts it all out there for our entertainment， and even pulls her husband “Victor” （I’m not sure if he is real， but he is terrific） into her stories。Jenny’s previous books Let’s Pretend This Never Happened， Furiously Happy （who wouldn’t love a book with a raccoon on the cover？）， and You Are Here， have all been successful and have all made me laugh as well as reminding me that I am not alone in my mental state。 I love this woman。 Buy her book。 Five stars。 。。。more

Nicole Bucaro ，

She really does such an amazing job of balancing real， terrible mental health issues with humor and hope！

Kristen ，

Hilarious and serious， by turns。 Love her writing。 Laughed until I could hardly breathe。

Amanda ，

I was lucky to win a copy of this book from Goodreads。 The Bloggess is both hilarious and devastatingly real。 This particular collection of essays is a perfect representation of that。 I starred multiple essays in the TOC that made me either laugh or cry， but I forgot to note which was which。 I plan to pass my copy to my teenage daughter， hoping she’ll start with the essays I marked， not knowing whether I’ll hear laughter or weeping。 In either case， she’s in good hands。 These are stories of hope I was lucky to win a copy of this book from Goodreads。 The Bloggess is both hilarious and devastatingly real。 This particular collection of essays is a perfect representation of that。 I starred multiple essays in the TOC that made me either laugh or cry， but I forgot to note which was which。 I plan to pass my copy to my teenage daughter， hoping she’ll start with the essays I marked， not knowing whether I’ll hear laughter or weeping。 In either case， she’s in good hands。 These are stories of hope and joy， even at their lowest。 I’m so thankful for this collection。 I’m thankful for Jenny Lawson’s voice。 。。。more

Starr Waddell ，

I was so excited to get approved for this ARC。 It is literally the funniest thing I have ever read。 There are some more serious chapters that really resonated。 A big thanks to the author， publisher， and Netgalley for a copy of the ARC。

Ali ，

Jenny Lawson just knows my heart。Thanks Libro。fm and Macmillan Audio for the advanced listener copy！

Anya Leonard ，

Book Review: Broken by Jenny Lawson ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5I am spoiled， because I already knew I loved Jenny Lawson before having the treat of being able to review this book。 However， what I didn't know was how much I would sympathize and recognize a lot of myself in this book。 Unlike some of her previous works， this compilation of hilarious essays was interspersed with some touching， sad， and poignant essays about depression， anxiety， and chronic illness。 She is such a wonderful writer and so down to earth an Book Review: Broken by Jenny Lawson ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5I am spoiled， because I already knew I loved Jenny Lawson before having the treat of being able to review this book。 However， what I didn't know was how much I would sympathize and recognize a lot of myself in this book。 Unlike some of her previous works， this compilation of hilarious essays was interspersed with some touching， sad， and poignant essays about depression， anxiety， and chronic illness。 She is such a wonderful writer and so down to earth and real。 I laughed ACTUALLY out loud more than four times while reading this book， and ended up calling my boyfriend over to read passages out loud to him。 Absolutely wonderful。 Pick it up as soon as you can。This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Liz Hein ，

While some chapters worked better for me than others， I’ve never had a book make me literally cry from laughter- and this one did that more than once！

Evelynn ，

I won this through goodreads！ I have never read any of the author's previous books， but I do follow her on Twitter， so I had a bit of an idea of what I was in for。 Parts made me laugh， others made me reflect on my own relationship to my anxiety and mental health。 The brain zapping was of deep interest to me， it was a very personal account of the process。 I won this through goodreads！ I have never read any of the author's previous books， but I do follow her on Twitter， so I had a bit of an idea of what I was in for。 Parts made me laugh， others made me reflect on my own relationship to my anxiety and mental health。 The brain zapping was of deep interest to me， it was a very personal account of the process。 。。。more

Lisa ，

So， so， good。 If you already know you like Jenny Lawson， grab this book。 If you like quirky humor， grab this book。 If you or someone you love sometimes deal with mental health issues， grab this book。。 In other words。， you need to read this book。 Warning， though。 Be very careful what you're doing while you read。 I almost snorted hot tea out of my nose as I read the chapter on condoms for the dog！ （it's not what it sounds like， lol）Thank you to Henry Holt and Co。 and NetGalley for the opportunity So， so， good。 If you already know you like Jenny Lawson， grab this book。 If you like quirky humor， grab this book。 If you or someone you love sometimes deal with mental health issues， grab this book。。 In other words。， you need to read this book。 Warning， though。 Be very careful what you're doing while you read。 I almost snorted hot tea out of my nose as I read the chapter on condoms for the dog！ （it's not what it sounds like， lol）Thank you to Henry Holt and Co。 and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book。 。。。more

Emily ，

Free copy received through NetGalley for my honest review。After reading Let's Pretend This Never Happened and Furiously Happy， I was thrilled to hear that Jenny Lawson has a new book out。 Her book is whirlwind of candid vignettes about her physical and mental health struggles balanced with hilarious anecdotes and musings。 As someone who also suffers from depression， I feel less alone after reading her work。 I recommend this for readers who need a laugh （all of us） and can also handle her honest Free copy received through NetGalley for my honest review。After reading Let's Pretend This Never Happened and Furiously Happy， I was thrilled to hear that Jenny Lawson has a new book out。 Her book is whirlwind of candid vignettes about her physical and mental health struggles balanced with hilarious anecdotes and musings。 As someone who also suffers from depression， I feel less alone after reading her work。 I recommend this for readers who need a laugh （all of us） and can also handle her honest account of her struggle with mental illness。 。。。more

Tiana ，

I listened to the audiobook and immediately wanted to go back and listen to it again。 I think Jenny Lawson should be required reading for everyone， she's hilarious and inspiring and so relatable and this book absolutely did not disappoint。 I listened to the audiobook and immediately wanted to go back and listen to it again。 I think Jenny Lawson should be required reading for everyone， she's hilarious and inspiring and so relatable and this book absolutely did not disappoint。 。。。more

Lori Schiele ，

I felt very honored to be one of the 50 winners of the "advance readers" copy of Broken。 I received it on March 5th--an entire month prior to its expected release--and I was *thrilled*！！！！！！！！ I had been waiting anxiously since I first heard she was publishing another book and to receive it as I did was a dream！！！ I laughed my way through most of the book， as her books tend to make me do， altho it did have its heavy and sad moments when her depression and anxiety seemed to get the better of her I felt very honored to be one of the 50 winners of the "advance readers" copy of Broken。 I received it on March 5th--an entire month prior to its expected release--and I was *thrilled*！！！！！！！！ I had been waiting anxiously since I first heard she was publishing another book and to receive it as I did was a dream！！！ I laughed my way through most of the book， as her books tend to make me do， altho it did have its heavy and sad moments when her depression and anxiety seemed to get the better of her and there were several chapters that I believe she used to help purge herself of the emotions。 （I know as an author myself that it can be quite cathartic at times）。 Make sure that this book makes it onto your to-read list as soon as it is available！ You won't regret it。 （I apologize that I wasn't able to write this earlier， but I have been completely without access to a computer or Internet for over a month， so altho I received the book on March 5， it took me until the 25th to be able to make comments or to thank the author and her publisher。） 。。。more

Katie ，

This is my first Jenny Lawson and holy crap。 I get the hype around her now。 She wrote about depression and anxiety in a way that helped me understand my own better， and feel less shitty about it。 I also laughed until I cried。 I’ve already ordered her other books and a finished copy because damn I was missing out not reading her work。

Brittney ，

I was excited to learn that Jenny Lawson had a new book coming out。 While I missed reading Let's Pretend This Never Happened， I listened to Furiously Happy on audiobook and enjoyed the laughs。 I believe my mistake with Broken （in the best possible way） was reading it rather than listening to it。 In print form， Lawson's style bothered me quite a bit。 I'm thinking that hearing the same words in her voice would have been a better experience。 Some chapters were definitely more enjoyable than others， I was excited to learn that Jenny Lawson had a new book coming out。 While I missed reading Let's Pretend This Never Happened， I listened to Furiously Happy on audiobook and enjoyed the laughs。 I believe my mistake with Broken （in the best possible way） was reading it rather than listening to it。 In print form， Lawson's style bothered me quite a bit。 I'm thinking that hearing the same words in her voice would have been a better experience。 Some chapters were definitely more enjoyable than others， but it was overall what you'd probably expect from Lawson's third book。 。。。more

Jessica Haider ，

I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway！ So yay and thank you to Henry Holt & Co publishing。 Jenny Lawson （aka The Bloggess） first gained recognition as a blogger。 She'd blog about her affinity for taxidermy and her anxiety issues， all with a very healthy dose of honest humor。 She eventually published her first book， the hilarious Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir， which my book club really enjoyed。 Then a few years later she published Furiously Happy: A Funny Boo I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway！ So yay and thank you to Henry Holt & Co publishing。 Jenny Lawson （aka The Bloggess） first gained recognition as a blogger。 She'd blog about her affinity for taxidermy and her anxiety issues， all with a very healthy dose of honest humor。 She eventually published her first book， the hilarious Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir， which my book club really enjoyed。 Then a few years later she published Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things。 （I only recently listened to the audio for this。。。 LOTS of laughs from me）。 And now， due out in early April is Broken （In the Best Possible Way）， where Lawson continues to entertain with her brand of quirky humor。 Plenty of penis and vagina talk here folks， so not for the easily offended。 How could I not enjoy a book where the author shares about the time she asked her doctor about vagina lasers （including pew pew sound effects）？！？ 。。。more

ʚϊɞ Shelley's ʚϊɞ Book Nook ，

A refreshing， real life take on mental illness and the funny things that make life worth living。 Lawson's book kept me laughing from the first chapter until the last page。 The author shares hilarious episodes that bring on the tears from too much laughing but also gut punches you with the heartache of her illnesses。 The book made me examine my own mental health history and where I can find the laughter in it。Hilarious and enjoyable read。 This was well written with vulnerability tha A refreshing， real life take on mental illness and the funny things that make life worth living。 Lawson's book kept me laughing from the first chapter until the last page。 The author shares hilarious episodes that bring on the tears from too much laughing but also gut punches you with the heartache of her illnesses。 The book made me examine my own mental health history and where I can find the laughter in it。Hilarious and enjoyable read。 This was well written with vulnerability that you know you aren't alone in your hardships in life and can look back on every moment and see the beauty。 I look forward to reading more of her books。Disclosure:Thank you NetGalley， Jenny Lawson and Henry Holt & Company for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own。#Brokeninthebestpossibleway #NetGalley 。。。more

Joanne ，

Thanks to GoodReads & publisher for the ARC giveaway of Broken （In the Best Possible Way）。3。5 stars。 I both enjoyed and got bored with this book， back & forth， intermittently。 Jenny's sense of humor is so fun and accessible， and yes - often downright hysterical。 I love her honesty and humanity。 But some of the chapters & topics were too childish and too reliant on potty humor for my taste。 And at times it seemed more like a collection of blog posts than a book。 Thanks to GoodReads & publisher for the ARC giveaway of Broken （In the Best Possible Way）。3。5 stars。 I both enjoyed and got bored with this book， back & forth， intermittently。 Jenny's sense of humor is so fun and accessible， and yes - often downright hysterical。 I love her honesty and humanity。 But some of the chapters & topics were too childish and too reliant on potty humor for my taste。 And at times it seemed more like a collection of blog posts than a book。 。。。more

Meg ，

I obtained a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway。 I appreciate Henry Holt and Company for providing this opportunity。 Broken （in the best possible way） by Jenny Lawson is an honest and hilarious appreciation of weirdos。 Included are discussions of taxidermy， transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment， a mysterious bag of dicks in the mail， inheritance， and an open letter to her insurance company， among other topics。 While Lawson offers unvarnished descriptions of her severe depressio I obtained a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway。 I appreciate Henry Holt and Company for providing this opportunity。 Broken （in the best possible way） by Jenny Lawson is an honest and hilarious appreciation of weirdos。 Included are discussions of taxidermy， transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment， a mysterious bag of dicks in the mail， inheritance， and an open letter to her insurance company， among other topics。 While Lawson offers unvarnished descriptions of her severe depression and suicidal ideation， the book is ultimately hopeful。 She discusses the strategies she employs to push through the darkness。 She encourages the supportive and generous community she has created around her popular blog， The Bloggess， to embrace their own brokenness and persevere。 For fans of Lawson's previous books， this one is somehow fresh while maintaining the same ridiculousness and candor many have come to love。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Broken (In the Best Possible Way)

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Broken (In the Best Possible Way)&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Broken (In the Best Possible Way)&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0