What do you think?
Rate this book
Agorafabulous!: Dispatches from My Bedroom
I subscribe to the notion that if you can laugh at the shittiest moments in your life,you can transcend them. And if other people can laugh at your awful shit as well, then I guess you can officially call yourself a comedian.
In Boston, a college student fears leaving her own room—even to use the toilet. In Pennsylvania, a meek personal assistant finally confronts a perpetually enraged gay spiritual guru. In Texas, a rookie high school teacher deals with her male student’s unusually, er, hard personal problem. Sara Benincasa has been that terrified student, that embattled employee, that confused teacher—and so much more. Her hilarious memoir chronicles her attempts to forge a wonderfully weird adulthood in the midst of her lifelong struggle with agoraphobia, depression, and unruly hair.
Relatable, unpretentious, and unsentimental, Agorafabulous! celebrates eccentricity, resilience, and the power of humor to light up even the darkest corners of our lives. (There are also some sexy parts, but they’re really awkward. Like really, really awkward.)
In Boston, a college student fears leaving her own room—even to use the toilet. In Pennsylvania, a meek personal assistant finally confronts a perpetually enraged gay spiritual guru. In Texas, a rookie high school teacher deals with her male student’s unusually, er, hard personal problem. Sara Benincasa has been that terrified student, that embattled employee, that confused teacher—and so much more. Her hilarious memoir chronicles her attempts to forge a wonderfully weird adulthood in the midst of her lifelong struggle with agoraphobia, depression, and unruly hair.
Relatable, unpretentious, and unsentimental, Agorafabulous! celebrates eccentricity, resilience, and the power of humor to light up even the darkest corners of our lives. (There are also some sexy parts, but they’re really awkward. Like really, really awkward.)
255 pages, Hardcover
First published February 14, 2012
92 people are currently reading
5360 people want to read
About the author
Sara Benincasa
8 books417 followersSara Benincasa is an author, actor, and TV writer.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 323 reviews
October 11, 2014
*4.5 Stars!*
Agorafabulous, as the title warmly suggests, is a comical but very detailed, honest, and raw account of one woman's struggle and triumph with agoraphobia.
This engaging memoir is written by comedian Sara Benincasa, and exudes heaps of humor and creativity that bring this difficult subject to life. As someone who has suffered anxiety and panic attacks for years, I genuinely appreciated this author sharing her story in such a candid yet light hearted manner. In fact, this entire memoir is infused with such a delightful degree of humor and dry wit that makes the emotional pain she endured a little easier to digest.
Just to be clear, the constant humor in no way downplayed, poked fun at, or made light of this very debilitating condition; quite the contrary. We are boldly escorted through the complex and unnerving layers of this condition. But the fact that it was presented in a comedic manner was both a compliment and contrast to the tone of the story, and ultimately stood as a solid ray of hope for others experiencing the same.
The writing was phenomenal. I read this book over two years ago, yet can still recall exactly how this author's unique writing style sucked me in completely. It felt as though I was holding her hand through her darkest moments, and cheering her on for even the slightest feat. This is definitely one of those books that becomes a journey and an experience, far surpassing being just a story. I commend this author for sharing her battle and leaving nothing out of her story. She offers all the gory details; some may shock or disturb you, but I can guarantee you'll be laughing in the process and rooting for her revival!
Book Stats:
▪ Genre/Category: Memoir/Autobiography
▪ Plot: A comedic account of one woman's candid struggle with agoraphobia.
▪ Writing: Engaging, humorous, lively, and unique.
Agorafabulous, as the title warmly suggests, is a comical but very detailed, honest, and raw account of one woman's struggle and triumph with agoraphobia.
This engaging memoir is written by comedian Sara Benincasa, and exudes heaps of humor and creativity that bring this difficult subject to life. As someone who has suffered anxiety and panic attacks for years, I genuinely appreciated this author sharing her story in such a candid yet light hearted manner. In fact, this entire memoir is infused with such a delightful degree of humor and dry wit that makes the emotional pain she endured a little easier to digest.
Just to be clear, the constant humor in no way downplayed, poked fun at, or made light of this very debilitating condition; quite the contrary. We are boldly escorted through the complex and unnerving layers of this condition. But the fact that it was presented in a comedic manner was both a compliment and contrast to the tone of the story, and ultimately stood as a solid ray of hope for others experiencing the same.
The writing was phenomenal. I read this book over two years ago, yet can still recall exactly how this author's unique writing style sucked me in completely. It felt as though I was holding her hand through her darkest moments, and cheering her on for even the slightest feat. This is definitely one of those books that becomes a journey and an experience, far surpassing being just a story. I commend this author for sharing her battle and leaving nothing out of her story. She offers all the gory details; some may shock or disturb you, but I can guarantee you'll be laughing in the process and rooting for her revival!
Book Stats:
▪ Genre/Category: Memoir/Autobiography
▪ Plot: A comedic account of one woman's candid struggle with agoraphobia.
▪ Writing: Engaging, humorous, lively, and unique.
February 24, 2016
This was REALLY funny, but so, so, so, SO relatable for me. I recommend this book definitely for mature audiences, and for both people who have experienced anxiety and depression and for people who haven't.
Around the Year in 52 Books Challenge Notes:
- 28. A biography, autobiography or memoir
Around the Year in 52 Books Challenge Notes:
- 28. A biography, autobiography or memoir
February 25, 2012
Little known fact for you, world: I’m an agoraphobe. I’ve always been anxiety/depression-prone, and then several events of 2008 took place and I suddenly found myself rather unwilling to leave my bedroom. I’m functional, mostly, if everything goes mostly ok and nobody looks at me funny on the street, or if I can get someone I trust to come along with me with promises to help me find a place to hide if I get panicky. But I’m perfectly capable of going weeks without leaving my apartment (my record is thirty-seven days), and preferring it that way.
I’m able to turn places that aren’t my bedroom—places like work, or classrooms—into “safe” places, with effort and time, but because I’m currently in the funemployment stages of immigration, I don’t have a lot of places I have to be. Which isn’t great for me, but I mostly manage. I manage largely because I have a very patient partner who knew exactly what he was getting into. Namely, that he would be doing all the grocery shopping because I don’t go into supermarkets anymore unless it’s a life or death situation.
Oddly, like Sara, I’m a decent performer. I’ve been a tour guide, I’ve been a singer, I’ve been a teacher. I’ve made all visions of potential futures filled with the kinds of careers that require me to stand in front of people and perform. So, in most kinds of Adulting Situations, I can totally pass for Not Agoraphobic. It’s only after you’ve tried unsuccessfully five or six times to get me to go out to a new restaurant after work, or to get me into a grocery store, or to interact with me in any situation where I may not be able to perform, that it shows. One of the things I’ve learned from spending most of my time interacting with other mad people: we’re good at pretending to be normal, except when we’re not. The ways brains and their brokennesses work are myriad.
So this book. I heard about it a few weeks before it came out and immediately put my name on the hold list at the library. I was at the top; there were five people after me. Despite the fact that I’m often leery of books about mental illness (because they’re all too often of the “look at how I got better!” variety), I needed to read about a functioning agoraphobe who isn’t Paula Deen. I mean, I love Paula Deen, partly because of her history with the monster, but there’s only so much butter.
When my hold notice came in and I had the book in hand, I devoured it in one sitting (well, there was a flu-induced involuntary nap in there, but I never actually got up) and…well, I laughed uproariously at the same time I was sobbing and I got tears and snot everywhere and really freaked out the dog.
I read it emotionally and personally and, frankly, kind of developed a little crush on Sara, the kind borne of over-identification. This was exacerbated when I emailed her with a quick thank-you-for-this-book note and she promptly replied from her phone. So there might be things in this book that, read in a different mood, I would nitpick about. But I’m not going to, because today, right now, I needed this book as it came to me. This little reminder that even if I’ve got a little bit of crazybrain for the rest of my life, it doesn’t mean I can’t be awesome. It doesn’t even mean that I’m not already awesome, even if it’s sometimes buried in nonsense.
So. I really want you to read this book. I want you to read it because it’s about how I feel about so many things (though I’ve never been afraid of the bathroom, I have occasionally been inexplicably afraid of foyers), but also because it’s brilliant.
I’m able to turn places that aren’t my bedroom—places like work, or classrooms—into “safe” places, with effort and time, but because I’m currently in the funemployment stages of immigration, I don’t have a lot of places I have to be. Which isn’t great for me, but I mostly manage. I manage largely because I have a very patient partner who knew exactly what he was getting into. Namely, that he would be doing all the grocery shopping because I don’t go into supermarkets anymore unless it’s a life or death situation.
Oddly, like Sara, I’m a decent performer. I’ve been a tour guide, I’ve been a singer, I’ve been a teacher. I’ve made all visions of potential futures filled with the kinds of careers that require me to stand in front of people and perform. So, in most kinds of Adulting Situations, I can totally pass for Not Agoraphobic. It’s only after you’ve tried unsuccessfully five or six times to get me to go out to a new restaurant after work, or to get me into a grocery store, or to interact with me in any situation where I may not be able to perform, that it shows. One of the things I’ve learned from spending most of my time interacting with other mad people: we’re good at pretending to be normal, except when we’re not. The ways brains and their brokennesses work are myriad.
So this book. I heard about it a few weeks before it came out and immediately put my name on the hold list at the library. I was at the top; there were five people after me. Despite the fact that I’m often leery of books about mental illness (because they’re all too often of the “look at how I got better!” variety), I needed to read about a functioning agoraphobe who isn’t Paula Deen. I mean, I love Paula Deen, partly because of her history with the monster, but there’s only so much butter.
When my hold notice came in and I had the book in hand, I devoured it in one sitting (well, there was a flu-induced involuntary nap in there, but I never actually got up) and…well, I laughed uproariously at the same time I was sobbing and I got tears and snot everywhere and really freaked out the dog.
I read it emotionally and personally and, frankly, kind of developed a little crush on Sara, the kind borne of over-identification. This was exacerbated when I emailed her with a quick thank-you-for-this-book note and she promptly replied from her phone. So there might be things in this book that, read in a different mood, I would nitpick about. But I’m not going to, because today, right now, I needed this book as it came to me. This little reminder that even if I’ve got a little bit of crazybrain for the rest of my life, it doesn’t mean I can’t be awesome. It doesn’t even mean that I’m not already awesome, even if it’s sometimes buried in nonsense.
So. I really want you to read this book. I want you to read it because it’s about how I feel about so many things (though I’ve never been afraid of the bathroom, I have occasionally been inexplicably afraid of foyers), but also because it’s brilliant.
March 16, 2012
This book deserves five stars. Maybe I'm biased, but this is the absolute best explanation of Agoraphobia. Because it's not written by a clinician but by someone who knows the whole experience.
In 2001 I was diagnosed with agoraphobia. I was at Wal-Mart looking for shelf liner. I stood in the aisle and felt a feeling similar to vertigo - everything around started to tilt one way, the shelves leaned in toward me and I suddenly couldn't breathe. I had to get out! The crazy thing is I used to work there, so it wasn't even like it was some new place.
On my way home I had to pull the car over because I started to see black dots and couldn't drive straight. I couldn't figure out what was going on, I just knew that something was wrong. Really, really wrong.
Benincasa writes about the voice in her head telling her what a loser she is, if she leaves her apartment she's going to die, she should die! I know that voice. The earliest that I can remember hearing this voice was some time in 5th grade. The voice told me the world was unsafe. Everything was unsafe. And I was going to die. And that feeling stayed with me the rest of my life.
So much of what Benincasa wrote is also true of my own journey. I had very, very specific people who I could trust. They were my safety people. They were the ones I trusted to drive me around. If I got sick these few people were the only ones I trusted to not let me die. Every time I went without a safety person I got "sick". Sick really meant that my anxiety levels were rising and my body was registering that anxiety by giving me stomach aches, dizziness, my body temperature fluctuating from cold to hot almost instantaneously. It's an awful feeling!
By college the voice was very loud. My freshman semester I lost 25 pounds in two months. I just stopped eating. Eating meant I could get food poisoning and if I got food poisoning I would throw up and if I threw up I would die. That was my thinking. I was all alone at school. My safety people were all at other schools. I finished the semester and returned to school at a university an hour away from home where my high school BF was going. She was my roommate, I was safe again.
My husband became the replacement safety person when my parents moved from Alabama to Tucson. But my depression - because you just can't be agoraphobic, you get the joys of depression too! - sunk me.
Fast forward 2001 - my husband has moved to Florida from Pennsylvania, and though I'm surrounded by aunts and uncles and cousins I have no safety people. None. I spent three nights going back and forth to the ER for unexplained chest pains, nausea, horrible dizzy spells. Finally someone I knew from community theater who also happened to be the on call psychiatry practitioner actually figured out what was going on. She found a bed for me in the psychiatric ward at the hospital and I spent the following three weeks learning about my illnesses and being treated for them. Three weeks I barely remember because along with agoraphobia and depression there's a fun little side effect of memory loss.
After reading Agorafabulous I'm not embarrassed (at least not right now) about my mental illness. Yes MENTAL ILLNESS! I'm actually certified crazy! I was in a psyche ward for three weeks because I was crazy.
Okay, now that that is out of my system I want to recommend this book to everybody - both the ill and the people who love the ill. Sara gets it. She understands. She explains it so easily. So read it and find comfort that you will, one day with work, be a little less crazy. Like she is. Like I am now. Ask your friends who have loved you through it or who don't know about it to read this book. So they can understand and love you even more.
In 2001 I was diagnosed with agoraphobia. I was at Wal-Mart looking for shelf liner. I stood in the aisle and felt a feeling similar to vertigo - everything around started to tilt one way, the shelves leaned in toward me and I suddenly couldn't breathe. I had to get out! The crazy thing is I used to work there, so it wasn't even like it was some new place.
On my way home I had to pull the car over because I started to see black dots and couldn't drive straight. I couldn't figure out what was going on, I just knew that something was wrong. Really, really wrong.
Benincasa writes about the voice in her head telling her what a loser she is, if she leaves her apartment she's going to die, she should die! I know that voice. The earliest that I can remember hearing this voice was some time in 5th grade. The voice told me the world was unsafe. Everything was unsafe. And I was going to die. And that feeling stayed with me the rest of my life.
So much of what Benincasa wrote is also true of my own journey. I had very, very specific people who I could trust. They were my safety people. They were the ones I trusted to drive me around. If I got sick these few people were the only ones I trusted to not let me die. Every time I went without a safety person I got "sick". Sick really meant that my anxiety levels were rising and my body was registering that anxiety by giving me stomach aches, dizziness, my body temperature fluctuating from cold to hot almost instantaneously. It's an awful feeling!
By college the voice was very loud. My freshman semester I lost 25 pounds in two months. I just stopped eating. Eating meant I could get food poisoning and if I got food poisoning I would throw up and if I threw up I would die. That was my thinking. I was all alone at school. My safety people were all at other schools. I finished the semester and returned to school at a university an hour away from home where my high school BF was going. She was my roommate, I was safe again.
My husband became the replacement safety person when my parents moved from Alabama to Tucson. But my depression - because you just can't be agoraphobic, you get the joys of depression too! - sunk me.
Fast forward 2001 - my husband has moved to Florida from Pennsylvania, and though I'm surrounded by aunts and uncles and cousins I have no safety people. None. I spent three nights going back and forth to the ER for unexplained chest pains, nausea, horrible dizzy spells. Finally someone I knew from community theater who also happened to be the on call psychiatry practitioner actually figured out what was going on. She found a bed for me in the psychiatric ward at the hospital and I spent the following three weeks learning about my illnesses and being treated for them. Three weeks I barely remember because along with agoraphobia and depression there's a fun little side effect of memory loss.
After reading Agorafabulous I'm not embarrassed (at least not right now) about my mental illness. Yes MENTAL ILLNESS! I'm actually certified crazy! I was in a psyche ward for three weeks because I was crazy.
Okay, now that that is out of my system I want to recommend this book to everybody - both the ill and the people who love the ill. Sara gets it. She understands. She explains it so easily. So read it and find comfort that you will, one day with work, be a little less crazy. Like she is. Like I am now. Ask your friends who have loved you through it or who don't know about it to read this book. So they can understand and love you even more.
December 5, 2012
The title of this book is very misleading. I only picked it up because it deals with agoraphobia, something I am quite familiar.
I've kind of known for a few years that I am agoraphobic. I just thought that it was mostly social awkwardness, but I also have anxiety and all that other good stuff. But it isn't as bad as the author, who has major panic attacks and takes drastic measures such as peeing in cereal bowls as to not leave her bed. I am a bit more functional and I have very, I guess you could say acute(?), agoraphobia. Focusing just on the fear of open places, I get sort of dizzy in large fields and open places, and then of course there are the uncomfortable social situations to which I am constantly exposed.
Agorafabulous! by Sara Benincasa is a comedic memoir about her life in dealing with agoraphobia and major panic attacks. From the time she was pretty young, she was on medications and sometimes felt suicidal. Leaving her room was a challenge and leaving her house caused a lot of anxiety. The book discusses some funny events in her life in which her situation created some chaos.
This book isn't very long, but it dragged on and on. She would start out talking about an agoraphobic problem and then for twenty pages she would talk about some meaningless thing. I know it's a memoir, but it's supposedly a memoir about agoraphobia. I got pretty tired of reading about her life.
And also, a lot of parts in this were so fake and exaggerated. I know the author is a comedian but she definitely added a lot to her life tales.
I wanted to like this book. I am trying to read more books from different genres. However, this isn't a good introduction to memoirs.
And it isn't that I was skipping the funny parts to get to the bowl-peeing and anxiety attacks scenes, because I read all of the book. It just wasn't funny, and it wasn't what I was expecting.
I've kind of known for a few years that I am agoraphobic. I just thought that it was mostly social awkwardness, but I also have anxiety and all that other good stuff. But it isn't as bad as the author, who has major panic attacks and takes drastic measures such as peeing in cereal bowls as to not leave her bed. I am a bit more functional and I have very, I guess you could say acute(?), agoraphobia. Focusing just on the fear of open places, I get sort of dizzy in large fields and open places, and then of course there are the uncomfortable social situations to which I am constantly exposed.
Agorafabulous! by Sara Benincasa is a comedic memoir about her life in dealing with agoraphobia and major panic attacks. From the time she was pretty young, she was on medications and sometimes felt suicidal. Leaving her room was a challenge and leaving her house caused a lot of anxiety. The book discusses some funny events in her life in which her situation created some chaos.
This book isn't very long, but it dragged on and on. She would start out talking about an agoraphobic problem and then for twenty pages she would talk about some meaningless thing. I know it's a memoir, but it's supposedly a memoir about agoraphobia. I got pretty tired of reading about her life.
And also, a lot of parts in this were so fake and exaggerated. I know the author is a comedian but she definitely added a lot to her life tales.
I wanted to like this book. I am trying to read more books from different genres. However, this isn't a good introduction to memoirs.
And it isn't that I was skipping the funny parts to get to the bowl-peeing and anxiety attacks scenes, because I read all of the book. It just wasn't funny, and it wasn't what I was expecting.
March 12, 2012
I wanted to love this more than I did, because I'm a fan of the author's comedy, but the book lacks a narrative arc other than "I was sick, then I did a bunch of stuff while I was getting better." It amounts to a handful of sometimes strangely detailed anecdotes that imply a larger something and don't quite make it. And she manages a lot of self-inspection without delivering the introspection. I feel as if I know a handful of intimate details about her, but I don't know her any better.
May 10, 2016
I had not heard of the author until I stumbled across this book. First two-thirds centering on her breakdown, and recovery, easily held my interest; last part was more a straight memoir that, while well written, seemed more like a coast to the finish. Didn't bother me much, but if you're opposed to crude language, don't get this one!
January 26, 2015
After trudging through the super-depressing read, "The Garden State," (where no one wins and gives my state an awful send-off) here is a well-written memoir, "Agorafabulous! Dispatches From My Bedroom" written by comedian and former New Jerseyan, Sara Benincasa. I literally could not put this book down. When it came down to the very last page (despite my hatred for Jersey Shore) I victoriously fist pumped in the air. Yeah, it was thaaaaat good.
Sara experienced panic anxiety at a young age. When she got older, her battle with it became more extreme to the point of not wanting to leave her house (even having fears of the sink and toilet). But she overcame her fears, got help, and now travels around the world to educate others on her experiences. In point, she makes others feel like they are not alone.
Her book takes you through a high school trip to Sicily (reading about her classmate Amber made me cringe and was the exact reason I don't attend my high school reunions) where her panic anxiety really starts to kick in being far away from home, living in Boston with fear of leaving her studio apartment, moving back to New Jersey with a desire to make smoothies and give herself a make-over (which didn't turn out as she planned), working for an INSANE man (I literally have no other words to describe Edgar) on hippie-ish grounds in Pennsylvania to stabalize a job for herself, enjoying time in North Carolina, teaching 9th grade students in Texas with a very awkward in-class incident, and finding out her true passion in life...comedy and making others laugh.
Aside from reading about Sara's experiences, I really loved reading about her parents and the dialogue exchanged between them. Her mother, who had to endure almost 5 hours of Dave Matthews Band's "Satellite" on repeat driving her home from Boston, cautiously asking, "Do we have to bring it (the cd) inside?" when arriving in the driveway of their home. Her father, who seems like an incredibly easygoing guy. She's lucky. There are a lot of people out there that lack the support system she has to help them through this kind of ordeal. Sadly, when the support system is lacking and resources are not available, things can turn out for the worst. Thankfully this isn't the case for her.
Despite my state glorifying orange, juicy, guidos that do nothing but sleep, drink, and etc..., or certain housewives that raise spoiled children and backstab one another, I'm proud that amidst all the hype there are smart, unique individuals that hail from my state and can make me proud. Sara Benincasa is one of them.
Sara experienced panic anxiety at a young age. When she got older, her battle with it became more extreme to the point of not wanting to leave her house (even having fears of the sink and toilet). But she overcame her fears, got help, and now travels around the world to educate others on her experiences. In point, she makes others feel like they are not alone.
Her book takes you through a high school trip to Sicily (reading about her classmate Amber made me cringe and was the exact reason I don't attend my high school reunions) where her panic anxiety really starts to kick in being far away from home, living in Boston with fear of leaving her studio apartment, moving back to New Jersey with a desire to make smoothies and give herself a make-over (which didn't turn out as she planned), working for an INSANE man (I literally have no other words to describe Edgar) on hippie-ish grounds in Pennsylvania to stabalize a job for herself, enjoying time in North Carolina, teaching 9th grade students in Texas with a very awkward in-class incident, and finding out her true passion in life...comedy and making others laugh.
Aside from reading about Sara's experiences, I really loved reading about her parents and the dialogue exchanged between them. Her mother, who had to endure almost 5 hours of Dave Matthews Band's "Satellite" on repeat driving her home from Boston, cautiously asking, "Do we have to bring it (the cd) inside?" when arriving in the driveway of their home. Her father, who seems like an incredibly easygoing guy. She's lucky. There are a lot of people out there that lack the support system she has to help them through this kind of ordeal. Sadly, when the support system is lacking and resources are not available, things can turn out for the worst. Thankfully this isn't the case for her.
Despite my state glorifying orange, juicy, guidos that do nothing but sleep, drink, and etc..., or certain housewives that raise spoiled children and backstab one another, I'm proud that amidst all the hype there are smart, unique individuals that hail from my state and can make me proud. Sara Benincasa is one of them.
June 7, 2019
Agorafabulous!: Dispatches from My Bedroom (2012)
by Sara Benincasa
Read: 5/22/19
Rating: 4/5
Sa-”Ra”
Benincasa.
Anxieties, fears,
And paranoias aplenty-
Or agoraphobia in simplified terms!
She’s been- but also been through many things,
But it’s clear she’s finally found her calling as comedian-writer and podcast host.
A blunt and honest account of her struggles; her refreshing candidness with embarrassing secrets that most of us would never admit.
Whereas others would cause us to cringe uncomfortably and feel pity, Benincasa has us smiling in recognition or laughing in empathy; we may even catch ourselves seeing her irrational behaviors as appropriate or normal.
Why not 5 stars? Perhaps a tad Pollyanna- making light of a situation more therapeutically addressed in a serious tone, or causing laughter that feels (in hindsight) almost minimizing; there is a fine line between laughter as a coping mechanism to accept and overcome life's audacious curveballs, and laughter discussed as dismissive distraction or denial!
Fibonacci poems combine mathematics and language arts. Affectionately called a “Fib" and the act of devising them “fibbing", the six line poem follows a 1-1-2-3-5-8 syllable scheme. This is based on the eponymous sequence of integers that begins with 0 and 1, each new number the sum of the previous two. Alternatively, Fibonacci poems can employ a word rather than syllable count. One can also continue past the six lines to 13, 21, 34, 55, etcetera. Some examples reverse the format after the last line, creating a 1-1-2-3-5-8-8-5-3-2-1-1 scheme.
#Fibonacci #PoemReview #abortion #comedian #comingofage #darkcomedy #ED #institutionalization #memoir #mentalillness #misfits #NewYork #parenting #philosophy #psychology #teacher #Texas #therapy #religion #unexpectedlyfunny #uniquechaptertitles
by Sara Benincasa
Read: 5/22/19
Rating: 4/5
Sa-”Ra”
Benincasa.
Anxieties, fears,
And paranoias aplenty-
Or agoraphobia in simplified terms!
She’s been- but also been through many things,
But it’s clear she’s finally found her calling as comedian-writer and podcast host.
A blunt and honest account of her struggles; her refreshing candidness with embarrassing secrets that most of us would never admit.
Whereas others would cause us to cringe uncomfortably and feel pity, Benincasa has us smiling in recognition or laughing in empathy; we may even catch ourselves seeing her irrational behaviors as appropriate or normal.
Why not 5 stars? Perhaps a tad Pollyanna- making light of a situation more therapeutically addressed in a serious tone, or causing laughter that feels (in hindsight) almost minimizing; there is a fine line between laughter as a coping mechanism to accept and overcome life's audacious curveballs, and laughter discussed as dismissive distraction or denial!
Fibonacci poems combine mathematics and language arts. Affectionately called a “Fib" and the act of devising them “fibbing", the six line poem follows a 1-1-2-3-5-8 syllable scheme. This is based on the eponymous sequence of integers that begins with 0 and 1, each new number the sum of the previous two. Alternatively, Fibonacci poems can employ a word rather than syllable count. One can also continue past the six lines to 13, 21, 34, 55, etcetera. Some examples reverse the format after the last line, creating a 1-1-2-3-5-8-8-5-3-2-1-1 scheme.
#Fibonacci #PoemReview #abortion #comedian #comingofage #darkcomedy #ED #institutionalization #memoir #mentalillness #misfits #NewYork #parenting #philosophy #psychology #teacher #Texas #therapy #religion #unexpectedlyfunny #uniquechaptertitles
February 6, 2012
Humorous memoir is my favorite genre (any book with hot and/or sad/ sparkly vampires being a distant second), and I read pretty much every humorous memoir written by a woman that comes out. However, I don’t write about all of them. I only write about the ones that I really enjoy. The ones that make me laugh out loud, cringe, and cry at all the right moments. Agorafabulous by Sara Benincasa is one of those books. Pitch perfect and wickedly funny, Sara had me laughing along with her story of her troubled early years.
Sara is not afraid to be brutally honest with her readers. (Sara even bravely admits that she peed in bowls at one point because she was scared to go in the bathroom. ) The highlight of the book for me was a chapter recounting Sara’s time working at a spiritual center/ hippie commune sort of place called Blessed Sanctuary. Sara’s interactions with her boss were hysterical. The chapter on her time as a high school teacher and how she dealt with a student who had taken Viagra was also really great. As a former middle school teacher, I was dying laughing. I have no idea how I would have dealt with that situation as a teacher!
For the full review go to my book review site The Well-Read Wife.
Sara is not afraid to be brutally honest with her readers. (Sara even bravely admits that she peed in bowls at one point because she was scared to go in the bathroom. ) The highlight of the book for me was a chapter recounting Sara’s time working at a spiritual center/ hippie commune sort of place called Blessed Sanctuary. Sara’s interactions with her boss were hysterical. The chapter on her time as a high school teacher and how she dealt with a student who had taken Viagra was also really great. As a former middle school teacher, I was dying laughing. I have no idea how I would have dealt with that situation as a teacher!
For the full review go to my book review site The Well-Read Wife.
February 29, 2012
You know what I love? Funny women writing honestly about mental illness.
This book caught my eye during a slow day at work and because I am somewhat familiar with the author's bathtub interview show I decided to give it a read (although to be fair, I was pretty much on board the moment I read the jacket flap description and learned that at some point in the book, the author was going to write about her time peeing into cereal bowls. Anxiety disorders, Jersey girls, urine in places it was never intended to be--come on, that's a must-read.)
Agorafabulous! is comedian, Sara Benincasa's comic memoir about her struggle with and recovery from panic attacks and agoraphobia so severe that she was afraid to leave her bed even to use the bathroom (enter: urine-filled cereal bowls.)
For the most part this book was well-written, sharp and very funny though some of the chapters in the second half of the book felt a little thin.
This book caught my eye during a slow day at work and because I am somewhat familiar with the author's bathtub interview show I decided to give it a read (although to be fair, I was pretty much on board the moment I read the jacket flap description and learned that at some point in the book, the author was going to write about her time peeing into cereal bowls. Anxiety disorders, Jersey girls, urine in places it was never intended to be--come on, that's a must-read.)
Agorafabulous! is comedian, Sara Benincasa's comic memoir about her struggle with and recovery from panic attacks and agoraphobia so severe that she was afraid to leave her bed even to use the bathroom (enter: urine-filled cereal bowls.)
For the most part this book was well-written, sharp and very funny though some of the chapters in the second half of the book felt a little thin.
July 23, 2017
This was a really interesting and well written memoir about living with agoraphobia and anxiety. As Sara is now a well known comic and writer there were also some dry and black comedic moments. Looking forward to reading more of Sara's work.
May 8, 2013
The cover = 5 stars
The first few chapters = 4.5 stars
The rest of the book = 2 stars
I liked Sara's personality very much and when she's talking about her agoraphobia, it's a compelling read. But after she gets on the road to recovery (within the first few chapters) there really isn't much left to say. I kept waiting for something to happen. Instead our heroine goes through a smoothie phase, works a series of odd jobs and has a few failed, but not particularly compelling, romances. Had Sara not lost her shit for a minute there, her life is a very average tale of your typical 20 something. Towards the very end the story picks back up a bit with Sara's intro to comedy, but it's a little too late. It's not a wasted read by any means, but I was left wanting more.
The first few chapters = 4.5 stars
The rest of the book = 2 stars
I liked Sara's personality very much and when she's talking about her agoraphobia, it's a compelling read. But after she gets on the road to recovery (within the first few chapters) there really isn't much left to say. I kept waiting for something to happen. Instead our heroine goes through a smoothie phase, works a series of odd jobs and has a few failed, but not particularly compelling, romances. Had Sara not lost her shit for a minute there, her life is a very average tale of your typical 20 something. Towards the very end the story picks back up a bit with Sara's intro to comedy, but it's a little too late. It's not a wasted read by any means, but I was left wanting more.
August 26, 2019
i laughed, i cried (twice!) and i bought a copy of Full Catastrophe Living. this is probably one of the best autobiographies i've read and certainly the funniest.
May 13, 2022
In this memoir Sara Benincasa focuses on taking readers into her life dealing with depression, anxiety, and agoraphobia. She recounts stories from being a teenager when she was prescribed medication for depression, a school trip to Italy where she landed in the ER with a massive panic attack (unbeknownst to anyone at the time), and in college when she not only stopped leaving her apartment but also became afraid of the bathroom and basically lived in her bed until a friend alerted her parents. Through honesty, compassion, and humor Benincasa takes readers into the hardest days and struggles with her mental illness all the way through her getting help, and the steps she took that got her back to the life she wanted — ultimately finding herself on a comedy stage. This book doesn’t shy away from difficult things, nor the work that may need to go in to getting better, but it also shows that things can get better not just by telling readers this but showing it.
(TW suicide, details/suicidal thoughts, details/disordered eating/panic attacks)
https://bookriot.com/agoraphobia-books/
February 7, 2012
If you’ve been following the blog for awhile, you’ll know I suffer (seriously suffer) from Agoraphobia. I’m one of those people who would rather laugh about it then cry because I’d be crying a lot. For years I’ve read books about agoraphobia and not a single one has made me laugh, their all strictly self helps. Then out of nowhere and totally random, I find Sara Benincasa.
Agoraphobia usually follows panic attacks, you start to develop fears of places usually outside your home. In both mine and Sara’s case, you end up thinking of your home as your safe place and just don’t want to leave. It’s not only that you don’t want to leave, your body starts doing all sorts of unfriendly things to make you think its safer in your home. From the shakes to rapid heart rates and to feeling like you are going to throw up everything you’ve ever eaten in your entire life. It’s no wonder we don’t want to leave the house, god only knows what will follow when you do. Hell, you might be lucky and just faint (never happens) or you’ll throw up on the first person you see. Either way, you do not want to leave your house because you know that something horrible is going to happen outside.
Sara hits it spot on with:
“So I didn’t need evidence or logic to know that something singularly terrible lay outside my door. I just needed my inner knowing, my sixth sense, the still small voice that shrieked, “YOU’RE GONNA FUCKING DIE!!” upon my awakening.”
That is exactly what an agoraphobic feels like; we’re all sorts of psychic. We just know bad shit’s gonna come, don’t tell us any different. Our bodies know more then you do. We’re all sorts of enlightened.
What Sara went through makes me cringe; I thought I had it bad. Oh no my friends, Sara takes the agoraphobia crown and sash! Imagine being terrified to use your own bathroom, so much so that you stop eating. Add depression to the mix and you have a recipe that would make most people lay down and die. But you know what, Sara survived! Sure she had set backs, but she got through it and made me laugh.
“I subscribe to the notion that if you can laugh at the shittiest moments in your life, you can transcend them. And if other people can laugh at your awful shit as well, then I guess you can officially call yourself a comedian.”
Sara shows the value of good friends and family, people you truly need when you are going through something as horrific and esteem killing as agoraphobia and depression. She keeps on trucking and ends up living, which is what all of us want to do. It starts out small and little by little you get better, slow process but big reward.
All of this isn’t as heavy as I’m making it seem, trust me. Sara is a comedian, do there are some seriously funny piss yourself moment. There’s one scene where Sara is teaching in Texas, damned if I didn’t howl really loudly. Billy had an issue, a very hard issue. And the fact that Sara hit the floor laughing IN CLASS makes her my hero.
Not only did I laugh, I cried as well. I don’t think Sara knows the true impact her book will have on someone like me. She’s shown that you can get through this bullshit mental issue, you just got to keep fighting. And a damn good sense of humor will help you through.
Thank you Sara for sharing your ups and downs, ones way similar to mine but most of all for making me laugh loudly in public. That’s right, I brough it with me outside. Nothing better then a little fresh air and the strong desire for a smoothie.
Agoraphobia usually follows panic attacks, you start to develop fears of places usually outside your home. In both mine and Sara’s case, you end up thinking of your home as your safe place and just don’t want to leave. It’s not only that you don’t want to leave, your body starts doing all sorts of unfriendly things to make you think its safer in your home. From the shakes to rapid heart rates and to feeling like you are going to throw up everything you’ve ever eaten in your entire life. It’s no wonder we don’t want to leave the house, god only knows what will follow when you do. Hell, you might be lucky and just faint (never happens) or you’ll throw up on the first person you see. Either way, you do not want to leave your house because you know that something horrible is going to happen outside.
Sara hits it spot on with:
“So I didn’t need evidence or logic to know that something singularly terrible lay outside my door. I just needed my inner knowing, my sixth sense, the still small voice that shrieked, “YOU’RE GONNA FUCKING DIE!!” upon my awakening.”
That is exactly what an agoraphobic feels like; we’re all sorts of psychic. We just know bad shit’s gonna come, don’t tell us any different. Our bodies know more then you do. We’re all sorts of enlightened.
What Sara went through makes me cringe; I thought I had it bad. Oh no my friends, Sara takes the agoraphobia crown and sash! Imagine being terrified to use your own bathroom, so much so that you stop eating. Add depression to the mix and you have a recipe that would make most people lay down and die. But you know what, Sara survived! Sure she had set backs, but she got through it and made me laugh.
“I subscribe to the notion that if you can laugh at the shittiest moments in your life, you can transcend them. And if other people can laugh at your awful shit as well, then I guess you can officially call yourself a comedian.”
Sara shows the value of good friends and family, people you truly need when you are going through something as horrific and esteem killing as agoraphobia and depression. She keeps on trucking and ends up living, which is what all of us want to do. It starts out small and little by little you get better, slow process but big reward.
All of this isn’t as heavy as I’m making it seem, trust me. Sara is a comedian, do there are some seriously funny piss yourself moment. There’s one scene where Sara is teaching in Texas, damned if I didn’t howl really loudly. Billy had an issue, a very hard issue. And the fact that Sara hit the floor laughing IN CLASS makes her my hero.
Not only did I laugh, I cried as well. I don’t think Sara knows the true impact her book will have on someone like me. She’s shown that you can get through this bullshit mental issue, you just got to keep fighting. And a damn good sense of humor will help you through.
Thank you Sara for sharing your ups and downs, ones way similar to mine but most of all for making me laugh loudly in public. That’s right, I brough it with me outside. Nothing better then a little fresh air and the strong desire for a smoothie.
March 30, 2012
Some images from this book...a pretty curly-haired half-Italian college-age woman sitting on the toilet rocking back and forth, softly singing the hymn "Be Not Afraid." The same woman trapped by her own mind in her bedroom, peeing into Le Creuset bowls. The same woman being escorted through an anti-abortion protest by two girls who distract her by admiring her earrings. Benincasa has suffered from a particularly acute type of agoraphobia that has resulted in debilitating panic attacks and at a point confined her to bed. She knows some of what she went through is both horrible and hilarious, but simply tells the story and does not need to blame, over analyze or make poignant statements about The Human Condition. If she is using her mental illness to extend her brand as a deadpan storyteller, so what? Are you laughing? Alright then.
In the past, when a comedian wrote a book, you had to decide if you're going to go with them when they inevitably swing from sarcasm to sentiment. Benincasa so far has had one of those latter-day hybrid careers: a stand up comedian-writer-interviewer-blogger (and a teacher, receptionist and cashier) that seems to have honed her storytelling style and given her the ability to make that wide swing without giving you false-tasting, eye-rolling whiplash. Her voice is that of a woman who knows what she believes but often cannot believe what she sees. Sufferers of various phobias might not find salvation in Agorafabulous, but they will likely feel better about themselves because at least they never lived for months among bowls of their own festering urine.
In the past, when a comedian wrote a book, you had to decide if you're going to go with them when they inevitably swing from sarcasm to sentiment. Benincasa so far has had one of those latter-day hybrid careers: a stand up comedian-writer-interviewer-blogger (and a teacher, receptionist and cashier) that seems to have honed her storytelling style and given her the ability to make that wide swing without giving you false-tasting, eye-rolling whiplash. Her voice is that of a woman who knows what she believes but often cannot believe what she sees. Sufferers of various phobias might not find salvation in Agorafabulous, but they will likely feel better about themselves because at least they never lived for months among bowls of their own festering urine.
October 1, 2015
One day, I was scrolling through Twitter, and I noticed this cool chick who had been retweeted by the Comics Curmudgeon (Josh Fruhlinger). I think this was when she was watching Rocky IV for the first time and articulating her unabashed delight and wonder (shared by me when I have this experience!). I followed her.
Sara became one of my favorite parts of my Twitter feed. She is both hilarious, smart as a whip, and constantly up to date with both hard news and pop culture. . . I had no idea who she was, but she seemed to live in NYC, so I figured she was doing pretty well for herself, whatever she was doing. (She also has a really adorable rescue dog.)
Months later, someone mentioned to her that they really liked her book. AGORAFABULOUS. A BOOK I HAD GOTTEN AND THEN MINDLESSLY HOARDED UNTOLD MONTHS OR YEARS BEFORE, PAYING NO HEED TO WHO MIGHT HAVE WRITTEN IT.
Suddenly, Agorafabulous skipped my staggering to-read line, and I can't believe I could have let it languish for so long! Sara is witty from moment to moment on social media, but given time and more than 140 characters to put together a memoir, she is evocative and stunning.
As a caveat, I'm not sure I would recommend this to someone struggling deeply with agoraphobia and looking for a read in that headspace, because Sara breaks out relatively quickly and is on to new adventures that might seem like bragging to someone currently confined to a bedroom. I do dearly love Sara's take on life, though. . . I can honestly say that I laughed and I cried.
Sara became one of my favorite parts of my Twitter feed. She is both hilarious, smart as a whip, and constantly up to date with both hard news and pop culture. . . I had no idea who she was, but she seemed to live in NYC, so I figured she was doing pretty well for herself, whatever she was doing. (She also has a really adorable rescue dog.)
Months later, someone mentioned to her that they really liked her book. AGORAFABULOUS. A BOOK I HAD GOTTEN AND THEN MINDLESSLY HOARDED UNTOLD MONTHS OR YEARS BEFORE, PAYING NO HEED TO WHO MIGHT HAVE WRITTEN IT.
Suddenly, Agorafabulous skipped my staggering to-read line, and I can't believe I could have let it languish for so long! Sara is witty from moment to moment on social media, but given time and more than 140 characters to put together a memoir, she is evocative and stunning.
As a caveat, I'm not sure I would recommend this to someone struggling deeply with agoraphobia and looking for a read in that headspace, because Sara breaks out relatively quickly and is on to new adventures that might seem like bragging to someone currently confined to a bedroom. I do dearly love Sara's take on life, though. . . I can honestly say that I laughed and I cried.
October 16, 2013
As a reader, I wanted to like this book; I really did, and I tried. Unfortunately, it just could not hold my interest as a reader. I think this is an important book, because I feel that popular nonfiction, especially popular creative nonfiction, about mental illness helps bring out a difficult (if not taboo) subject matter into light, allows readers with like conditions to identify and to feel not alone, allows other readers a greater insight and understanding of mental illness from the inside, and represents authentically a marginalized population. Maybe at another time and with another try, this book's writing style and I will gel more, but I appreciate that the writer and the publisher have put it out into the world, and I hope the book finds its readers.
August 26, 2019
Some of the humor in this felt dated, and reminded me too much of the hipster racism of the late aughties, early teens. There were a lot of jokes that pointed out their own use of stereotypes as though to say, "It's okay, we're laughing at how racist/xenophobic/etc and untrue this is, not at the stereotype itself!" These always feel like an excuse to use the cheap, essentializing joke without having to reap the consequences of having said it, or do the actual hard work of dismantling it.
I still think Sara Benincasa is super funny, I will keep loving her on twitter, and I found solace in so much of what she wrote here. But I can't ignore my discomfort. :/
I still think Sara Benincasa is super funny, I will keep loving her on twitter, and I found solace in so much of what she wrote here. But I can't ignore my discomfort. :/
May 7, 2013
As an agoraphobic who has not left the house since about September 2011 I can honestly say that this is one of the most honest and most humorous looks at dealing with this particular phobia.
June 10, 2023
Sara was absolutely relatable and I feel like if our paths ever crossed, we could totally be friends. We’re about the same age, went to college at the same time, had an obsession with Dave Matthews Band, we both went through an “…early adolescent Wiccan phase…”, and had the same favorite TV shows. “[My family] watched The X-Files to scare the $h!t out of ourselves, and also because my mom and I totally wanted to tap Mulder’s fine a$$.” The chapter about teaching in Texas reinforces why I’m glad I decided not to become a teacher: “Being a teacher was difficult because of all the lying that was required of me on a daily basis. I had to pretend I actually cared if my students came into the room smelling of pot smoke, or if they cursed aloud in class.”
Her memoir is anecdotal and addresses how she suffered a nervous breakdown and how she recovered. Her honesty is refreshing, and I adored how supportive her parents were. She’s a decent writer, but I didn’t feel like the book finished on a strong note. Otherwise, it was fun to descend into madness with her and to witness her pull herself out of the darkest depths of mental illness.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
Her memoir is anecdotal and addresses how she suffered a nervous breakdown and how she recovered. Her honesty is refreshing, and I adored how supportive her parents were. She’s a decent writer, but I didn’t feel like the book finished on a strong note. Otherwise, it was fun to descend into madness with her and to witness her pull herself out of the darkest depths of mental illness.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
May 9, 2023
amazing! this memoir made me laugh out loud several times and was an interesting glimpse into agoraphobia as it plays out in a young woman. also a great reminder that in life, when shit hits the fan, you can truly drop everything to focus on yourself and everything will be okay.
loses 0.5 stars for some classic aughts mildly racist generalizations and stereotypes, but overall very tame.
loses 0.5 stars for some classic aughts mildly racist generalizations and stereotypes, but overall very tame.
March 18, 2021
I thought this was a decent book and it had some pretty hilarious parts (like the viagra part 🤣🤣) good for her being able to talk about her mental illness in a comedic way....I think people learn better through laughter anyway so, well done!!
March 23, 2013
I subscribe to the notion that if you can laugh at the shittiest moments in your life, you can transcend them. And if other people can laugh at your awful shit as well, then I guess you can officially call yourself a comedian.
I knew when this book opened with a Molly Ivins’ quote that I was likely going to love it. Plus, right off the bat, this chick is funny. Then…Benincasa pulled the rug out from under me, talking about an adolescent crush who “one night in the spring, …walked into his garage, filled a bottle with gasoline, brought it upstairs into the bathroom, locked the door, poured some of the gasoline down his throat, soaked himself in the rest, and lit a match.”
I was shocked and horrified, and it took re-reading it for it to really sink in because in the pages before she’s talked about what an all-around good guy this kid is, someone all the girls love, and then he’s gone. As you can imagine, his death does a number on her, and she ends the introduction with a sort of benediction, saying she feels as though he’s there somewhere, “reminding [her] that clear-cut choices are few and far between.”
But no fear, Benincasa does an excellent job of bringing you to the brink of pain and despair before lightening it up with her characteristic (and dark/obscene/morbid) humor. For example, when she admits to her best friend that she cut herself:
Now that’s awkward enough, but here’s the truly humiliating part, the piece I’ve never admitted to anyone else…it was a butter knife. A fucking butter knife. What the hell kind of half-assed training-wheels shit is that? I’ve given myself deeper cuts while shaving my legs. It was nothing more than an advanced scratch. It wasn’t even a fully realized effort to hurt myself, much less end my own life. It was pretty much the most pussy attempt at self-destruction ever.
Benincasa reaches the point in college where she can’t leave her apartment because she knows she will die if she does. In fact, her fear extends to the bathroom, and she begins urinating in cereal bowls and shoving them under her bed. When her friend realizes the extent of Sara’s problem, she phones her parents, and Sara’s mom races to pick her up. Most of the book focuses on this part, the recovery, and though it’s funny, the depth of intimacy is something that goes away after she admits peeing in bowls. Understandable. In fact, the rest of the book is more a series of personal essays than anything else, but there is an overall arc to them, and more importantly, Benincasa does what Sedaris is so good at: the humor evinces the deeper growth she experiences in each situation.
Agorafabulous! is a brave book and does for mental illness what Sex and the City (the television show) did for sex or Jimmy Choos or cigarettes in the 21st century: brings it out in the open, shows what it is and can be and why we need to be able to discuss it and laugh about it.
Read this: if you are interested in mental illness/love David Sedaris or Sarah Vowell/enjoy off-the-wall memoirs.
February 14, 2012
The Good Stuff
The description of the history of Sicily will have you laughing your ass off
A self deprecating honest look at life with a mental illness in a hopeful yet extremely hilarious way - this to me is hugely important and should be required readings for those dealing with these types of issues - things will get better no matter what
Doesn't blame her illness on anyone and doesn't go go all self-pity about it - just honest, straight to the point and did I mention OMG hilarious
Love the blender recipes
Her stories about her trip to Sicily as a teen, her boss at the Blessed Sanctuary and her trip to Planned Parenthood will have you laughing and cringing at the same time
Impressed with her bravery to come out with some very personal stories
She doesn't hold back with her recovery - she makes you know it was very slow, painful and it never completely went away but she can live and most importantly laugh at it which is incredibly healthy in my humble opinion
The Not So Good Stuff
I had a hard time with the jump from chapter to chapter - left me a little disorientated at first (only lasts for a sec though)
The many mentions of the bowl of pee grossed me out
You will snort out loud on the bus and people will stare (why oh why can I not learn that reading funny/sad books on the bus is not a good idea for someone who wants to be ignored during commute)
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"The island was independent for, oh, six seconds, at which point the Kingdom of Aragon (not Aragorn, the foxiest dude in the Lord of the Rings) kindly stepped in."
"HELLO. ARE YOU THE DOCTOR?" he asked in the loud, slow voice that Americans reserve for non-English speakers (as if screaming in a foreigner's face is going to increase his or her comprehension of our mongrel tongue.)
"I imagine several generations of my father's Celtic ancestors consulted the same shaman whenever young Arthywolgen was possessed by the tree-spirits or little Domnighailag expressed an interest in Christianity,"
"I prayed for forgiveness, but to the Virgin Mary, not God. I figured she'd be more sympathetic to the whole unplanned pregnancy thing, especially since she and I both knew I wasn't carrying any messiah. And I'd always had a sneaking suspicion it was Joseph who knocked her up, anyway, and the Archangel Gabriel thing was a less secular version of the stork story."
Who Should/Shouldn't Read
Definitely not for those sensitive about religion or bodily functions- if that is you - do not pick up the book (but your world will be sadder for it)
Anyone who has or is suffering from a mental illness - especially agoraphobia - this is a must
Quite frankly other than those who are sensitive or serious about religion - you will get something from this (At the very least a good chuckle)
4.5 Dewey's
I received this from Williman Morrow in exchange for an honest review
The description of the history of Sicily will have you laughing your ass off
A self deprecating honest look at life with a mental illness in a hopeful yet extremely hilarious way - this to me is hugely important and should be required readings for those dealing with these types of issues - things will get better no matter what
Doesn't blame her illness on anyone and doesn't go go all self-pity about it - just honest, straight to the point and did I mention OMG hilarious
Love the blender recipes
Her stories about her trip to Sicily as a teen, her boss at the Blessed Sanctuary and her trip to Planned Parenthood will have you laughing and cringing at the same time
Impressed with her bravery to come out with some very personal stories
She doesn't hold back with her recovery - she makes you know it was very slow, painful and it never completely went away but she can live and most importantly laugh at it which is incredibly healthy in my humble opinion
The Not So Good Stuff
I had a hard time with the jump from chapter to chapter - left me a little disorientated at first (only lasts for a sec though)
The many mentions of the bowl of pee grossed me out
You will snort out loud on the bus and people will stare (why oh why can I not learn that reading funny/sad books on the bus is not a good idea for someone who wants to be ignored during commute)
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"The island was independent for, oh, six seconds, at which point the Kingdom of Aragon (not Aragorn, the foxiest dude in the Lord of the Rings) kindly stepped in."
"HELLO. ARE YOU THE DOCTOR?" he asked in the loud, slow voice that Americans reserve for non-English speakers (as if screaming in a foreigner's face is going to increase his or her comprehension of our mongrel tongue.)
"I imagine several generations of my father's Celtic ancestors consulted the same shaman whenever young Arthywolgen was possessed by the tree-spirits or little Domnighailag expressed an interest in Christianity,"
"I prayed for forgiveness, but to the Virgin Mary, not God. I figured she'd be more sympathetic to the whole unplanned pregnancy thing, especially since she and I both knew I wasn't carrying any messiah. And I'd always had a sneaking suspicion it was Joseph who knocked her up, anyway, and the Archangel Gabriel thing was a less secular version of the stork story."
Who Should/Shouldn't Read
Definitely not for those sensitive about religion or bodily functions- if that is you - do not pick up the book (but your world will be sadder for it)
Anyone who has or is suffering from a mental illness - especially agoraphobia - this is a must
Quite frankly other than those who are sensitive or serious about religion - you will get something from this (At the very least a good chuckle)
4.5 Dewey's
I received this from Williman Morrow in exchange for an honest review
April 12, 2012
Full disclosure: I won a copy of this from Goodreads. In exchange for the free copy, I was strongly encouraged to write a review of it. It took me a while, but here it is!
I saw this book in one of our professional magazines at work, I'm sure. Or maybe I just read the original blurb on the giveaway - I can't remember now. What I do know is that the book sounded good, funny, and something I was interested in reading. Imagine my complete shock when I received the "You're a winner!" email from Goodreads; I'd entered several giveaways and hadn't won anything (and didn't appear to be in the running for anything, either). I got my email, did a "I-can't-believe-I-actually-won!" dance, and anxiously awaited the arrival of my book.
When it finally reached me, I have to admit, I didn't start it that night. Heck, I almost never start a book the day I check it out/buy it/bring it home; call it some sort of sado-masochistic delay of gratification. Once I did begin, I realized this book wasn't exactly what I had thought it would be. Yes, some of it was funny. Yes, there were little vignettes of agoraphobic behavior. But I had been under the impression that the author was more of an editor and that the stories were to be from different people's lives. I know - read the jacket again, silly girl! Sigh. Anyway, I kept going.
What I will tell you is this: I think Benincasa was incredibly brave to write this book. It is an extremely open and honest exploration of her battle with mental illness, one that at times is difficult to read in its honesty. I don't think I could have written about peeing in dinnerware. Her book is a testament to her spirit and determination, and it shows that one can conquer mental illness if you get the help you need (and if you ask for it, which I know was a bit of a problem for her).
What comes out most in the author's writing is her love for her family. I don't think she could have gotten through this period in her life without her parents, nor would she be where she is today without some very good friends. If I learned one thing from this memoir, it is that one should speak up for those that may not speak for themselves. Her college friends recognized just how bad things were and contacted her parents, even though they knew it could mean the end of a friendship. I think people don't reach out often enough due to fear (or maybe apathy, though I hate thinking that). If something doesn't look/feel right, talk to that person and don't give up.
Overall, I liked this work. The author has a nice style, the story was interesting, and in the end, I would definitely recommend it to others.
I saw this book in one of our professional magazines at work, I'm sure. Or maybe I just read the original blurb on the giveaway - I can't remember now. What I do know is that the book sounded good, funny, and something I was interested in reading. Imagine my complete shock when I received the "You're a winner!" email from Goodreads; I'd entered several giveaways and hadn't won anything (and didn't appear to be in the running for anything, either). I got my email, did a "I-can't-believe-I-actually-won!" dance, and anxiously awaited the arrival of my book.
When it finally reached me, I have to admit, I didn't start it that night. Heck, I almost never start a book the day I check it out/buy it/bring it home; call it some sort of sado-masochistic delay of gratification. Once I did begin, I realized this book wasn't exactly what I had thought it would be. Yes, some of it was funny. Yes, there were little vignettes of agoraphobic behavior. But I had been under the impression that the author was more of an editor and that the stories were to be from different people's lives. I know - read the jacket again, silly girl! Sigh. Anyway, I kept going.
What I will tell you is this: I think Benincasa was incredibly brave to write this book. It is an extremely open and honest exploration of her battle with mental illness, one that at times is difficult to read in its honesty. I don't think I could have written about peeing in dinnerware. Her book is a testament to her spirit and determination, and it shows that one can conquer mental illness if you get the help you need (and if you ask for it, which I know was a bit of a problem for her).
What comes out most in the author's writing is her love for her family. I don't think she could have gotten through this period in her life without her parents, nor would she be where she is today without some very good friends. If I learned one thing from this memoir, it is that one should speak up for those that may not speak for themselves. Her college friends recognized just how bad things were and contacted her parents, even though they knew it could mean the end of a friendship. I think people don't reach out often enough due to fear (or maybe apathy, though I hate thinking that). If something doesn't look/feel right, talk to that person and don't give up.
Overall, I liked this work. The author has a nice style, the story was interesting, and in the end, I would definitely recommend it to others.
July 10, 2016
I related to so much of this. I don't have agoraphobia but rather social and generalized anxiety disorder. (So I'm afraid of very specific things AND everything else in the universe! Jackpot!)
Still, Sara and I had a lot of similar experiences. She became afraid of her bathroom and getting her head wet; I became afraid of water getting in my nose and giving me that brain eating amoeba, so I started washing my hair in the kitchen sink instead. (No, I don't know how that was better. Logic wasn't exactly my friend at the time.) (Also, I just realized my Mom didn't know about this particular habit until reading this review. Hi, Mom! Sorry my brain sucks.)
Also like Sara, I stopped eating, though only when I was home alone. I developed a severe fear of choking and dying, so I avoided food altogether while my Mom was at work.
Sara got obsessed with a Dave Matthews Band song; I became fixated on The Killers, especially "A Crippling Blow." (Why no, I don't know why I related so hard to a song that contained the lyrics "I can get by in the meantime by myself" and "And I know that I will never be calm and well." Can't imagine.) I would stay up late, playing games on my computer and listening to Day & Age for hours because I was afraid of dying in my sleep. At one point I started putting the couch cushions on the floor of my Mom's bedroom and falling asleep there. She was my "safe person," you see.
The year I turned 18 was a riot, lemme tell ya.
Anyway. I related to a lot of this, and I loved Sara's sense of humor about it. For people who can't figure out HOW someone gets like Sara or I did, they should read this. Mental illness isn't like a cold, it doesn't just go away after making you a snot monster for a week or two. It twists your entire mind into something unrecognizable. I'm turning 25 soon and when I think about the person I was until I found the right meds, I'm still shocked. I was a completely different person, all because my brain was convinced I was about to die at any second. I mean, I had a panic attack over the bloody Large Hadron Collider, for fuck's sake!
So yeah. Read this book. You'll either learn a thing or two about mental illnesses, or you'll relate to Sara's journey and laugh about it along the way.
Still, Sara and I had a lot of similar experiences. She became afraid of her bathroom and getting her head wet; I became afraid of water getting in my nose and giving me that brain eating amoeba, so I started washing my hair in the kitchen sink instead. (No, I don't know how that was better. Logic wasn't exactly my friend at the time.) (Also, I just realized my Mom didn't know about this particular habit until reading this review. Hi, Mom! Sorry my brain sucks.)
Also like Sara, I stopped eating, though only when I was home alone. I developed a severe fear of choking and dying, so I avoided food altogether while my Mom was at work.
Sara got obsessed with a Dave Matthews Band song; I became fixated on The Killers, especially "A Crippling Blow." (Why no, I don't know why I related so hard to a song that contained the lyrics "I can get by in the meantime by myself" and "And I know that I will never be calm and well." Can't imagine.) I would stay up late, playing games on my computer and listening to Day & Age for hours because I was afraid of dying in my sleep. At one point I started putting the couch cushions on the floor of my Mom's bedroom and falling asleep there. She was my "safe person," you see.
The year I turned 18 was a riot, lemme tell ya.
Anyway. I related to a lot of this, and I loved Sara's sense of humor about it. For people who can't figure out HOW someone gets like Sara or I did, they should read this. Mental illness isn't like a cold, it doesn't just go away after making you a snot monster for a week or two. It twists your entire mind into something unrecognizable. I'm turning 25 soon and when I think about the person I was until I found the right meds, I'm still shocked. I was a completely different person, all because my brain was convinced I was about to die at any second. I mean, I had a panic attack over the bloody Large Hadron Collider, for fuck's sake!
So yeah. Read this book. You'll either learn a thing or two about mental illnesses, or you'll relate to Sara's journey and laugh about it along the way.
February 19, 2012
In 2008 I stumbled upon the youtube channel of Miss Benincasa as I was doing a youtube search of Mr. Neil Gaiman. There was a video of Mr. Gaiman where he was discussing the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Off to the side another video was suggested and it was a "Family Hour" video of Sara in her family home walking around talking about bathroom decor. I was intrigued and I found her to be funny and in a weird way watching her video felt like watching a friend. I subscribed to her channel but never got any updates until the "Sarah Palin Vlogs" started to appear in the fall of 2008. These videos were hilarious and I became a huge fan of Sara(Benincasa, not Palin). Since that time I have followed her career through Sirius XM, "Getting Wet", facebook, twitter, and most recently the wonderful podcast "Sex and Other Human Activities." Over the past 3 1/2 years I've come to find that everything she does makes me feel like I'm one of her friends, and this book is no different. I feel that while reading this it was almost as though a friend was telling me about their life, both the good and the bad. I would read a chapter and recognize parts from stories she had told on the podcast or radio show and feel that now I had the whole story. Her writing is very honest and casual, which I enjoy in nonfiction. There is a lot of humor throughout the book but also heartbreak. It is wonderful to see someone "speak" so openly about their mental illness and be able to find the humor in the situations she found herself in. I suppose this is what makes her a great comedian. It may seem strange to feel close to someone that you've never met but Sara lets us into her life and her head and and manages to let us feel that connection. Grab your favorite stuffed animal, a cup of mint tea, and let Sara guide you through her life. Enjoy!
May 28, 2017
Sara Benincasa's memoir chronicles her journey through crippling panic attacks that leave her temporarily unable to leave her college apartment. A particularly nervous child, Sara's book begins with her going to an Italian ER for a panic attack while on a school trip and follows her into college at Emerson.
At twenty-one she becomes unable to leave her apartment, or even leaving her bed. She stops taking showers and makes up excuses for why she can't go out with friends. After a worried friend contacts her parents she is ushered out of her apartment (where she has been peeing in soup bowls out of fear that the bathroom has bad vibes) and back into her childhood home in New Jersey.
It's always nice when other people's particular brand of crazy outweighs your own.
Sara has a lovely sense of humor about her past situation. She is still afraid of public transportation and has a list of her techniques for getting through traumas like driving. She is honest about her reliance on prescription drugs, therapy and parental support system.
I've always like memoirs written by the unfamous and this sweet story of a girl trying to find her way into the land of the sane was a thoroughly enjoyable read.
At twenty-one she becomes unable to leave her apartment, or even leaving her bed. She stops taking showers and makes up excuses for why she can't go out with friends. After a worried friend contacts her parents she is ushered out of her apartment (where she has been peeing in soup bowls out of fear that the bathroom has bad vibes) and back into her childhood home in New Jersey.
It's always nice when other people's particular brand of crazy outweighs your own.
Sara has a lovely sense of humor about her past situation. She is still afraid of public transportation and has a list of her techniques for getting through traumas like driving. She is honest about her reliance on prescription drugs, therapy and parental support system.
I've always like memoirs written by the unfamous and this sweet story of a girl trying to find her way into the land of the sane was a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 323 reviews