Curveballs: How to Keep It Together when Life Tries to Tear You a New One

by Emma Markezic

Because sometimes, life is going to suck, and you're going to have to know how to handle it…

What happens when you step on one of the great Lego pieces of life? When you get blind-sided? Thrown a curveball? When you get divorced? Or someone dies? You're going to need something more than the diarrhoea-like progression of motivational quotes we get fed on Instagram - you're going to need real-world ways to deal with a big, fat let-down. Because one will come for you, eventually. And when one came for comedian and journalist Emma Markezic in the form of a nasty cancer, despite the fact she found herself bald, broke and living alone, she felt more alive than ever. So she wanted to know why... Why does trauma affect us in such different ways? Why are some people more resilient than others? Why was she handling cancer better than other people handle a paper cut and, more importantly, was it a skill she could teach? When she wrote an article about how learning she might die made her the happiest she'd ever been, it became a media sensation and she knew she was onto something. With dozens of expert brain morsels and more than a little humour, Curveballs is a memoir-meets-self-help manual for how to keep it together when life tries to tear you a new one. Because you'll want to be more resilient than a tardigrade in outer space when it does∗. ∗Microscopic eight-legged animals that can withstand 1000 times more radiation than humans, live for 100 years without water and literally just hang out in space like freeloaders at a Vegas buffet. See... you learned something already!

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help

290 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2019

Reviews

[Bookish Sisters · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, 2020 has been a bit of a curveball.

I like many others have retreated into books, shows, films, music, art or just the internet to cope with this. It's been a hard time to think: how do we get to the other side? We didn't see any of this coming, all the best laid plans that fell by the wayside.

I looked for a book about just that, when life is the way it has been. How do we deal with a bad year? Markeznic knows bad years, and during my bad year, the comfort of reading about how she got through some unimaginable struggles was heartfelt, funny and strangely helpful relief.

Part memoir, part self help this book was a funny, very real perspective of how to find little joys in a sea of crap.

It was an easy but comforting read in a time where being reminded that resilience can sometimes mean eating a pizza on the lounge on a Friday night. It can be having a sleep in, a yoga class, or a long phone call.

A recommended book for a year, month day or just general time of crisis.

3 stars

[Keely Crilley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Curveballs: How to Keep It Together when Life Tries to Tear You a New One is a book about resilience, grief, trauma, happiness, life, death, superhero underwear, baking pies and listening to Wonderwall by Oasis. This book is a great mix of memoir and self-help book. It is light-hearted but makes the reader take a look at their life and experiences so far and look at them in a very healthy, but critical way.

Emma has the fantastic ability to take subject matters that, at times, can be confronting and daunting to talk about and uses a healthy dose of humour to make this book very readable. She talks to a range of experts throughout this book and gives insight into how their research relates to everyday life. I thoroughly enjoyed that this was a mix of well researched information and stories from her own personal experiences or that of close friends. This makes the reader feel like they are getting to know Emma personally while learning a lot about themselves at the same time.

Personally, I am someone who suffers from what I call second hand trauma what I mean by this is while I am not the person directly suffering from the trauma, someone close to me is and it effects my life in a significant way. The most substantial example I can give is that while my beautiful mother is the person suffering from a multitude of debilitating illnesses, I am her “right hand man” and have been since about the age of 12. This has changed my life in more ways than I can count and has, in turn, forced me to grow up and mature rather quickly.

Reading this book and thinking about my own experiences helped me to realise just how resilient a person I am and how well I have managed the trauma in my life. It also helped me to come to terms with the fact that although I suffer from anxiety disorder, I can still be a happy and successful person in life. But furthermore this book gave me and insight into what trauma can do to people and some tips that I can use to help myself, if/when I experience first hand trauma, or the people around me.

While I am not normally drawn to non-fiction or self-help style books, this book was an easy and enjoyable read that I thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

40% of happiness is secured by choice. This book tells the story of an Australian comedian and writer who chose happiness over grief, trauma and cancer; and how she did it. Extremely informal (I’m obviously not her target audience) but backed up by science and experience, there are lots of simple takeaways that can increase resilience and emotional intelligence. If I was going through chemo, this is the book I’d read during treatment. Top tip: if you can’t think of anything to be grateful for, remember that at least air doesn’t smell like farts.

[Katie Vearing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Curveballs is a cleverly written mix of both a memoir and self help book. I laughed, I cried, I reflected, I learned, and most of all, I couldn’t put it down!

So many facets and anecdotes from Curveballs resonated with my own life and I’m 100% confident that next time life throws a giant one my way, I’ll have the resilience to deal with it and to continue living my best life.

I’ve read a couple of orange covered self help books now, and this is by far the best! Highly recommend.

[Ally Haire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers practical advice for living your best life and dealing with the sometimes shit things that crop up in it.
It's a no nonsense, down to earth, personal experience on getting through trauma of all kinds. It doesn't hide from reality but instead gives you some great tools and confidence on grabbing life and giving it a dam good shot.
Such a refreshing and well researched read with lots of fun and great advice thrown in.
Highly recommended

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

An addictive read that tackles big issues in a hilarious yet informative way. You can really connect with Emma and her experiences.

I loved the mix of funny anecdotes and expert opinions and stories.

A great read if you want to laugh, cry and learn a little bit about why we are the way we are.

[Brooke Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love reading this book. Emma gives real life, practical ways to empower yourself whilst you are face to face with less than ideal situations in life.

Emma’s quick wit and relaxed writing style makes you laugh and cry at the same time!

Couldn’t put it down!!

[Wamuyu Kago · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most awesome engaging book I have read this year. Emma’s writing and tone is very conversational - reading this book was like going on a coffee date with an old friend (tears and sudden bursts of laughter). A great read!

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Addictive from the minute you pick it up. With a practical and humorous approach to dealing with life's ups and downs it is a great read.