Things To Do Instead Of Killing Yourself

by Tara Booth, Jon-Michael Frank

Instead of ending it all, you could paint a face on an egg and crush it, search for something that you’ll never find with a metal detector or edit the moon’s wikipedia page. 100 snapshots to help one live life, using dark humor and a focus on the inane as a vehicle for self-help. Featuring alternatives to struggling with poor mental health by way of untamed animals, positive affirmations and one-star yelp reviews.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Mental Health, Humor, Nonfiction, Comedy, Art

112 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2019

Reviews

[Flybyreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book of advice to follow instead of killing yourself is a surprising self-help read for those, who sometimes find it hard to even get up in the morning. Some of the sentences mentioned in the book are so absurd and funny that make you laugh hard with disbelief and there are some that make you consider and feel like another ordinary human being. The words inside are powerful, reminding you of what’s normal and mundane, that everyone is dealing with some kind of challenge at times and it’s part of being alive. It tells a lot while speaking little. On some pages, illustrations speak louder than the words. I loved it, I hated it and severely recommend it.

(Received a copy from Edelweiss)

[♥ Sandi ❣ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Short graphic book full of "Things To Do Instead Of Killing Yourself". Some are funny, some are cute, some make sense, and some make no sense at all. However, if in that frame of mind and handed this book, one might find great delight in the simple verbiage and rough drawn pictures.

I am always looking for graphic novels that engage me, as I feel that this medium gets so much across to a person in the least amount of words and usually in a funny or meaningful parade of pictures.

[Emily Gallivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Trigger Warning* I have struggled with suicidal ideation for many years, and it recently resurfaced with an absolute vengeance. During a particularly rough patch, I stumbled upon this book in the Art Institute of Chicago gift shop and thought it might provide some useful suggestions. I was right. Every page made me laugh out loud at my own painful, difficult experience while handling such a sensitive subject with great care. It is beautifully relatable and I am grateful for its existence and for my happening upon it.

[eirignis · Rating 5 out of 5]

c génial, si vous êtes dépressifs (et c souvent le cas de mes amis) vous allez tellement rire de ce livre et de l’absurde des gens

[Maëch · Rating 5 out of 5]

J’ai pouffé plein de fois et je n'ai pas mis fin à mes jours très réussi bravo

[Eva Gat · Rating 5 out of 5]

AND NOW I KNOW!

[amelie · Rating 5 out of 5]

currently larping alone. it’s working so far!

[Javier RC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crooked laughs all around 🔝

[Maëlle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Banger, j'ai rigolé c'était drôle

[Erikka · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I fully appreciate any effort to draw attention to mental health initiatives and suicide prevention, this is just not good. It doesn't really mean anything, nor is it funny. Some of the options it suggests are literally suicidal, which seems counterintuitive. Also, the art doesn't pass my test which is "could I draw this? Then it probably isn't art." These look like a child's drawing. It's awful.

[Cheyenne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and weird - we’re counting it!!

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've spent much time in the depths of su*cidal ideation, the dark humor and ridiculousness of this little book will crack you up. The drawing style is so-bad-it's-funny a la Hyperbole and a Half

[Read me two times · Rating 3 out of 5]

Molto divertente, sulla falsariga dei Coniglietti suicidi.

[K Sand · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best fucking book. This book, every single page made me laugh. As a person who has gone through their own dark times it felt relatable and real, while also taking scenarios such as smelling the roses to the farthest conclusion- getting pricked by thorns in the face.

[J Earl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Things to Do Instead of Killing Yourself by Tara Booth and Jon-Michael Frank is, well, published. I can honestly say this is just a little better than the one I recently read from Frank, so there is that.

Some of these are actually decent ideas with a slight bit of humor. On the whole, they are just crude "drawings" with asinine comments. And, as in Frank's book, animals are for abuse. In this case the suggestion you paint your dog day glow. There was a story recently about police trying to find the criminals who painted stray dogs, because a couple died and a couple were saved in time. So basically Booth and Frank want you, to make yourself feel better, to potentially kill and definitely make your dog sick. Can we talk about what is really sick about that?

Though a few were okay, this collection seems like the "writers" and "artists" wasted a good 10 minutes of their lives creating this. They should have used it within the context of self-help and not as a way to encourage people to kill their pets.

Not recommended. Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss.

[Lexi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this, a must read!

[Sophie · Rating 1 out of 5]

instructions unclear i am now dead

[Robert Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked this up after reading the title.

It made me laugh, and sometimes that’s all I need.

[Mawa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool ideas 😂

[Sara Ghotb · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is nothing really funny or meaningful about it. This book's title implies that it is about mental health, but in reality, it fails on many levels.

[Juliano · Rating 5 out of 5]

“buy a bunch of appealing books and put them on a shelf and never read them”. There’s nothing better in a gift than something that makes you feel simultaneously seen and attacked, and this year for my birthday my friend Ollie delivered — things to do instead of killing yourself is a book, by Tara Booth and Jon-Michael Frank, of both suggestions and accompanying artwork for exactly what the title suggests, teetering on the brink between the silly and the sublime. From “find someone who is doing worse than you and befriend them” to “join a cult”, there really is something for everyone! Push that boulder, kids!

[Samantha Friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this in a bookshop and proceeded to buy two copies. I haven’t cackled out loud alone in public like that in a long time. I’ll keep one at work in case anyone is having a bad day. You can’t always help when someone is going through something but being the boss means I can be a listening ear and hopefully make someone smile.

[Lucas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of cathartic therapeutic joke book Booth and Frank made together to cope with their mutual depression. There's some chuckle worthy stuff in there, some relatable stuff as well. But mostly it's just very absurd and didn't really do much for me

[Marion Raffier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un livre indispensable pour la dépression.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious and slightly cynical. Some of the pages had me laughing out loud. Loved the nature of the drawings. Definitely my type of book!

[Leyla Zebda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always lovely

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Em & Tara for the laugh 🖤 will be revisiting this whenever I am feeling down

[Ann Beej · Rating 5 out of 5]

They really get it.

[Lu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Divertido, rápido y te da muchas ideas tanto si te quieres matar como si no. Yeehaw!

[Anne-Laure · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, modern graphic book, very humor oriented and original.