Úžasný svet depresie

by John Moe, Samo Marec (Translator)

„Zábavná a úprimná kniha o depresii, ale aj o tom, čo všetko napriek nej môžete dosiahnuť.“ – Neil Gaiman

Depresia je stále tabu – mnohí ju nevedia ani len identifikovať, málokto sa prizná, že ňou trpí a len malé percento ľudí navštívi odborníka. Je ťažké sa o nej baviť s nadhľadom a nepatrí sa o nej vtipkovať. John Moe, rozhlasový moderátor a autor podcastov, sa o to pokúsil a napísal knihu Úžasný svet depresie.

Moe má s depresiou veľa neveselých skúseností – sám si chorobou prešiel a jeho brat si v jej dôsledku vzal život, no napriek tomu je presvedčený, že o nej treba otvorene hovoriť a dá sa o nej hovoriť aj s humorom. Podľa jeho vlastných slov je totiž depresia „nebezpečná, ale vo svojej podstate komická“. Poskladal teda spomienky na vlastnú zložitú cestu sprevádzanú depresiou a príbehy ľudí, ktorých počas nej stretol, pretože z vlastnej skúsenosti vie, že aj zdieľanie môže mať terapeutický účinok.

V tejto citlivej a zároveň zábavnej knihe ponúka Moe nový a nevšedný pohľad na depresiu, poskytuje nádej a hovorí, že je v poriadku, ak nie ste v poriadku. A je v poriadku, ak sa na tom smejete.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mental Health, Memoir, Psychology, Audiobook, Humor, Self Help

336 pages, Hardcover

First published May 5, 2020

Reviews

[Danielle P · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book everyone should read, regardless of whether they’ve listened to THWoD podcast. It has the potential to help normies have some empathy for the saddies and to remind the saddies (like me) that they are not alone in this.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m going to be honest this book was nothing like I had assumed it was going to be, but I loved it more than I could have imagined. I’ve never listened to the podcast because, well, I’m like the one weirdo in the world who just doesn’t enjoy podcasts. So I assumed this was going to be a book with a lot of levity.

It definitely had its moments of humor and I appreciated all of them, but at its core this is a great book about what it’s really like to struggle with your mental health. Part memoir and part anecdotes from those Moe has interviewed, this is the story we all really need right now.

There were so many times in this book that I would read a passage and have to reread it again because, as someone who struggles with my mental health, I felt so seen. I highly recommend this one whether you struggle with your mental health or not. There is so much insight here and I feel we can all benefit from Moe’s honest, raw and occasionally humorous experiences.

I received an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hilarious World of Depression by John Moe is a book that hit close to home for me. Fellow saddies where you at? I could relate to a lot of the things John discusses in this book and I really appreciated how honest he was about his feelings growing up with depression, navigating his career and dealing with his brother’s suicide. Throughout the book are these snippets of hilarious sarcastic wit that shine to make this book not a complete downer to read. Honestly I read this one quite slowly not because I didn’t like it which is normally the case when I read books slowly but because the issues are so intense and especially during this difficult time in the world I don’t think my saddie self could handle it all at once. I recommend this book to all the saddies out there who need some reassurance that you are not alone in your feelings and to all the normies to get a glimpse of what we saddies have to deal with every single day.

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Depression is an illness that happened to you. Maybe it was from the chemicals and inherited genetic traits that appeared in your brain before you were even born. Maybe it was from a trauma that occurred and then festered in your brain. Maybe there were people with power over you who behaved in a way that screwed you up. It wasn’t you. You didn’t choose this. No one would ever choose this. It’s not your fault.

I was blown away by this book, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. However, people who are easily triggered should probably stay clear from this one. As you can tell from the title of the book, this focuses on depression - and although it has the world “hilarious” in it, this isn’t a book that’ll have you slapping your knee while laughing. Instead, you’ll likely be deep in thought and a small chuckle will sneak out, but you’ll barely even register the laugh. Do not mistake this for a comedy book about depression. The “hilarious”part of the title is more so about the fact that depression and comedy can heavily overlap, and how so many comedians have depression. Media is told NOT to detail descriptions of suicides, but John Moe does do that here, which some people may not like. In my opinion, the details of his brother’s suicide are critical pieces of information and are necessary to fully understand why John was so especially fucked up about it. So, TW/CW include suicide details and suicide ideation.

“What do you have to be stressed about?” the normies might have said, if I ever talked about these things with normal people. “You have a family, a house, a car, a good job. Just deal with it!” As if I could simply do that. As if I chose this. As if I looked at the options available to me and they were clearly labeled “Perseverance” and “Freaking the Fuck Out All the Time” and calmly said, “Mmm, yes, I select option B.”

John is a high functioning person with depression. He isn’t bed ridden and unable to get up. Instead, he does exactly what I do. He works through it by busying himself so much that he’s essentially distracted from it, or thinks his hard work will pay off and make him feel better once he accomplishes his goals. As we all have hopefully learned by now, no amount of success is going to cure clinical depression.

Depression can't be cured by positive life circumstances because depression is not a reaction to circumstances.

It was really interesting to get John’s point of view. I feel like it’s pretty standard to see people with depression in media who are incapable of doing things like getting out of bed or eating, and even though he talks about that side of depression and it’s 100% a part of most people’s experiences, I really like that we get to see this side. A lot of people around me are shocked to find out I suffer from depression because of the performance I am able to put on, and a lot of times they don’t take it seriously or believe me. This book definitely brings these people to the forefront of the conversation, and I really enjoyed that. It highlights just how hard this illness can work to deceive you that it’s even there at all. It’s terrifying, but important to acknowledge and understand so that we can recognize when it’s happening.

I suspect that people with depression are fixated on the possibility of ambition being rewarded with happiness. Probably more than most people are. That’s because ambition about the future is a way of avoiding looking at a past that’s often pretty bleak or a future that is terrifying.
This isn’t to say that getting a better job or a pile of money can’t be really great. They often are. Achievements or windfalls can often wipe out a particular cause of worry or dread, maybe even wipe out that worry forever. But then you get used to that new version of normal, the novelty wears off, and you’re left with the same brain you’ve always had, and that’s when depression emerges from dormancy.

John tells the reader what he’s learned about depression and suicide through his own experiences, and provides understanding for people who don’t experience these thoughts or feelings. A particular anecdote that really stuck out to me was a chapter where John discusses a time that he himself almost committed suicide. He talks at length about the bridge and the many suicides that have occurred there. He even talks about the preventative measures that the city has taken to try to dissuade people from jumping. I thoroughly enjoyed this chapter specifically for the information about how important it can be to put a barrier in between the person and their means of suicide. Although the city put a fence-like wall to try to prevent people from jumping, there are people who still manage to jump - BUT this barrier DOES help. It does prevent many people from committing suicide because it forces them to consider it for a longer period of time.

People should not underestimate the ability of the difficulty of suicide to dissuade someone from committing suicide.

I just really think that chapter is so important. I know so many people that say things like, “If they’re gonna do it, they’ll do it.” Specifically when it comes to suicide related to gun deaths. Many suicides occur due to the victim’s accessibility to a gun or a bridge. If that gun isn’t as easily accessible or that bridge isn’t as easily jumpable, the chance of that person dying dramatically decreases.

Women are more likely to attempt suicide in America, but men are much more likely to succeed at it because they use guns.

So, not only do we get a lot of John Moe’s life and personal experiences, we get some real information and advice as to how we can possibly make all of this a little bit easier to deal with and handle. As a society, we need to be more concerned with mental health because there isn’t a single human being on earth who hasn’t in some way been affected by depression, even if they never experienced it themselves - someone they know has.

The thing about a traumatic fixated-upon memory is that it is exhausting to the brain. I wasn’t just haunted by this memory, I was tired all the time. Ever wonder why saddies can’t get out of bed? For many, that’s one of the reasons: an obsessive memory simply wears them out.

This memoir is heartbreaking and will probably have you tearing up or outright bawling at some parts, but it is poignant and insightful and occasionally funny. It discusses the hard topics, the things most people avoid because of how uncomfortable it can be. As John says, though, we MUST talk about. Not talking about it will only make it worse and more difficult to discuss. If we can normalize conversations involving mental health, we can literally save lives.

I want to share all this in one place because if we talk, things get better, and more people we love might stick around so we can love them more.

Happy reading!

P.S. The audiobook is 100% the best way to enjoy this story, but I recommend the hard copy or kindle version for highlighting.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is certainly eye-catching. At first I wondered what could be so hilarious about depression. But it makes sense, right? We joke about things we can't change as a way of coping with them. Dark humor, whistling past the graveyard, I laugh that I may not weep, and so on. I get that. And then I saw the blurb by Jenny Lawson above the title. I just recently finished Lawson’s Broken (In the Best Possible Way). So it seemed like the universe was giving me a nudge.

I’m not clinically depressed myself, but there are definitely at least a few saddies--Moe’s term, and I rather like it--in my life. This book does a great job of explaining just what depression is, gives examples of some celebrities who have it, and just generally demystifies the topic. People aren’t usually ashamed to go to the doctor if there's something physically bothering them. Seeking out a professional for mental issues shouldn't really be any different.

The book apparently grew out of Moe’s podcast of the same title. If it's anything like the book, it should be amazing. I'm certainly curious.

I definitely enjoyed this book. If you're at all curious about depression, do check it out. Even if you're not, it's highly entertaining. Highly recommended!

[AcademicEditor · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Moe is hilarious. Check out his "Pop Song Correspondences" on McSweeney's or his Twitter account. This book, though, isn't so much hilarious as wry and moving. It's a memoir of his lifelong battle with depression and trauma. For those not up for dealing with talk of suicide, there is plenty of that as he discusses his own suicidal ideation and his brother's death.

I don't think I've ever highlighted so much in my Kindle. The observations about what life with depression is like are profound. He identifies so many ways in which, in retrospect, depression was limiting his life or changing his reality. If you know or suspect you might have depression, or love someone who does, this book is a great resource for finding the words to discuss the often-taboo subjects related to mental illness.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital ARC for the purpose of an unbiased review.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d never heard of the author or his podcast; I picked this up because I liked the title and I wasn’t disappointed by the contents. Moe describes what it’s like to grow up with anxiety and depression as something that you don’t talk about, or if you do talk about it, the fact treatment can vary wildly depending on who your therapist is.

I related closely to his excerpt about working for Amazon and how the culture is one which can wreak havoc on depressed individuals, particularly ones who are hard on themselves and have the notion “if I just get the promotion” or “if I just get the recognition” THEN I will be happy. This is something I’ve struggled with significantly in the last several years, and recognizing that it’s happening is a wake up call. I also loved how he talked about working on ecards and how bonkers and ultimately pointless it all was.

The saddest part of this book is undoubtedly the details around his brother’s suicide. I can’t imagine the self-blame he endured, and the difficulty of trying to move on with his own life after such tragedy.

I would recommend this to anyone who has depression or anxiety, somewhat obviously, but also if you have someone close to you who suffers from those conditions because this may help you understand some of the absurdity that can go on inside our brains.

See more of my reviews: Blog // Instagram

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

The Hilarious World of Depression is a fantasticly put together book by John Moe which is funny but shows the seriousness of depression at the same time. This book is nothing like what I expected and I think I couldn't have loved this book more. This book is heartfelt and so relatable and is a must for anyone wanting to know more about depression, suffering from depression or helping someone with depression.

I've not come across the THWoD podcast before, but I will be checking it out now!

Thank you for such an honest book with humour and heart!

[Antea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is, by far, the most brilliant book I have ever read. The way he describes depression and what concerns the world of mental illness opens your mind even if it’s something that you know already.
There are some intense (very intense) parts that made my heart ache and I genuinely wanted to put down the book but it’s such a good one you don’t really want to do it. What you really want to do is: finishing the chapter and then starting another one.
John Moe talks about his path in such an intimate way that makes you feel as if it was just a chat between two old friends and at the same time, he is a great comedian so you imagine yourself laughing at one stand up comedy show. Brilliant, fantastic. It’s a book I suggest to everyone because it deserves that kind of chance and everyone should read it. It’s one of those books I will go back to every once in a while because it’s, as I’ve already said it, b r i l l i a n t.

[Dovilė Stonė · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I’d had good therapists in the past, briefly, but all I ever took away from therapy was a somewhat clearer understanding of how messed up I was. That’s helpful, sure, but it’s not really progress. Like knowing the brand of refrigerator you’re locked in. And this was not the fault of the therapists I had seen, who were all trained pros and good at their jobs. It was my fault, or Clinny D’s fault. I never wanted to go all that deep in therapy because that’s where the monsters were. I’m talking about the really really bad memories, the deep bruises, the scars, the events that significantly shape a person through injury. Trauma. Rather than tackle the past, I was willing to settle for a tense ceasefire with it, letting my life be like Middle East countries that hate each other. There would be car bombings, but a homeland is a homeland.
I had gone through life with the belief, often heard in simpleminded quarters of popular psychology, that the past is the past and you just have to move on. “Let it go,” the simple-minded say, again, as if no one had ever tried that before. [...] If you can’t understand your past, then you don’t really know how your mind got to where it is now, because you simply don’t know yourself."

"Trauma is a wolf and your mind is a house and it’s like, “Oh, I’m safe from that wolf because I trapped it in my house before it could hurt me.” But then a while later, it’s “Oh no! What happened to my house? My furniture is shredded and there’s wolf poop everywhere! How did THAT happen? Oh hey, I’m being mauled.”"

"You can’t achieve your way to happiness. You can’t win your way out of depression."

"Sadly, the pain of mental illness can sometimes be greater than even the most fundamental logic. If this type of despair responded to reason, we wouldn’t be here in the first place. This is when suicidal ideation veers hard into suicidal contemplation. Maria Bamford describes it as “that moment-to-moment feeling that all this is unbearable.” Of course, a person isn’t going to feel better after a suicide, but simply existing is not an option."

"“Is there any way we could do this without pills?” I asked. “I don’t want to be all altered. I want to still be myself.”
“This kind of medication doesn’t make you into anyone else. If it works the way it does for a lot of people, you’ll feel more like yourself. Kind of cleans the windshield. As for not being altered, how’s the status quo working out for you?"

"We commonly associate certain feelings with losing someone to suicide: pain, guilt, grief, anger, sadness. Confusion isn’t mentioned nearly as often as it should be. “How could this person be dead, through their own deliberate action, when I never knew that was a possibility?” Because if you never see something that huge coming, that means you live in a world where anyone you know might do the same thing, and then you’re adding fear—terror, really—to the confusion. You were going about your day, and then boom, this happens, so maybe you’ve had the universe figured wrong the whole time."

"Depression poses these lies as your own self-generated thoughts and not those of your illness. Depression is good at making you think it’s not even there and that you are the problem. Depression wants you to think you made a choice to be this way. When you fall for that, as I did for decades, you hate yourself even more.
As if someone would choose depression. As if you or I or anyone would opt for this kind of life. As if our real problem was a kind of monumental stupidity when it came to lifestyle choices.
[...]
Depression is an illness that happened to you. Maybe it was from the chemicals and inherited genetic traits that appeared in your brain before you were even born. Maybe it was from a trauma that occurred and then festered in your brain. Maybe there were people with power over you who behaved in a way that screwed you up. It wasn’t you. You didn’t choose this. No one would ever choose this. It’s not your fault."

[Eva Gat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keby bol môj mozog 50+ ročný biely hetero američan a chcel napísať knihu (akože ten môj mozog), vyzeralo by to cca takto.

Dôležitá kniha plná humoru a sebairónie, napríklad aj pre ľudí, ktorým ich impostor syndróm hovorí, že NAOZAJSTNÁ depresia vyzerá inak a tá "ich" nie je dosť.

Celkom liečivé čítanie.

[Dávid Jackanič · Rating 3 out of 5]

Keď som bol malý, myslel som si, že depresia je len iný výraz pre smútok. Všetci okolo nás mali "depku." Brat z toho, že sa mu na tvári objavili vyrážky typické pre každého pubertiaka. Spolužiačky mali "depku" z toho, že nevyzerajú tak, ako by si predstavovali. A ja som si myslel, že "depka" prejde, pretože človek nemôže byť predsa smutný celý život.

Postupom času som zistil, že depresia je choroba a nedá sa z nej vyspať a ani vyrásť. A že by sme s týmto termínom mali narábať opatrnejšie, pretože ho dennodenne znehodnocujeme tým, že si mýlime našu blbú náladu s vážnou chorobou, ktorou trpia mnohí okolo nás a ani o tom nevieme.

Je skvelé, že sa o depresii hovorí, že o nej vznikajú podcasty a môžeme o nej tiež čítať knihy. A je dôležité, že vznikla aj táto kniha, hoci by som jej mohol vytknúť neatraktívnosť a v mnohých momentoch aj ťažkopádnosť a nudu. Ak však pomohla nájsť odvahu aspoň jednému človeku vyhľadať odbornú pomoc, ak pomohla aspoň jednému čitateľovi neplytvať zbytočne slovom depresia, ak pomôže ľuďom viac počúvať, načúvať a byť starostlivými voči svojim blízkym, ktorí taktiež môžu bojovať s depresiou, je výborné, že ju John Moe napísal.

[Matt Bender · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about 70 percent memoir and 30 percent anecdotes from his podcast. It made me want to listen to the podcast.

I found some of the humor to be cheesy, and some of the analogies and stories (especially the Amazon one) to be very funny.

What I appreciate about the book is the author’s candid description of mental illness including his observations on how it has affected his family and others. He also gives great verbiage to frame mental health issues.

Would recommend for anyone whether they have depression issues or not. We all know someone with it and most have periods of depression and this book gives excellent insight into the issues of mental health.

[Kristin Boldon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to like this book more than I did. I believe in the topic, the podcast, and am glad Moe is speaking out about depression. There is lots of funny and interesting stuff in this book. But it didn't connect w me--there is a sometime glibness, a mean streak that I detect, that made this an ought-to read rather than a want-to read for me.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Honest, Logical, Hilarious Stars

John tells you the real deal about depression. Straight, honest talk from his experience, his brother’s worst experience, and the many people he talks to on his Podcast.
Medical advice will still be required; (i.e. you’ll need to see a therapist.) but this is a great place to start.
I highly recommend it.

Listened to the Audio.

[Cassidee Lanstra · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Depression is formless, colorless, and odorless, and doesn’t show up on medical imaging.”

See all of those bookmarks? The Hilarious World of Depression by John Moe was a delight to read. He makes a point early on to say that he hopes that this book helps people, that they highlight or bookmark and I certainly did that. 4.5/5 stars for me. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for sending me a copy to review. For those of you who are into podcasts, the author is actually a host of a podcast under the same name, which discusses depression with a bit of a comedic take.

First let me say, as someone who most certainly deals with depression, but has been too embarrassed to ever get screened for it… this book was extremely relatable. I felt as if John Moe plucked thoughts from my head. The more I read this book, the more I am convinced that there will come a point where I have to deal with it. He talks about how people with depression often think that if you are able to stop from getting worse, that you’ll be fine. No need for treatment, therapy, but also no improvement mentally. You become a standstill of numbness. He says often, we think the next big achievement in our life will make our depressive thoughts go away and then it follows us, and we think, “if I could only get to THIS POINT, I would be so much happier.” Then you get to that point and you’re not happier. That isn’t your fault, you’re not just pessimistic or an overachiever. You’re probably depressed or at least suffering mentally.

With such clarity and honesty, Moe talks about his journey of dealing with the idea of death. It started out as not wanting to be alive, but not actually wanting to kill himself. As his mental state worsens, he talks about contemplating killings himself and how he would do it. It might have been half serious, he might not have ever gone through with it, but that act itself is a cry for help in your own mind. If you think of how you would kill yourself in the most efficient way, that’s not a normal thing people think about when mentally stable. He even talks about his anger and guilt when his brother actually does kill himself in a manner that Moe felt like his previous writings may have influenced. People that commit suicide are people that have fallen to their illness. If someone dies from cancer, we say that their cancer killed them. When people kill themselves, others are angry or confused, like how could they have done that? How selfish? We don’t say, “their depression killed them” or “they fell prey to their illness” when it IS an illness. Moe drives this point home.

“Trauma is a wolf and your mind is a house and it’s like, “Oh, I’m safe from that wild because I trapped it in my house before it could hurt me.” But then a while later, it’s “Oh no! What happened to my house? My furniture is shredded and there’s wolf poop everywhere! How did that happen? Oh hey, I’m being mauled.”

What I love about this book is that it is so quotable. Moe talks in metaphors and through his experiences, because when it comes to depression, that’s what we’ve got. He teaches us through his traumas, through his reaction to them. He doesn’t paint himself better than he was or is, he talks about mistakes, moments of rage, moments of hilarity. He relates his comedic streak and self-deprecation to his depression, which is something not talked about enough. A lot of people hide mental insecurities and instability through humor. This is obviously a mask, a way to keep people from seeing the turmoil that lies underneath, but it made me really ponder… if we screened every comedian for depression, I wonder how high the statistics would favor positive for depression? Moe prods at this topic throughout his book and brought that question forth in my mind.

There was a part in this book that really stood out to me. I think we all know teachers have enough on their plates, we unfairly expect them to teach our kids EVERYTHING. So, I’m not pinning this on them and I don’t think THEY failed us, especially since they are following the curriculum that higher ups provide for them. Anyway, Moe talks about during his health classes, how depression or mental health was never brought up. I can relate to that, our health class was no more than a week block in a classroom near our PE class, and lightly covered STDs and the food pyramid. Now, it is definitely a parent’s job to teach all of this stuff. Sex Ed, proper nutrition, healthy ways to deal with mental health issues but if we are going to include health into the curriculum, it should include mental AND physical, as they’re equally important to our wellbeing. As a society, we do not prioritize mental health. We all fail each other when we view depression as taboo to speak about. My earlier mention of being embarrassed to be screened for depression is proof of that. Why am I embarrassed? Probably because I’ve been conditioned to think that way. It isn’t acceptable to succumb to your mental health even during tragedies, it seems. In college, there’s professors that don’t even view family death as an excuse to be late on an assignment. We are just taught throughout our lives that we need to be strong at all times, we live through war and watching death on the television. We saw people DIE on a live broadcast during 9/11 and we are all just supposed to be okay. We are supposed to happy all the time even though for generations now, we have lived with the threat of nuclear warfare hanging over our heads, which is something I never thought about until John Moe mentioned. I look around and I can say that there’s a pretty equal amount of mentally distressed and mentally healthy people in my life. Thankfully due to books and podcasts like this, our conversation is starting to turn to more acceptance and honesty in relation to mental instability even though we have a long way to go.

I get that this review has turned more into a think piece, but that’s what a good book should make you do. Honestly, I probably covered about 4 out of 20 highlights in a book that’s under 300 pages. I can’t quote every relatable thing he said. Well, I could but then I’d just be relaying the entire book to you when you should just read it for yourself. So here’s a long story short: John Moe takes a topic that is… well, depressing (because yes, talking about depression IS often as depressing and draining as it is therapeutic) and he makes it not seem like a chore. He brings laughter and moments of camaraderie to his writing. He makes you feel seen because of his own experiences and vocalization of those experiences and the thoughts that stem from them. Pick up this book if you suffer from depression or if you have a loved one that does, it is amazingly easy to read. It comes out May 5th!

[Ellen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a bit of a chore to get through. The author (comedian?) pushes his humor really heavily and in a way that, to me, felt tone deaf. Perhaps he's selecting for an audience that really only likes his type of humor (calling the reader stupid, dummy, making jokes about things with little buy-in from the reader), but I found it to be childish and lazy humor. He talks about depression, but not in a way that I find meaningful, insightful, or relatable. My ultimate favorite thing when I was reading was the last chapter because I feel like he finally started sharing insight into how depression has truly touched his life, however now that I am writing a review a month later, I honestly couldn't tell you what was inspiring about the last chapter. As an awesome friend once told me "remembering something about what I've read or watched is a sign of a good movie/book to me" (thanks Tom!) and this book clearly had no lasting power. Skip it, is my vote. Or if you loved it tell me what you liked!

[Harry Jahnke · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I want to say how dare John Moe stalk me since early childhood and write a book about me. I'm kidding but this book is incredibly relatable. Almost scarily so (I also went to a middle school called Sacajawea. Coincidence?). As someone who has lived with chronic depression and suicidal thoughts for years on end, it was absolutely gut-wrenching and wonderful to listen to this. I hated being able to relate to all of this mental illness and at the same time, it's so comforting to know that I'm not alone and that help exists and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I may never be rid of my depression but at least with this book, I know that there are things out there that work, people willing to help, and that depression is a lying asshole who wants to kill me that I don't have to take any shit from. Bless this book and bless John Moe for sharing it with the world.

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jokes so funny I didn't realize they were funny until I was onto the following chapter. Sober anecdotes on a comedian's experience with depression. Straight white male privilege in check.

[Kristína Hana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*
Dad jokes. Dad jokes o depresii.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up on a whim from my online library while I was going through a rough patch with my mental health a few weeks ago. Before reading this book, I'd never heard of the author or the podcast he hosts. I had no expectations going in.

There ended up being many times while I was reading this book that I had to nod along because the author had just described a feeling I have had in my life, at one time or another, or some kind of experience that I could 100% relate to. That's the book's biggest strength, I think: making it clear to a reader that they're not alone in what they're going through.

The humor was enjoyable, for the most part. The only slight complaint I had about this book was how the author seemed to have a problem with German and French comedians/humor?? Didn't quite understand his annoyance there, but all in all it was a short tangent that didn't subtracted from my enjoyment of the book. I listened to the audiobook and would highly recommend going that route if one wanted to pick this up.

Big CW for mentions of suicide (graphic at times) and suicide ideation. There were also some details in a news story about rabbits that turned surprisingly gruesome.

Since finishing this book, I listened to an episode of the podcast. This one, because books, which might be of interest to the good people of Goodreads:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3FFo...

[Kristīne Spure · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very relatable and humorous. So many bits felt personal, made me remember anxiety and past experiences that I’d forgotten. I wonder how it is to be a “normie”. I really appreciate the openness and honesty with which John Moe talks about mental health issues, we really need more of that.

[Maryam · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started this book, I knew I was an anxious person but I didn't know I really need to see a specialist. I should thank John Moe for opening my eyes. Since then I have started getting professional help and I can see the difference.

[Carrie Kellenberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Depression does its damage and then it hides, covering its tracks, making you think that it is not an illness, that you’re just bad and weird.”― John Moe, The Hilarious World of Depression

A must read if you know someone with depression or you suffer from depression.

As someone who lives with depression, I strongly recommend taking some time to read this book and/or listen to John Moe's podcast of the same name. It helps immensely to learn what others are going through and how they are coping.

“Yes, there is discrimination against people with mental illness and, yes, it can be a scary thing to talk about. But the hunger to do so is there, and by being open yourself you can get that conversation out on the dance floor.”― John Moe, The Hilarious World of Depression

“Trauma occurs when something happens that’s too horrible for your brain to deal with, so you just store it away. Over time, the horrible thing, which is still there, starts coming out in a variety of ugly ways, causing mental problems that you don’t even associate with the trauma because it happened so long ago.”― John Moe, The Hilarious World of Depression

“Depression is good at making you think it’s not even there and that you are the problem. Depression wants you to think you made a choice to be this way.”― John Moe, The Hilarious World of Depression

“Depression steals your ability to feel happy and proud even at the moments you should be happiest and proudest.”― John Moe, The Hilarious World of Depression

“I didn’t know that depression isn’t a mood. It’s a set of conditions that cause a whole series of thoughts and behaviors to happen over a long period of time, often things that are wildly different from one another.”― John Moe, The Hilarious World of Depression

[Diane Yannick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never heard of John Moe and my sister, who usually recommends books I hate, told me about it. Somehow, I put it on my radar and obviously (5⭐️!) I’m glad I did. It is an engaging memoir and a master class on depression. The author weaves in his experiences and those of countless people he interviewed. He doesn’t try to pigeonhole symptoms into neat categories with advice. Rather, he gives respect to the ever-changing myriad of shapes that depression can present. He enables others to speak without a pre-determined interviewer agenda. He doesn’t try to sidestep the parts that make him look ‘bad’. He looks at the way the illness affects those who love you.

Many of the analogies he made and cited were perfect. For example, a small ball bouncing in a small box and a button symbolizing depression—even as the box gets bigger, the ball is still going to hit that button on occasion. Depression is humbling and not something you cure. It is something that you learn to manage and if you’re lucky like this author, laugh at on occasion. This book is a valuable contribution to the field of psychology and I hope it will be widely read and discussed.

Here’s one of my highlights that I want to share and remember: “The thing is, I knew better than to think depression was a result of something. It’s not a reaction, it’s a medical condition. But knowing it and feeling it are different things. I didn’t want to die, but I wanted to take my brain out of my head for a while. Just store it in a jar for a few weeks and then put it back after I rested.” Depression is exhausting.

[Cherie Gilmore · Rating 1 out of 5]

Trigger warning for this book. In the US, please call the national suicide prevention hotline if you need some support. 800-273-TALK (8255)

It breaks the unwritten rule of describing how someone lost their life to suicide.

The author gives a very honest account of their struggle with depression. For that reason I wanted to leave a better review.

For awhile he blamed himself for his brothers death because his brother used the method that was detained in the authors first book. Then he proceeds to go on for quite some time in this book that same method. He certainly wasn’t to blame for his brothers death. However mental health professionals have been educating the media about not listing details for years. He also goes into details earlier in the book about another method. This was a DNF for me, so I’m unsure if it continues.

His brother was a drug addict. Often times people with mental health issues self medicate with drugs and alcohol. This book could have gone a long way in helping to shine a light on this issue. Sadly, it missed the mark. The right editor could have made this book different.

Many people did find this book helpful. Proceed with caution if you also suffer from depression with suicidal ideation. Much love to anyone who lives with depression, and to all the loved ones that have lost someone to suicide.

[Ashley Holstrom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Toward the end of the book, John Moe writes that depressed people are tired and sleep a lot because their minds are doing a decathlon every day. And I've never felt more validated in my need for 9 hours of sleep each night as well as at least one good daytime nap.

[Bonnie G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honest, clear beautiful, and yes also funny. This is both personal and inclusive, and truly shines a light on what it means to have depression and why it is something unrelated to being a person without depression who is down in the dumps.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good things happen when you talk! Really great one to experience on audiobook, as not only is it read by the author (always a good idea), but included many excerpts from guests from Moe’s THWOD podcast such as Mara Wilson and Peter Sagal. I was not familiar with John before this book. I found his tone just right-light and humorous, but balanced with very poignant and intimate details of his brother’s suicide and his own deepening depression. All-in-all, a very informative and valuable memoir for anyone struggling with or interested in mental health issues. “Depression is a parasite what wants to kill its host.” says Moe. He is a great advocate for openly talking about these issues, which are far more common than people think.

[Viki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mrazivá, vtipná, zábavná aj osvetová je táto kniha o živote s depresiou, napísaná z prvej ruky človekom, ktorý s ňou bojuje celý život a ktorého (nediagnostikovaný) brat spáchal samovraždu.
I keď je písaná ľahko, sviežo a ozaj vtipne, presiaka cez ňu ťažoba, lebo ako inak.

Asi to bude zmesou faktov, zlomkov príbehov známych ľudí, ktorí vyznávajú, že bojovali/bojujú s duševnými poruchami a predovšetkým niťou, ktorá sa knihou vinie - skoro až kruto intímny príbeh autora - ale je tiež ozaj oslobodzujúca.