Jenny Lawson is brave, and funny, and smart, and willing to share her struggles with anxiety and depression in her blog posts, essays, and books. Why “brave?” I share some of her afflictions and, while I totally bought in to the concept that depression won’t lose its stigma until people are willing to talk openly about their struggles, my own experience has been that lots of people can’t handle hearing about it. OK, lots of them are a-holes but I lost a number of “friends” after I opened up about my own struggles. So her willingness to open up and talk about her experiences is amazing to cowards like me. The thing about Jenny that sets her apart from others who have been willing to talk about anxiety and depression is that she is legit FUNNY. And what better time to laugh at our situation than in the middle of a worldwide pandemic? So I was very happy to receive a copy of Broken from Henry Holt & Co. and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

In addition to being hilarious, some of her anecdotes are borderline heartbreaking. Not sure if this is more true for us readers who share her “issues,” but her stories resonate with people for many reasons, and I find the idea that I am not totally alone in my mental state to be REALLY reassuring. I love that she has ideas she’d like to pitch to the panel on Shark Tank, and that she “can never go back to the post office.” She puts it all out there for our entertainment, and even pulls her husband “Victor” (I’m not sure if he is real, but he is terrific) into her stories.

Jenny’s previous books Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Furiously Happy (who wouldn’t love a book with a raccoon on the cover?), and You Are Here, have all been successful and have all made me laugh as well as reminding me that I am not alone in my mental state. I love this woman. Buy her book. Five stars.