3.5 stars

3.5 stars

I think the title Agorafabulous is misleading. It makes the book sound like a lightweight romp of someone who, sure, has Agoraphobia but manages to stay trendy and chic the same time. It would also be misleading to think of this is a humor book. It's a memoir written by a comedian and it is often funny, but it is raw and deeply revealing.

There's a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow quote that I like that goes, "If we could read the secret history of our enemies we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility." This book is a reminder that people walk around with lives hidden from view that we can scarcely imagine. In the introduction there was a juxtaposition that set the tone for the book. In one paragraph the author is detailing an explicit, slightly raunchy adolescent moment, and two paragraphs down describes a situation so tragic it takes your breath away.

I admit I like memoirs written by smart, neurotic, sarcastic women, and this certainly fits. Even more it's a wonderful portrait of a person living with mental illness. It reveals that the illness does not fully define a person. I really liked this book and would recommend it.

When an author tried to be funny about acute mental issues, it can often backfire-- making their issues seem less dire than they really are. Also, it is hard to "laugh" when a situation seems so awful and sad. This is the case with Agorafabulous -- Benicasa's account of her struggle with mental illness. Although it was interesting and honest, the attempt to be comic about something that isn't really funny didn't quite work for me.

The only problem I had about this book is that I wanted it to be longer. :)

I'm always on the hunt for memoirs and biographies that deal with different experiences with mental illness- mostly just to educate myself but without reading textbook definitions. This was certainly an interesting look into agoraphobia and was done in a comedic way. I personally enjoy memoirs that balance serious topics (mental illness) with comedy. It seems more real and accessible and true to how I find it possible to survive the truly crappy moments. Sara Benincasa is a lovely writer and can make some very hilarious observations about the crappy side of mental illness. This reads more as a collection of essays on her life and mental illness in general and less as an in depth look at agoraphobia or anxiety. But I enjoyed it and found there to be some really touching and also really hilarious parts to this book.

One of the best books I have read about ones triumphant battle with anxiety or any other mental illness for that matter. Thank god for Marc Maron's podcast or I would not have known of the talent that is Sara Benincasa. She has made me believe that anything is possible in spite of the demons that face us. Dreams can come true. Therefore, there is hope and humor. What more can you ask for than that? I say nothing. Thank you Sara. Everyone dealing with, living with, loving with mental illness this book is for you. She is our voice and our hope. She's pretty fucking funny too!

Sara Benincasa is a very funny person. I am grateful she chose to go into comedy rather than education (though in an alternate reality alt-Sara is probably cracking up her students and existing as the most popular teacher in her school).

I’m also glad she chose to write this wickedly funny and seriously real memoir. I think you’ll enjoy it too.

I normally love memoirs and especially memoirs from crazy people. I really wanted to like this one. I relate to the subject very well, but it was like the author could only tell what happened without conveying adequately the emotional significance of the experience, and so a lot of it seemed glossed over and maybe exaggerated.

The author had problems staying on topic and would go off on random tangents and weird history lessons. It felt like a chore to read, and I almost didn't finish it.

Finally, it just wasn't that funny. A few parts induced a little snicker, but I was expecting something along the lines of Allie Brosh or Jenny Lawson. So with the deficiencies in humor, grit, and insight, I felt it was a pretty pointless read.