Audiobook Review: Broken by Jenny Lawson (I stepped out of my comfort zone!)

Posted by Jessi (Geo) on February 9, 2024 | 1 Comment

Audiobook Review: Broken by Jenny Lawson (I stepped out of my comfort zone!)

Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson
Published by Henry Holt & Co (4.6.2021)
Genres: Nonfiction
Format: Audiobook, 285 pages
Length: 8 hours, 18 minutes
Narrator: Jenny Lawson
Source: Library

As Jenny Lawson’s hundreds of thousands of fans know, she suffers from depression. In Broken, Jenny brings readers along on her mental and physical health journey, offering heartbreaking and hilarious anecdotes along the way.

With people experiencing anxiety and depression now more than ever, Jenny humanizes what we all face in an all-too-real way, reassuring us that we’re not alone and making us laugh while doing it. From the business ideas that she wants to pitch to Shark Tank to the reason why Jenny can never go back to the post office, Broken leaves nothing to the imagination in the most satisfying way. And of course, Jenny’s long-suffering husband Victor―the Ricky to Jenny’s Lucille Ball―is present throughout.

A treat for Jenny Lawson’s already existing fans, and destined to convert new ones, Broken is a beacon of hope and a wellspring of laughter when we all need it most.

My thoughts

Wow, I did not expect to love this book so much! I am not a non-fiction reader. I can count the number of non-fic books I’ve read in my entire life on one hand. In fact, I even know exactly which ones they are – Half Assed by Jeanette Fulda and Cultish by Amanda Montell. I did read a short self help book maybe a year ago, but I don’t even remember the name of it because it wasn’t very good, lol.

I picked this up kind of on a whim – I don’t remember where I saw it at, but the cover caught my attention. It doesn’t look like a non-fiction cover. But I found out it was about depression and mental health and decided to give it a go.

Within the first 20% I had already ordered the hardcover. Jenny is fucking HILARIOUS and there were so many things I wanted to tab and highlight, that I was itching for a physical copy of it. I did not expect to laugh so much at this book! The stories she tells are so wild and outlandish that I wonder if any of it is actually true, but it sure was entertaining. In one part I legitimately spit my water out and choked on it!

In addition to making me belly laugh, it also made me cry. I’ve been struggling with depression for a while (buspar is taking care of the anxiety, thank heavens, so that’s not an issue anymore), so a lot of it struck hard. Some of the passages were just so poignant and so relatable.

Even if you’re not a non-fic reader I would recommend this book! I highly recommend the audio, it’s narrated by Jenny herself and I feel it really brings the book’s (and the author’s) personality to life.