A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere
by Maria Bamford
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Sep 2023
288 pages
Genre: Biography/Memoir
Publication Information
From "weird, scary, ingenious" (The New York Times) stand-up comedian Maria Bamford, a brutally honest and hilariously frenetic memoir about show business, mental health, and the comfort of rigid belief systems—from Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People, to Suzuki violin training, to Richard Simmons, to 12-step programs.
Maria Bamford is a comedian's comedian (an outsider among outsiders) and has forever fought to find a place to belong. From struggling with an eating disorder as a child of the 1980s, to navigating a career in the arts (and medical debt and psychiatric institutionalization), she has tried just about every method possible to not only be a part of the world, but to want to be a part of it.
In Bamford's signature voice, Sure, I'll Join Your Cult, brings us on a quest to participate in something. With sincerity and transparency, she recounts every anonymous fellowship she has joined (including but not limited to: Debtors Anonymous, Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, and Overeaters Anonymous), every hypomanic episode (from worrying about selling out under capitalism to enforcing union rules on her Netflix TV show set to protect her health), and every easy 1-to-3-step recipe for fudge in between.
Singular and inimitable, Bamford's memoir explores what it means to keep going, and to be a member of society (or any group she's invited to) despite not being very good at it. In turn, she hopes to transform isolating experiences into comedy that will make you feel less alone (without turning into a cult following).
"Bamford creates an effective mix of introduction (or reintroduction) to a fascinating comedian, a guide to the self-help industry, and an encouragingly lighthearted, respectful assessment of mental health, reminding readers that they are not alone. Laugh-out-loud funny, weird, and touching—a great example of what a celebrity memoir can bring to readers." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"[A] hilarious, eyebrow-raising debut memoir … It's all delivered with Bamford's trademark blend of disarming intimacy and dark whimsy. The result is a consistently funny and occasionally heartbreaking glimpse into a unique comedic mind." —Publishers Weekly
"[T]he book shines with Bamford's brilliance, relentless humor, and insatiable instinct for survival … Raw and discomfiting, but completely compelling. This is an essential read for Bamford fans."
—Library Journal
"Sure, I'll Join Your Cult is a wry, blunt, service-y, sometimes cranky, and largely exuberant stroll through the modern self-help and support-group scene." —Shelf Awareness
"Maria Bamford's writing is laugh-out-loud funny. Her brain is a national treasure." —Jennette McCurdy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of I'm Glad My Mom Died
"Maria is the kind of comedian you watch and think, 'I've gotta write more and I've gotta think deeper.' I'm glad she's in the world." —Patton Oswalt, New York Times bestselling author of Zombie Spaceship Wasteland and Silver Screen Fiend
"Maria Bamford is my absolute favorite comedian. Read this book NOW!" —Tig Notaro, author of I'm Just a Person
This information about Sure, I'll Join Your Cult was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Maria Bamford is the star of The Maria Bamford Show, Ask My Mom, and Lady Dynamite. She was deemed Breakout Comedy Star at Just for Laughs, and her critically acclaimed work includes her stand-up specials Weakness Is the Brand, Old Baby, and Maria Bamford: The Special, Special, Special!, as well as two Comedy Central Presents specials. Maria's writing has been featured in The New York Times, LA Weekly, and more. She is the author of the audio original You Are (A Comedy) Special. Maria has contributed comedic voice-overs for Big Mouth, BoJack Horseman, Adventure Time, Word Girl, Kung Fu Panda, Legend of Korra, and Teenage Euthanasia. For her mental health advocacy, she's been presented with The OCD Foundation's Illumination Award and featured at the Psychotherapy Networker Symposium, The Chautauqua Institution, and the Saks Institute for Mental Health Law, Policy and Ethics Symposium. She's not always right for these rooms, but she's on time and pleasant.
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