Hyperbole and a Half, aka the Plight of Depressed Millenials

I purchased this book a couple months ago but held onto it until the right time having heard I would likely digest the whole thing in a couple hours. I was feeling particularly tired and depressed today, so I figured it would be a good time to divulge. That was probably the best choice I made all day.

Roughly half of the book is material Brosh previously published on the blog, including the two-part entry about depression and the meme-inspiring entry on productivity/adulthood. Despite being able to access these stories online, it’s kind of special to also have those favorites in a hard copy to review and reference at your leisure. I’m especially a fan of “The God of Cake” and am happy that was included as well.

The new material in the book has given me some new favorites, particularly “Dinosaur (The Goose Story)”. I have always thought that geese are evil, so I was delighted as soon as I saw the title. This story did not disappoint and pulled me out of my rut. I especially loved the drawings of the subtle shadow of the goose behind the blanket. The details in her Microsoft Paint drawings are incredible; I remember her discussing how the she spends a lot of time of them because the size of a pupil can totally change the effect of a picture. It’s really worth it to really look at the pictures and take in every detail.

The other new material that really spoke to me personally was “Thoughts and Feelings” and “Identity” parts 1 and 2. For me, I lump “Thoughts and Feelings” in with the scene in 500 Days of Summer where it is split-screen how he thought the party would go and how it actually went, which is a thing I experience often. “Identity” is about similar in that it pits self-perception vs. reality and throws in the element of soul-searching and realizing just how terrible of a person you are deep down despite not always acting on your impulses. It’s a conclusion I come to often, and hearing someone else be honest about it makes me feel better. I really identify with Brosh’s mental process, which made the book so enjoyable for me.

Brosh is unabashed in presenting herself as both a child and an adult as dysfunctional and slightly sociopathic, but it makes her incredibly endearing. I sincerely hope she continues to publish new material on the blog because she is a voice that needs to be heard.