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Hyperbole and a Half : : Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened

Brosh, Allie. Book - 2013 792.702 Br, Adult Book / Nonfiction / Literary Arts / Humor / Brosh, Allie 2 On Shelf No requests on this item Community Rating: 4.6 out of 5

Cover image for Hyperbole and a half : : unfortunate situations, flawed coping mechanisms, mayhem, and other things that happened

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Call Number: 792.702 Br, Adult Book / Nonfiction / Literary Arts / Humor / Brosh, Allie
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch

Location & Checkout Length Call Number Checkout Length Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor
4-week checkout
792.702 Br 4-week checkout On Shelf
Malletts Adult Books
4-week checkout
Adult Book / Nonfiction / Literary Arts / Humor / Brosh, Allie 4-week checkout On Shelf

"A Touchstone book."

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Publishers Weekly Review
Summary / Annotation
Fiction Profile
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

I loved reading this submitted by tudorprincess on June 21, 2014, 12:55pm There isn't anything new here (it's all from her blog) but it is one of the most one of the most hilarious graphic novels out there.

Hilarious webcomic submitted by asopijw65 on August 17, 2014, 2:19am Allie Brosh can do amazing things with just her stories and paint. The level of detail and absurdity in each picture is fantastic. Her stories are also fun and zany. You'll have a great time reading these and can probably relate to some of her experiences. She also writes 2 great pieces on her experiences with depression and how she was able to start taking steps forward. Highly recommended!

Beware of Snort-laughter! submitted by valerieclaires on August 23, 2014, 12:30pm For fans of Hyperbole and a Half, you know what you're getting into. If you've not had a chance to see the hilarity of Allie Brosh's webcomic before, get ready. Her experiences are so fantasticly presented you just have to laugh out loud, no matter how hard you try to suppress it. In addition to all the funny stories about Simple Dog and Helper Dog, a loose goose in the house, and overcoming childhood challenges, Brosh writes and illustrates one of the most honest and relatable tellings of living with depression that I have ever read. It's honest, but not too ... well, depressing. Even while talking about depression, she still manages to find some laughs, which is really Hyperbole and a Half's strength.

Hey book-loving friends! submitted by sumnera on September 30, 2014, 3:34pm Hey book-loving friends! I've got a new review to share about a book recently released by one of my favorite bloggers: Allie Brosh a.k.a. Hyperbole and a Half. As any fan of hers would know, she took a break from blogging to publish a book of her tales of "unfortunate situations, flawed coping mechanisms, mayhem, and other things that happened" as she calls them. She has a very unique style and a beautiful way with words that will leave you laughing hysterically on a public bus all by yourself with nothing but the strange looks from others to keep you company... Yes, I have firsthand knowledge. Her book is made up of short anecdotes from her life coupled with pictures that she creates in Paint on the computer. For using the application Paint, the girl's got talent. Her simplistic characters evoke great emotion and really seem to capture the essence of humanity, while poking fun at it in the process. If you can't tell by the words of praise, I really liked this book. It's a very quick read because there are so many pictures, but Brosh has a singular sense of humor and a way of showing a very realistic side of humanity.

My favorite vignette is actually one of her more serious ones. Yes, it has plenty of comic relief, but the topic itself is more serious than many of her other stories: depression.

As someone who has struggled with depression myself, her way of describing the emotions, feelings, thoughts, and motives for her actions were the best I've heard yet. No one I've ever talked to has been able to put depression into words like she has. My husband even said that reading that portion of the book gave him some insight into helping me cope with my own struggles. If this is something you've never experienced, praise the Lord because you're lucky! And then think about reading this section of Brosh's book, even if you read nothing else. People who have never had depression usually don't know how to deal with people who do have it, which Brosh points out.

I think she puts depression and the thought processes that depressed people experience into words and emotions that are accessible to everyone. Until this book, I had such a hard time verbalizing what it was like to my friends, my husband, my parents, even my counselor. This section of Brosh's book is gold.
(Check out Depression Part One and Part Two on her blog by clicking the links.)

My one complaint is that she used a lot of her previous blog posts for sections of the book. Now, I understand that her book is reaching a wider viewership, where many of the people haven't read her blog, and that the stories she repeated were some of her best. However, I was slightly peeved that she took so much time off of blogging when half of the book was already written! I'm sure the publishing process is much more involved than I am giving her credit for, but I know that she lost a lot of her hardcore fans in her time off. I'm hoping that won't hurt her blog and book career overall because I really do love her work!

My Rating
I loved it! Overall, I give it 5 out of 5 hearts.

Fun Short Read submitted by punsingh on August 10, 2015, 4:18pm This is a nice book to read. I was expecting some new material, but its all from her blog. At more than 300 pages, it feels like a heavy book, but I finished in a couple of reading sessions. The author has an innocent childlike perspective on the world. Its funny, the pictures look as if they were made by a child, but they are incredibly good, especially considering they are made in MS Paint.

Two Thumbs Up submitted by Avliss on June 19, 2017, 9:16am Very funny and relatable, both in terms of the mental illness Brosh struggles with and her two ridiculous dogs!

A Gem That Doesn't Take Itself Too Seriously submitted by paper girl on June 29, 2019, 10:44pm I keep picking up copies of this book at thrift shops to foist on my loved ones, and for good reason. "Hyperbole and a Half" is a goofy, delightful little number that doesn't take itself too seriously and doesn't take up too much of your time. Each story is chuckle-worthy in itself, but the illustrations really are the icing on the cake. It is guaranteed to make you laugh, and we could all use a little more of that.

Just GET IT submitted by unknown on July 13, 2020, 4:46pm This book is so good. You will laugh, you will cry, you will laugh until you cry and cry until you laugh. The illustrations are goofy and delightful, the handling of mental illness both smart and silly. I often buy this for gifts and have only gotten back rave reviews.

Hilarious and relatable submitted by alisonhatch94 on July 22, 2020, 12:10pm I loved this book so much and laughed the whole way through it. I don't know what it is about her art and illustrations but they just add so much to the stories and make everything more funny. She talks about serious topics but her humor is what makes it easy and fun to read. I didn't know about her blog before so the stories were all new to me and all entertaining.

Worth re-reading! submitted by katehutchens on August 9, 2020, 8:00am Six years later, I've been re-reading this in advance of Allie Brosch's follow-up book due out in September, 2020, _Solutions and other Problems_. It very much holds up! Brosch's work makes for surprisingly good read-alouds (for grownups). Can't wait for the new release!

One of the Best Depictions of Depression in Any Format, Ever submitted by Meginator on June 12, 2021, 9:34am Content Note: One of the comics in this book uses the r-word to describe a dog, and others deal bluntly with depression, with a brief mention of suicidal ideation.

Allie Brosh’s unique sense of dark humor and gleefully sketchy character design are reminiscent of the sheer weirdness of mid- to late-00s internet culture, and while I don’t think you have to have been there at the time to enjoy this book, that experience certainly helps. As for the comics themselves, they vary widely in tone from hilarious send-ups of childhood experiences to deeply moving depictions of depression, with a few slice-of-life anecdotes in between. Brosh’s “Depression Part One” and “Depression Part Two” are, together, one of the most effective explanations of depression in literature. Period. Despite being shot through with her trademark irony, these comics depict the slow emptiness that accompanies depression (or how Brosh experienced it, at least) and illustrate the ways that, slowly and all at once, life begins to get better. She accomplishes this with brutal honesty and without adding a saccharine sweetness; even her triumphant conclusion has a hint of sarcasm about it, though it’s a motivational image I’ve personally turned to consistently since it was first published on the blog. Brosh’s character design and narrative voice won’t appeal to everyone, but their seeming simplicity masks a massive range of emotional nuance that, for a lot of readers, can be more effective than the most earnest self-help book or the best comedic one-liners.

A fantastic rollercoaster! submitted by KatieD on August 17, 2021, 2:56pm This book is so relatable and I found myself laughing out loud all the way through! I love her stories about her dogs and her letters to her younger self. Also, her experience with the goose!

That said, she does do a very serious discussion of her experience with depression. The discussion has amusing bits woven through, but I thought it was an excellent portrayal of her experience and can better help me understand what friends suffering from depression are gong through. More importantly, it helped me understand what not to do! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone!

Loved submitted by bcartm01 on June 18, 2022, 10:04am I think that this is a book people will either love or hate. I really enjoyed it and found the authors messages to be charming and in some cases deeply true. I think that the illustrations are a little polarizing, however I am a person that really enjoyed it.

So so so funny submitted by stellafio on July 8, 2022, 11:57am I truly loved this book. It's funny and doesn't shy away from serious issues without losing its charm. Great read for anyone!

Loved it! submitted by lizgiessner on July 25, 2022, 8:25pm I'd never read a graphic novel. This is actually a collection of stories which include simple, funny, artistic illustrations.
I laughed out loud several times, Brosh's writing style is hilarious. The stories are personal, vulnerable, and insightful. I really enjoyed the approximately 3 hours that it took to read!

so funny submitted by Vince on August 22, 2022, 10:12am This book is hilarious. I laughed aloud. I've always liked her comics.

Cover image for Hyperbole and a half : : unfortunate situations, flawed coping mechanisms, mayhem, and other things that happened


PUBLISHED
New York : Simon & Schuster, 2013.
Year Published: 2013
Description: x, 369 pages : color illustrations ; 21 cm.
Language: English
Format: Book

ISBN/STANDARD NUMBER
9781451666175
1451666179

SUBJECTS
Brosh, Allie.
Comedians -- Biography.
Conduct of life -- Humor.