Comments forHyperbole and a Half

Hyperbole and a Half: 06/12/14

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh is a hybrid comic memoir of growing up with depression and living with dogs. Her comic illustrations started on her blog back in 2009 but it took a while for her style to evolve. They originally started out as quick illustrations to longer posts of mostly text, usually in the form of a dialog.

But in 2010 the drawings became the point and her style rapidly evolved into what fans think of when they hear Hyperbole and a Half mentioned or what meme fans think of when they hear "       all the things." That meme started as a panel in the post titled "Why I will never be an adult" (June 2010).

I came to read Brosh's blog via the "       all the things" meme. Her jaunty self portrait showing herself in a manic state of trying to be super adult and super efficient is extremely popular in the librarian / Tumblarian social networking circles. Curiosity over this drawing led me eventually to her blog.

What the single frame / meme doesn't show is the breakdown from manic efficiency to soul crushing depression. I happened to find the blog around the same time that I was going through a dark emotional period. Money was tight. I was in school to change careers but not sure if it was a wise decision based on how each month we seemed to need more and more help from relatives just to make ends meet.

So when I heard there was a book, I had to have a copy. The book includes the long panels starting from mid 2010 and has the very funny story of her two dogs and just trying to be an adult, trying to live with depression, just constantly trying. Some of the posts include memories of her childhood, like the time her mother took her and her brother on a walk after a recent move and got horribly lost.

I recommend the book to anyone who has felt baffled by adulthood, defeated by their pets, or has had those moments that in retrospect don't make much sense but seemed like a good idea at the time.

Five stars

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