Always funny, sometimes painfully so

I appreciate Maria Bamford for who she is - a person who has dealt with mental illness and is willing to share her experiences in a funny way. She has helped me to understand some of the issues that many people deal with on a daily basis.

I didn't laugh out loud all of the way through this book. Some parts made me quite sad. But it was well worth the read and I think I am a better friend and family member because of it. I am a little pained to think of how much I still enjoy thinking about her Target Christmas ads from years ago. It was my Target shopping experience times 10. Knowing her OCD and other issues makes me feel a little guilty that they still make me smile.

I highly recommend this to anyone dealing with mental illness, those who know someone who is, or those who just want a laugh. That should pretty much include the entire world population.

Have been reading a fair amount of comedian memoirs lately - seems a lot were sold around the same time - and this is one of the better ones. Maria Bamford is not afraid to express her deepest and darkest (intruding) thoughts and the ways that she experiences her life as a child, within her family, navigating the entertainment industry and finding a partner. A very worthwhile read for fans and for anyone else who wants a realistic account of grappling with mental health while trying to make art and get through life.

Maria Bamford has written a wonderful memoir. It has all the hallmarks of her vulnerable, kind style.

For the last 15 years, I have been a big fan of her standup comedy. I have listened to/watched all her specials, listened to her audible-exclusive program, and I have also seen her live.

If I had one problem with the book, it was that I knew too much. This is the sum total of her entire body of work. I knew a lot of the stories already from her albums and podcast appearances. But, for a newbie, this couldn’t be a better place to start.

Maria has had a profound influence on my life and how transparent I am in my struggles. Because of her, I have the bravery to talk about my mental health whether it be my generalized anxiety, major depressive disorder, or my (possible) autism. I have learned from her that the more you are yourself, the more it gives others the permission to be open about who/what they are.

Maria is a real gift to comedy. There’s no one like her. I honestly think she’s a genius.

Funny and heartfelt - I think a lot of people who are ready to be upfront about mental illness will really appreciate this.

Maria Bamford’s Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult is an incredibly honest self-help book disguised as a memoir. I was reluctant to use the phrase “self-help book” in my opening sentence due to the negative connotation that phrase has to some people. I personally stir clear of any book branded as such. Most of them are quite cheesy.

Honesty and fearlessness have always been a big part of Bamford’s comedy. She’s very upfront about her mental health struggles and how her family feels about being a part of her act in her various specials and comedy albums. Her book is a much more detailed version of that. In it, she tells her life story, using the various 12-step, cult-ish type groups she’s joined to help her function in day-to-day life. The result is hilarious, heartbreaking, and totally relatable.

My cousin and I used to engage in challenges that we called “stakes” when we were both kids. Do x-thing successfully then y-girl will like you. Y-girl, of course, never liked either of us. Eventually my cousin abandoned this childish game and began dating Z-girl. I did not. The “stakes” evolved into touching things repeatedly. Then I dabbled with turning lights on and off repeatedly. Obsessively washing my hands until my chapped skin cried for relief followed. When I broke myself of washing my hands, intrusive thoughts entered the picture. Those made me feel like a horrible, worthless sinner, so, of course, I began repeating prayers over-and-over without ceasing.

It wasn’t until adulthood that I began seeing a therapist. Some unresolved childhood traumas that could’ve been the impetus for my undiagnosed OCD was the reason that happened. My compulsions were addressed, and I was put on the road to semi-recovery (semi- because I still struggle with these things) through those sessions. Books helped me almost as much if not more than those sessions, though. The way Maria used humor to describe the horrors of intrusive thoughts in this book (and the other things suffered through) was inspirational to me. That and the actual, legitimately good advice peppered throughout the tome made it an incredible read. There is a VERY short list of books not written by gurus or doctors that I’d recommend people with OCD read: John Green’s Turtles All the Way Down (even if you hate YA books, do it… the therapy scenes and the way OCD flare-ups are described make this one a masterpiece) and Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of this book!

While Bamford's candidness and quirky humor are sure to charm her dedicated comedy fanbase, some readers may find the book's narrative style to be disjointed and its themes repetitive. Her pursuit of fitting in, coupled with the constant references to various support groups, may leave readers longing for a more structured and cohesive storytelling approach.

I enjoyed "SURE, I'LL JOIN YOUR CULT" as a memoir that explores Maria Bamford's ongoing journey to find her place in the world, presented in her unmistakable comedic voice. It's a candid and at times chaotic narrative that will appeal to fans of her stand-up comedy, but it may not be everyone's cup of tea due to its unconventional structure and recurring themes.

This book is both funny and real. Bamford discusses her mental issues, her hospitalizations, her marriage, her family, and lots in between. She does it with candor and self deprecation, which makes her an empathetic narrator. I enjoyed it a great deal!

I was intrigued by the title of this book: "Sure, I'll Join Your Cult". I thought it would be a funny and sarcastic take on the weird and wacky world of cults. But boy, was I wrong. This book is actually a memoir of a woman who suffers from severe mental health issues and tries to find a sense of belonging in various groups and communities. Some of these groups are more like support groups for people with OCD, substance abuse, or over-eating, while others are more cult-like in their demands and expectations. The author shares her personal journey of coping with her mental illness, including her experiences in psychiatric hospitals and therapy sessions. She narrates the audiobook herself, which adds to the authenticity of her story, but also makes it hard to listen to at times. Her voice is kind of annoying and she sometimes jokes about her condition in a way that seems insensitive or inappropriate. I respect her courage and honesty in telling her story, but I didn't enjoy this book as much as I hoped.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Gallery Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this non-fiction book by comedian Maria Bamford - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Maria has been dealing with a lot since childhood - OCD, eating disorders, debt issues, relationship issues, career issues. She has tried about every possible way to help herself, including many 12-step programs and psychiatric institution. She holds nothing back in this book and is brutally honest about her own struggles and the systemic troubles with the mental health crisis in this country - and all by being herself and hilarious.

Mental health issues are such a taboo in our conversations and thought processes, leaving those suffering with not only their issues but the attached stigma. Let's hope this book takes away some of that. We are all dealing with something and we need to be able to be kinder and more accepting of each other. This book is both hilarious and important - don't miss it!

It feels a little off to say that a memoir that heavily focuses on mental health issues was a fun read, but, well, there you go. If you appreciate Bamford’s comedy style, you won’t be disappointed. In many ways this is a typical memoir, but written in a pseudo-manic style that is a reflection of Bamford’s comedic style, and since that is subjective I suppose it won’t hit everyone the same. I experience memoirs differently than other literature, but ultimately I want to learn something about someone else in such a way that I am encouraged to think about or investigate myself and my life in a new way. I don’t need monumental revelations or shocking or tawdry details, I just want something honest that brings me closer to understanding the human experience in some way, and Bamford delivers that with aplomb. She is very direct about her mental illness, doesn’t treat anything as precious or off-topic or too sensitive, and yet she is incredibly inviting, loving, and her life story, even when traumatic, is saturated with her clear care for others. Her writing is strong, if quite stylized, and this novel is structured well and super inviting. Once I started reading I didn’t want to put it down, not because there was some sensationalist baiting being done but simply because I felt included in this story, I saw reflections of myself and my friends and my family in her struggles and I felt empowered by her hard-earned resilience. It is especially exciting to see mental health struggles so openly discussed with neither shame nor judgment but instead humor and acceptance. I definitely recommend this for anyone who enjoys Bamford’s comedy but also for everyone else, too, especially those who are interested in uncommon ways of exploring communication about mental health and wellness.

(4.5 stars, rounded up)

I want to thank the author, the publisher Gallery Books, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The books concept, based on the title, was so appealing to me, having secretly thought this about myself over the years. I think Bamford has a voice that feels authentic and vulnerable. This isn't my first memoir of mental illness that I've encountered, but it feels fresh in a way that only Bamford is capable of. Her approach of dealing with very difficult subjects using humor makes the audience of this book feel at ease. She is inviting the reader to relate to her experience, and I did feel connected by the end. I'm unfamiliar with Bamford's comedic work, but I will definitely seek out her voice and point of view again.

This book is chaos....in a mostly positive way? Bamford is a comedian, actress, and jane of all trades and this book explores her prolific involvement in various communities. If you are familiar with Bamford, you'll likely love all of the personal anecdotes spread throughout. For me, the biggest success in the book was that it did not spotlight a "triumph over trauma" storyline so common in memoir-self-help-book crossovers. Admittedly, the chaos of the structure was distracting, but I still found it enjoyable and heartwarming. I also appreciated her transparency in discussing mental health. 3.5 rounded up. Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the free advance copy.

5 stars

Fans of Maria Bamford will love this. Folks who are new to her should know a bit about her style before they jump into this memoir.

Bamford is hilarious, and her approach to even extremely serious issues (like mental health struggles) reveals this constant attention to humor. The work begins with a key: a literal list of symbols indicating to readers where they'll get everything from triggering content to recipes (Yes. Recipes). From cover to cover, this book is just as quirky in its structure and messaging as its central subject.

Though I really enjoyed this read (and am about halfway into my second round - I have a third planned for the audio as soon as Libby lets me have it!), I let myself have some time to process it. The delivery is humorous and mostly light, but the subject matter is the opposite, and sometimes the sincerity sneaks up on readers (well, at least that was my experience). Don't come to this looking for a light read but a surprisingly poignant one.

I started this book a fan of Bamford's and am leaving it (again!) with an even greater appreciation not only for her experiences but for how she has framed them and continues to share them. For the right readers, this is a real gem.

I've followed Maria Bamford for a little while and this memoir perfectly captures her voice. She's known for her unique, silly humor while being incredibly honest about her life and mental health struggles. I loved being in her brain and learning about her life. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook as Bamford is a veteran comic and voice actress. The voices and jokes had me laughing out loud.

Thank you Gallery Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

This is probably a case of 'I thought this book would be different than it was.' All I really saw was the word cult and I was interested, and once again not reading the blurb bit me in the butt. This memoir didn't have a single thing to do with actual cults. Once I discovered this, I decided to get what I wanted from it and call it done. I was interested in Bamford's mental health and the experience of filming her Netflix show. Beyond that, I bounced around here and there. The chaotic, self deprecating, 'trying to be funny about serious topics' nature of the storytelling style was not my jam.

[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112093865-sure-i-ll-join-your-cult]. This was way funnier than 'Girl Interrupted' and 'Bell Jar,' yet also very informative and practical. I read this because I'm a fan and it totally made me more of a fan. Maria is honest, but not in a melodramatic confessional way. Just blunt. Blunt and funny. You can go ahead and read the other reviews now, they're probably written by people with podcasts who are used to saying a lot.

This book is pretty much exactly as advertised, which I find to be pretty rare. I can imagine that readers unfamiliar with Maria Bamford's comedy might have a hard time getting into this one. But as a fan of hers, I enjoyed this book plenty, and I suspect the audiobook is even better.

This book is, of course, hilarious, in a very Bamford-esque way – but it’s also painfully honest and detailed about her various struggles with mental health, bulimia, unemployment, and debt (among other things) and the treatments she underwent for those issues, from 12-step programs to hospitalization. The details of these struggles could be triggering for some, but she shares what steps she found helpful in overcoming these issues. I have read mental health memoirs before and been adversely affected by them, but Bamford’s humorous tone and hopeful outlook made the hard stuff less distressing. Overall, I really enjoyed this memoir, but I’d understand if people felt the need to avoid it due to the subject matter. If you can handle that, though, I recommend it – it's a fascinating look into the inner workings of a truly unique comedic mind.

TW: suicidal ideation and discussion of suicide, detailed first-person account of OCD, intrusive thoughts, bulimia, bipolar disorder, and mental breakdown, pet death

Are you a big fan of memoirs that are told in a linear fashion, with a clear progression, and a minimum of fuss? Well, you better look elsewhere 😉

For those of you not familiar with Bamford, she is a comedian who has multiple mental health diagnoses, and they are a large part of her comedy routines. She has a very unique personality and delivery style — there’s quirky, then there’s Superquirky. And now that I’ve typed that I am picturing her running around her neighborhood in a spandex outfit, with a cape, and on her chest isn’t a letter S but maybe a raccoon… I haven’t fleshed this all out yet 😆

Now for the struggle: it took me almost a month to read this. I also have multiple mental health diagnoses, and I have to be really choosy about reading books with said issues because I can feed off of it and it puts my head in a bad place. I thought I would be safe with this book because Bamford’s behaviors are quite different from my own. But I was wrong. I would read about 10%, and then I would have to put the book away for a couple days of recovery, then I could pick it back up. Rinse & repeat.

Having said that, I loved this book! Some comedian memoirs that I’ve read in the past fall flat, like they really need that in person delivery. But this book is so whackadoodle that it was like the author was right in front of me and the delivery was fantastic. So if you’re in a good headspace then I 1000% recommend this book!!

Thank you to NetGalley & Gallery Books for this advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

What a fun book to really understand the cult personality. I thought this was a silly comedic take on a serious issue of how easy it is to fall victim to so many different cultish groups.. I also really enjoyed the format of this book with the dummy icons.