Cover Image: How to Be Sad

How to Be Sad

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Member Reviews

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it spoke volumes about sadness and offered great research supporting that experiencing sadness is crucial in life and explores how one avoids it. I love how it describes how sadness is masked and what happens in life where people distract or , pretend everything is fine. Midway through the book seemed to lost its original information and research filled offerings and began to want more of what the book started with. It is only because of the shift I have rated the book the way I did.

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I read and loved Russel's <i>My Year of Living Danishly</i> and absolutely loved it. The combination of memoir and reportage is generally my sweet spot. In this specific case, I was regrettably underwhelmed. It is, much like ,i>Danishly</i>, mostly memoir, threaded with evidence and statistics that not only justify her feelings of sadness and distinct times in her life, but also allow her to learn and make accommodations in her own life.
Had <i>How to be Sad</i> been only a memoir, I would have enjoyed it much more, but the presentation of data came across with just enough of a self-help tone that I was turned off for the most part. I also feel that in certain parts of the text, clinical depression was seen as separate and apart from just intermittent 'sadness' and at others lumped together. It also seemed to me that a not insignificant number of the statistics presented either required more context, or that context was strategically vague.
I haven't given up on the author; she's a very talented writer with a very interesting life. This book, however, was not my favorite.

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From the beginning, this book intrigued me. The author's down to earth tone while discussing her personal trials with sadness was relatable and helped me identify some solid points of dealing with sadness in the future. Part memoir, part self-help book, I enjoyed the fact that Russell encouraged the readers to acknowledge that not every "trick" in this book would work for everyone.

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I enjoyed this book very much. It is very on topic for the times……we are all going through difficult times with the pandemic and the state of the planet in general. This, to me, reads more like a manual than anything else. But, sometimes, you literally need a manual to get through life. Russells writing style shines through in this book much like her last book, which I enjoy. A thoughtful look at sadness and how we can understand it and get through it.

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I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not totally sure what I expected from this book.

Russell opens up about her life experiences and relationship with sadness. She is honest and raw about a tumultuous childhood, eating disorder, and other difficult experiences and those are the most compelling parts of the book. These anecdotes are interspersed with information and conversations about sadness. There's information on how people cope with sadness and suggestions of what to do when sad, but these chapters are very short and high level. They're also based on Russell's experiences and as she notes it's not one-size-fits-all.

I think I would have been more intrigued if it was just a book about sadness and things people do when they're sad, or Russell's personal story but the blending of the two fell short on both for me. There are also references to Russell's other work which I'm not familiar with so I feel like I'm missing context by not having read the other books. Some things just rubbed me the wrong way - like it's hurtful to talk about adoption as an alternative to biological children "because reasons" without unpacking that maybe feeling the need to have a biological child than to raise a child is something that should be reckoned with or explored. Similarly, there's a lot of focus on children and child rearing in this book which is important, but for those of us who can't relate it's a pretty big part of the book.

Overall not for me.

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This book is excellent. It blends personal narrative with lots of psychological and cultural research, and the result is fascinating and readable. I wish there was a way to make this book required reading for all humans. We could make things so much easier for ourselves if we wouldn't fight our feelings.

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I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book very helpful. I would definitely recommend it.

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my biggest take away from this boo is... be sad.. and be bad ass at it.. on your emotions, own your failures, own your heartache.. own you and be so happy you get to be that person.

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It feels weird to say, but How to Be Sad is such a delightful exploration of the importance of experiencing sadness in all of her weight and glory. Russell does an amazing job of weaving her story, researching, and the stories of others in such a way that brings new light on sadness. Throughout this book, I found myself taking in deep breaths, finding that whisper within me saying "I'm not the only one?"
Masterfully and artfully written, I plan on buying this book for everyone in my life who has ever mentioned to me that they "just want to be happy".

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