Book Reviews: Hyperbole And A Half by Allie Brosh

A Million Miles In A Thousand Years by Donald Miller

This could be another installment of the Carla Birnberg book club, since it was posts from Carla that led me to read both of these books. As usual, her suggestions did not disappoint!

Hyperbole And A Half by Allie Brosh

It is really hard to do this book justice. The publisher’s comments on Amazon says this:

Touching, absurd, and darkly comic, Allie Brosh’s highly anticipated book Hyperbole and a Half showcases her unique voice, leaping wit, and her ability to capture complex emotions with deceptively simple illustrations.

The author’s own comments give you a better flavor of what you are in for:

This is a book I wrote. Because I wrote it, I had to figure out what to put on the back cover to explain what it is. I tried to write a long, third-person summary that would imply how great the book is and also sound vaguely authoritative—like maybe someone who isn’t me wrote it—but I soon discovered that I’m not sneaky enough to pull it off convincingly. So I decided to just make a list of things that are in the book:

Pictures
Words
Stories about things that happened to me
Stories about things that happened to other people because of me
Eight billion dollars*
Stories about dogs
The secret to eternal happiness*

*These are lies. Perhaps I have underestimated my sneakiness!

As usual, I downloaded this book and read it on my iPhone, but it would be worthwhile to have in hardcover, because the artwork is so fantastic (and it’s only a few dollars more).

I didn’t know much about Allie Brosh or her blog or her struggles with depression before I read her book, but she conveys all the emotions brilliantly. The first few chapters had me laughing hysterically. The chapters about depression were poignant and nearly brought me to tears. I loved this book from the first few pages, but after hearing Allie’s interview on Fresh Air, I have an even greater appreciation of her talent and courage in telling her story.

A Million Miles In A Thousand Years by Donald Miller

The synopsis on Amazon describes this book like this:

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years chronicles Miller’s rare opportunity to edit his life into a great story, to reinvent himself so nobody shrugs their shoulders when the credits roll. Through heart-wrenching honesty and hilarious self-inspection, Donald Miller takes readers through the life that emerges when it turns from boring reality into meaningful narrative.

But I hardly recognize the book I read in that description. The synopsis makes it sound like the author re-writes his life in retrospect, making it sound better than it was, while I understood him to be figuring out how to make his life better than it might have been by “writing” and living out a better story. Instead of asking “What is the meaning of life?” the author explores, “How can I live a more meaningful life?” I found the overall message inspiring and a bit intimidating because he reminds us that you can’t live a great life sitting on the couch.

If I were leading a book club discussion on these two books, I would want to discuss these two takes on a similar theme:

In two chapters on “identity,” Allie Brosh wrestles with figuring out whether she is a fundamentally good person or a fundamentally shitty person (her words!). She comes to the conclusion that she is a shitty person who is able to shame herself into doing the right thing. On the other hand, Donald Miller discusses the concept that “a character is what he does,” and notes that someone else only knows what you do and what you say, not what you think or what you feel.

So, which is right? Are you a shitty person because you only force yourself to do what’s right, or are you a good person because that’s all anyone else can see?

What’s your favorite book you read this year?