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Sure, I'll Join Your Cult
Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere | Maria Bamford
13 posts | 14 read | 1 reading | 9 to read
From weird, scary, ingenious (The New York Times) stand-up comedian Maria Bamford, a brutally honest and hilariously frenetic memoir about show business, mental health, and the comfort of rigid belief systemsfrom Dale Carnegies How to Win Friends and Influence People, to Suzuki violin training, to Richard Simmons, to 12-step programs. Maria Bamford is a comedians comedian (an outsider among outsiders) and has forever fought to find a place to belong. From struggling with an eating disorder as a child of the 1980s, to navigating a career in the arts (and medical debt and psychiatric institutionalization), she has tried just about every method possible to not only be a part of the world, but to want to be a part of it. In Bamfords signature voice, Sure, Ill Join Your Cult, brings us on a quest to participate in something. With sincerity and transparency, she recounts every anonymous fellowship she has joined (including but not limited to: Debtors Anonymous, Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, and Overeaters Anonymous), every hypomanic episode (from worrying about selling out under capitalism to enforcing union rules on her Netflix TV show set to protect her health), and every easy 1-to-3-step recipe for fudge in between. Singular and inimitable, Bamfords memoir explores what it means to keep going, and to be a member of society (or any group shes invited to) despite not being very good at it. In turn, she hopes to transform isolating experiences into comedy that will make you feel less alone (without turning into a cult following).
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MysticFaerie
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Pickpick

5🌟/5🌟

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nonbinaryandbitter
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Pickpick

This book was so so so good. For those who have the kind of mental health that isn‘t meme-able, it‘s so nice to relate to someone else‘s experience.

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actualdisneyprincess
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I love an unfiltered and upfront discussion of mental health with a hefty dose of dark humor, and this is hitting all the marks. (As is the White Hazelnut Bark coffee from Dunkin.) #sureilljoinyourcult #mariabamford #mentalhealth #mentalillness #comedyashealing

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TieDyeDude
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Bailedbailed

Sorry, Maria, love your comedy, didn't love your book. It doesn't help when an author spends the first chapters talking about how she didn't want to write a book but did it because of the money that was offered and would be recycling a lot of material from her stand up to fill pages.

Clare-Dragonfly That does not sound very compelling 🤔 3mo
dabbe #hailthebail! 🤩🤩🤩 3mo
41 likes2 comments
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currentlyreadinginCO
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Pickpick

The title is a little incongruous with the project (not really about cults) and the organization has room for improvement, but I can look past those things. Because I laughed. A lot. Out loud. And thought, "yeah it's cool that she wrote this so that some people who read it learn about this stuff." Would highly recommend for those that like a good life-with-the-mentals memoir!

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WorldsOkayestStepMom
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Pickpick

Funny and raw, I enjoyed it even though I'd never heard of Maria before this.

Seasons is loving the tortilla blanket that just came out of the dryer! #CatsOfLitsy

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 4mo
RaeLovesToRead Hello floofy! 🥰 4mo
50 likes2 comments
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currentlyreadinginCO

"I'm not suicidal, but I'm also not particularly psyched" ??

WorldsOkayestStepMom Currently reading this book too!! 4mo
currentlyreadinginCO I'm about a third in and really enjoying it! She's so funny 😂 @WorldsOkayestStepMom 4mo
36 likes2 comments
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mdemanatee
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Sure, I‘m not familiar with Bamford. But….This is not at all what I expected. About halfway into the audiobook and there is very little of real cult exploration. And I‘m not finding it particularly funny.

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KathyWheeler
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Pickpick

I felt that I was reading two different books with this title. At first, Bamford is trying too hard to be funny about things that aren‘t funny; then, after she is hospitalized for the 2nd time, the tone takes a turn. I like that change — she still brings humor to her situation, but it‘s measured and not “Look at me! See how funny I am!” I‘m not familiar with Bamford; maybe she‘s always over-the-top, but I‘m glad she reined herself in eventually.

KathyWheeler I chose to read this book because I loved the title — I was drawn in by the cult reference. 5mo
27 likes1 comment
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JackOBotts
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⭐️⭐️⭐️ Bamford fans will love this.

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britt_brooke
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Ah, here we go again. Pull me in with the term “cult” when you don‘t really mean it! So, every day fringe groups; culty, but not cults. 😂 I‘m not mad, it‘s a clever title. Bamford is a solid storyteller. This memoir in essays is largely about self discovery and mental health, battles and successes. I think Jenny Lawson fans will appreciate, but quell your expectations a bit. Looking forward to discussion with my #bookclub.

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Chelsea.Poole
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Mehso-so

A super-quick listen, which veered off course often, switching lanes between hilarious, tedious, then depressing. Not that Bamford owes listeners happiness, but the mixed tones threw me for a loop. There were moments I loved this but, overall the unevenness (and filler…weird “recipes”) left me wanting. I didn‘t know Bamford before this book: she‘s a comedian and associated with Netflix and struggles w anxiety and depression.

Megabooks Glad I passed on this, but great review! 7mo
KathyWheeler I just finished this and feel the same way. I gave it a pick only because of she dealt with her hospital stays. The tone wasn‘t so all over the place there. 5mo
70 likes2 comments
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britt_brooke
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As you can see by Champ‘s expression, it‘s very muggy out and he‘s ready to wrap up this greenway adventure. 😅

#audiowalk #dogsoflitsy #somuchfur

Soubhiville Such cute freckles! 🐕🩵 8mo
dabbe Hello there, Cherubic Champ! #thoseeyes 🖤🐾🖤 8mo
britt_brooke @Soubhiville They‘re my fave! 🤩 8mo
britt_brooke @dabbe Cherubic and Challenging! But mostly he really is my super good boy. 🫶🏼 8mo
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