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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 by Maria Bamford

272 pages

Biography/Inspirational Non-Fiction   BASE__COVER-OF

4/5*

Formats available: Physical Book

Maria Bamford is a comedian’s 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 Bamford’s “trademark blend of disarming intimacy and dark whimsy” (Publishers Weekly), Sure, I’ll Join Your Cultbrings 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.

Packed with “Bamford’s brilliance, relentless humor, and insatiable instinct for survival (Library Journal), this memoir explores what it means to keep going, and to be a member of society (or any group she’s 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).

 

In this funny and insightful book, Maria Bamford discusses her lifelong struggle with mental illness and her lifelong need for belonging, bringing the voice that made her famous into book form. The chapters are structured to include the “cults” that she has belonged to throughout her life, starting with the cult of family, various 12 step groups, comedy/fame, her husband, and so on. Group dynamics have always made sense to her due to her love of following rules. The way that she speaks about mental illness is remarkable; she is highly self-aware, yet lacking in self-pity. This includes her description of a mental breakdown she suffered while on the way to a gig in Chicago, resulting in her inability to work for two years. 

She also rants eloquently about the challenges of in-patient hospitalizations, medication changes, and the numerous challenges that accompany mental illness. For those familiar with her standup comedy and Netflix series, Lady Dynamite, there is a lot of recycled material in this book. Reading her voice in print, however, packs a different punch. Though this book is filled with laughs, it also reveals a tender and caring side. This has been evidenced by her mental health advocacy work, which has been awarded the International OCD Foundations Illumination Award. Maria uses humor as a vehicle to generate understanding and empathy in world that desperately needs both.

Reference Librarian Matthew B