How to be Perfectly Unhappy - Book Review

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What does it mean to be happy? Mathew Inman, aka 'The Oatmeal' ponders this question in this comic, inspired by an essay by Augusten Burroughs called How To Be Unhappily Ever After, published in the online version of the Wall Street Journal. It also reminds me of Russ Harris' excellent self-help book The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living, which talks about how it is normal not to feel happy all the time. The Oatmeal suggests that there is a problem with our definition of happiness.


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How To Be Perfectly Unhappy%% is an unusual comic, even for The Oatmeal, whose work often features a thoughtful, insightful kind of humour. It still has the weird drawings of strangely misshapen creatures doing things like farting rainbows, but it also makes a wonderful, serious point. The comic is still available online to read free, but now there is a book version as a keepsake. It would make a beautiful gift for somebody who spends more time worrying about how to be happy than just doing things they find fulfilling.
Published: October 31 2017

Disclaimer: I was given a complimentary copy of this book by Andrews McMeel Publishing, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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