Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere
Maria Bamford
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 systems—from Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, to Suzuki violin training, to Richard Simmons, to 12-step programs. 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. more
287 pages, Hardcover
First published Gallery Books
3.89
Rating
11041
Ratings
1627
Reviews
Maria Bamford
14 books 150 followers
Community reviews
This book is chaos. I mean that in the most positive way possible. Maria Bamford's "Sure, I'll Join Your Cult" is first and foremost, hilarious. It is hilarious at extremely inappropriate times. Admittedly, my family and friends agree that those are the funniest times. more
This book is very much for hardcore Maria Bamford fans, and not quite for everyone else. So be duly warned. It's not an intro to her signature brand of mental oversharing, it's a deep dive. If you like that, then this memoir is great. Personally, I was introduced to Maria Bamford's charming/cringe comedy by my weird Hollywood friend years ago. more
wanted to read for the cult stories but i’m listening to the audiobook but i find this author extremely quirky in an annoying way and just plain childish. i don’t think i’ll be able to make it through this audiobook . more
4 StarsTo be clear, this rating is not a review or judgment of Bamford’s life, struggles, or journey. It’s just a reflection on how much I enjoyed the book as a reading experience. I was raised on standup comedy and have always loved Maria Bamford's quirky AF delivery/shtick. If you love Bamford's comedy like I do, you will most likely enjoy this a lot. Conversely, if you are unfamiliar with Bamford and her comedic style, you might not. more
Really loved this, and if you love Maria’s comedy this will not disappoint. I truly loved the honest talk about mental health and more importantly mental health care in our world…. which is full of platitudes and not much else. I’ll read again. Hilarious and meaningful:. more
“I’m not suicidal, but I’m also not particularly psyched. ”Maria Bamford has long been my favorite comedian — I think she’s the single funniest person on the planet — so this book was always going to land in my sweet spot, but I have to say that it exceeded even my high expectations. Bamford is a hysterical miner of lived experience, and she shares so much of who and how she is in this book. A delight. . more
Considered by Judd Apatow to be the "funniest woman in the world," Maria Bamford has long been one of the comedy world's most brutally honest and relentlessly transparent voices with a brand of comedy that can be controversial yet is fiercely embraced by the millions, myself included, who resonate with her transparency, weirdness, and refreshingly brave commentary on herself and the world around her. This is the Bamford that you should expect to come to life in "Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere," Bamford's literary debut and a book that possesses everything we've come to know and love about Bamford in her typically self-deprecating style and with a frenetic pace that will make it an exhausting experience for those who can't quite sync with Bamford's unique rhythms. Bamford has long been open about her diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder, her nearly daily struggles with suicidal ideation, and her seemingly lifelong experiences with mental illness that have both challenged her daily existence while also fueling her comedy success. It would be impossible to not completely love Bamford, and that sincerity and love come to life beautifully here, and you can't help but worry about her even as you're laughing right along. "Sure, I'll Join Your Cult" is a different sort of memoir. more
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 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. more
I’m listening to the audiobook. I’m about halfway through but I wanted to write my review now so that I don’t forget my notes. My first thought was “Who is this book for, and why did it need to be published. ” I came because I wanted to hear about a woman’s experience with cults, but instead we get the autobiography of a rich, privileged narcissist and sociopath (self proclaimed), riddled with first world problems, who constantly does extremely selfish things then complains when people like her generous sister more than her. For example, the story she gleefully shares about parking in front of a fire hydrant at LAX for 10 days and only coming back to 1 $60 ticket, which she had the privilege to simply pay off, though she could have been responsible for killing thousands if there had been a fire. more
This memoir is, above all, hysterical. The best stand-up show I've ever seen was Maria Bamford, and the audiobook had me roaring laughing as much as I did at the show. It obviously isn't some grandiose piece of literature, but it is raw and honest about family and mental illness while also making me howl with laughter, and that makes it a success. more
OMG, I just can’t…fake laughing, sound effects, dumb voices, and random yelling. She is like an unfunny clown on crack. My hands were shaking, I couldn’t stop the book fast enough. 0⭐️. more
I first got to know about Maria Bamford from an episode of the podcast "Conan O'Brian needs a friend". She had a fantastic sense of humour and I also liked her voice acting and her life experiences and when she said she had written a book I immediately jumped in. This book is her memoir and the most overwhelming element of this book is her dealing with mental illness. This book is not depressingIt's quite informative both for those people who have a mental condition and for everybody else on how to behave and talk to people who have mental illness. The humour is really good and made reading it much easier and in general it was a joyous experience. more
Maybe this is “hilarious” but I found it insufferable. Could just be me. . more
In 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘑𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵, comedian and actress Maria Bamford shares the story of her life, career in show business, and mental health journey via the various social groups and self-help communities she’s belonged to over the years. Bamford tells you upfront: 1) this memoir is her first book, 2) it is meant to be comedic and she is not an expert on the topics she discusses in it, and 3) it does not have the “trauma, healing, and victory” trajectory typical of the genre. It is a much-appreciated disclaimer, because while I can see this book being an excellent read for those who are big fans of her stand-up or relate to her personal experiences, I found my interest waning over time. At its best, the book is honest and amusing, but there is also a good deal of frenzy and disorderliness in her writing style that made my attention wander. The book wasn’t for me, but I’m glad it exists for her fans and for those will benefit from reading her health discussions. more
The best thing about this was the use of Comic Sans for any potentially triggering content which was both thoughtful and hilarious. The worst was that the bit about the dead pug was not set in Comic Sans. more
*Audible audio *---I hadn't heard of Maria before this, I saw her book on a goodreads giveaway and the title really intrigued me. Snagged this at the audible 85% off sale :). Like Jenny Lawson, I felt a kinship with Maria. Our situations are different but we are all battling our own brain 🧠 monsters and doing the best we can every day. It warms my heart that these books are out in the world 🌎 and will help people feel less alone . more
[For Net Galley]. This was way funnier than 'Girl Interrupted' and 'Bell Jar,' yet also very informative and practical. I read this because I'm a fan and it totally made me more of a fan. Maria is honest, but not in a melodramatic confessional way. Just blunt. more
Disjointed, frantic, manic, word vomit but it works. I went between laughing and zoning out. . more
Dnf @20%. I tried extremely hard to find the humour. I really did. But alas, it's not me, hi, I'm not the problem, it's not me. I get now why this didn't win the Goodreads choice award. more
For some reason, the audiobook chose to have a tire screeching noise as their version of a trigger warning so it's extremely stressful if you choose to listen while driving. more
"Being the grocery store orchid that I am. that is literally so poignant 👌There's not as much focus on cults/organizations that prey on vulnerable groups or people with mental illness. I expected more of a clear through line of this. Also, it's so weird to admit, but I'm not a person with a huge sense of humor 😅 . maybe that's why I lean towards darker/twisty fiction so often. more
An honest portrait of mental health and a family history from the always hilarious Maria Bamford. Five stars and all of the thumbs up. Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the opportunity to read and review. . more
Went into this unfamiliar with Maria Bamford and expecting a book about actual cults. This is not a book about cults. But it is an intimate, chaotic memoir/unapologetic depiction of mental illness, and definitely a worthwhile read. I wish Maria well. more
I actually found so much of the content relatable - especially the topics of medication trials, psych wards, forced hospitalisation, and the general public’s attitude towards mental illness being an ILLNESS and a reason why people suffering cannot function as well as a mentally healthy person could. However I just didn’t vibe with the writing style and voice :(( it felt like trying too hard to be quirky and disjointed unfortunately . more
Pleasant. Comedic. An unexpected but appreciated level of detail regarding acquaintances, personal decisions, and income and budgets. If you are familiar with Maria Bamford’s comedy this memoir won’t contain any shocking new information, but it’s funny and I love to get the very very detailed inside scoop on the life of another human being. We’re all weird in very specific ways. more
As someone who works hard on a daily basis to keep calm, be centered and think of others, this book was really triggering for me. more
5 stars***Update: 10/20/23: As expected, the audiobook makes this fantastic read even more impactful. ***Fans of Maria Bamford will love this. Folks who are new to her should know a bit about her style before they jump into this memoir. Bamford is hilarious, and her approach to even extremely serious issues (like mental health struggles) reveals this constant attention to humor. The work begins with a key: a literal list of symbols indicating to readers where they'll get everything from triggering content to recipes (Yes. more
I gave this two ⭐️ because I did laugh at least a couple times. I actually think she’s funny… even if most of this book was not. I felt like the whole book was just, “Hey look at me, look how ccCcRRrraaaaaazzzzZzzyyyy I am. Bet you never saw someone this CccRrrrRrAaaaaAAzzzZzZZYyyy before. And also look at my PRIVILEGE. more