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In Boston, a college student fears leaving her own room, even to use the toilet. In Pennsylvania, a meek personal assistant finally confronts a perpetually enraged gay spiritual guru. In Texas, a rookie high school teacher deals with her male student's unusually, er, hard personal problem. Sara Benincasa has been that terrified student, that embattled employee, that confused teacher—and so much more. Her hilarious memoir chronicles her attempts to forge a wonderfully weird adulthood in the midst of her lifelong struggle with agoraphobia, depression, and unruly hair—and celebrates the power of humor to light up even the darkest corners of our lives.
Sara Benincasa is a popular comedian, writer, and blogger as well as the creator of the one-woman show Agorafabulous! She frequently contributes opinion pieces to XOJane.com, CNN.com, and Wonkette.com. She hosts the Web series Gettin' Wet with Sara Benincasa and travels the country to speakabout mental illness at universities and conferences. She lives in Los Angeles.
The Thing Before the Rest of the Thing xi
Introduction 1
1 In Simplest Terms and Most Convenient Definitions 5
2 Sicily on Five Freakouts a Day 15
3 Bowls of Pee 49
4 Hairapy 81
5 My Hero, My Cuisinart 95
6 Om Mani Padme Fuck You 119
7 Best Little Psych Ward in Carolina 163
8 Billy Has a Boner 181
9 Maybe, Baby 201
10 Funny Business 237
11 The Only Living Girl in New York 249
The Thing at the End of the Thing 253
LitFan82
Posted February 19, 2012
In 2008 I stumbled upon the youtube channel of Miss Benincasa as I was doing a youtube search of Mr. Neil Gaiman. There was a video of Mr. Gaiman where he was discussing the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Off to the side another video was suggested and it was a "Family Hour" video of Sara in her family home walking around talking about bathroom decor. I was intrigued and I found her to be funny and in a weird way watching her video felt like watching a friend. I subscribed to her channel but never got any updates until the "Sarah Palin Vlogs" started to appear in the fall of 2008. These videos were hilarious and I became a huge fan of Sara(Benincasa, not Palin). Since that time I have followed her career through Sirius XM, "Getting Wet", facebook, twitter, and most recently the wonderful podcast "Sex and Other Human Activities." Over the past 3 1/2 years I've come to find that everything she does makes me feel like I'm one of her friends, and this book is no different. I feel that while reading this it was almost as though a friend was telling me about their life, both the good and the bad. I would read a chapter and recognize parts from stories she had told on the podcast or radio show and feel that now I had the whole story. Her writing is very honest and casual, which I enjoy in nonfiction. There is a lot of humor throughout the book but also heartbreak. It is wonderful to see someone "speak" so openly about their mental illness and be able to find the humor in the situations she found herself in. I suppose this is what makes her a great comedian. It may seem strange to feel close to someone that you've never met but Sara lets us into her life and her head and and manages to let us feel that connection. Grab your favorite stuffed animal, a cup of mint tea, and let Sara guide you through her life. Enjoy!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Bwitchd3
Posted July 5, 2012
Sara takes her problems in stride. She refuses to allow her difficulties to define her, and instead wrestles them to the ground, yanks out their earrings, and holds them up in triumph in the name of the Garden State. Despite the laughter and hilarity, there are some serious moments, because while being afraid of everything may seem silly, fear has a way of wiggling into your soul and squeezing the life out of you. BUT, obviously she prevails because she writes this book. Which all of you should read. Now.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.rsmith11
Posted May 14, 2013
You know that panicky feeling you get when you realize a book you are really enjoying might be almost over? I got that a couple days ago, but thankfully I am actually only half way through. Written in a light, conversational tone, it's an easy read, and I am really enjoying it. Sara gives some interesting insight into what someone with anxiety issues might be feeling, but never loses her sense of humor. I would highly recommend this book, I am having a great time reading it!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.ria1224
Posted April 15, 2013
Sara Benincasa’s memoir Agorafabulous! Dispatches From My Bedroom is absolutely hysterical. While agoraphobia (fear of public places) is a serious anxiety disorder, Benincasa sheds light on this disorder and sprinkles it with so much humor you can’t help but take a big bite into this book. Because, really, sprinkles make everything better.
Benicasa’s agoraphobia emerged full force during a high school trip to Italy, where she spends a good hour locked in a gas station bathroom too fearful to come out and face her annoyed classmates who are missing time on the beach thanks to her. In college in Boston, her agoraphobia manifests into peeing in bowls and hiding them under her bed. She says, “If the whole point of college is to learn unforgettable life lessons, here’s the main one I took home: when you piss in a cereal bowl and let it cool down to room temperature, it behaves a lot like chicken noodle soup under the same conditions. The solids settle to the bottom, and a layer of fatty scum forms on the surface, like the algae that blooms in unintended suburban swimming pools in August.”
It is this courage and vulnerability that makes Agorafabulous! and its author loveable. Benincasa puts all of her “stuff” out there for display. She peels away the layers of finely honed coping skills she learned in an attempt to mask her condition and jumps into her new world with gusto. By putting it all out there, no one else can shame her for it. She tells her story in such a way that the reader knows exactly what it’s like to be in her head, even if she does hack off most of her Italian curls herself in what she perceives is a lucid moment of vanity trumping anxiety. Like me, if you’re Italian, you know never to mess with the hair you’ve been given.
If you’re looking for a fun read with unexpected moments of laugh-out-loud lines, read Agorafabulous! We can be changed by our circumstances, but not reduced by them. Sara Benincasa is proof of this.
Anonymous
Posted March 28, 2012
Okay
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 9, 2012
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Posted April 6, 2012
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Posted July 8, 2012
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Overview
In Boston, a college student fears leaving her own room, even to use the toilet. In Pennsylvania, a meek personal assistant finally confronts a perpetually enraged gay spiritual guru. In Texas, a rookie high school teacher deals with her male student's unusually, er, hard personal problem. Sara Benincasa has been that terrified student, that embattled employee, that confused teacher—and so much more. Her hilarious memoir chronicles her attempts to forge a wonderfully weird adulthood in the midst of her lifelong ...