Can't Make This Stuff Up!: Finding the Upside to Life's Downs

by Susannah B. Lewis

Overview

In her highly-anticipated nonfiction debut, humorist, popular blogger, and USA Today bestselling author, Susannah B. Lewis (Whoa! Susannah) uses dry wit and an eye for the absurd to find laughter in even the most challenging circumstances.

Millions of online fans have flocked to Susannah B. Lewis's hysterical, take-no-prisoners videos that capture her uproarious yet deeply faithful view of the world. Now she brings to book form her keen eye for the absurd as she reveals her experiences growing up in a small Tennessee town. From the time an escaped albino panther wandered into her backyard to the Thanksgiving when an egg in the table's centerpiece hatched a baby chicken to the kind neighbors who brought casseroles in Tupperware for months—even years—after her father died when she was just eleven years old, the stories she tells delve deeply into the rich culture of the South that molded her. Clinging to the promises of God in times of grief and looking for every opportunity to laugh, Lewis is the wry yet wise girl next door who invites you to sit a spell beside her on the front porch

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781400208012
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	04/09/2019
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	1,055,123
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Susannah B. Lewis is a humorist, blogger for Whoa! Susannah, and freelance writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications. The author of Can't Make This Stuff Up! and Bless Your Heart, Rae Sutton, Lewis studied creative writing at Jackson State Community College and earned her bachelor's degree in business management from Bethel College. She lives in Tennessee with her husband, Jason, their three children, and three dogs. Visit her online at whoasusannah.com; Facebook: @whoasusannah; Instagram: @whoasusannahblog; TikTok: @whoasusannah.

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

Introduction: Hey, Y'all! xiii

1 Write, Rinse, Repeat 1

2 Cry So Hard You Laugh 11

3 Love the Ones You're With 21

4 Tie a Knot Worth Tying 31

5 Bloom Where You're Planted 41

6 Arise and Call Yourself Blessed 53

7 The Upside to Life's Downs 65

8 Hang Up Those Hang-Ups 73

9 Leave the Trolls Under the Bridge 81

10 Don't Wear Them Leggings 89

11 Get in the Game, Mamas 97

12 Bless This Mess 107

13 Eat the Mississippi Mud Cake 115

14 Praise Him in the Storm 121

15 Sit a Spell 129

16 Cancel Your Guilt Trip 145

17 Comfort Others and You Will Be Comforted 153

18 Make a Joyful Noise 165

19 Keep On Keepin' On 173

20 Thank You for Bein' a Friend 181

21 Whoal Slow Down 191

22 Not Crazy, Not Absurd, Simply Beautiful! 197

Acknowledgments 203

About the Author 205

Editorial Reviews

02/25/2019

Whoa! Susannah blogger Lewis faces life’s challenges with a dose of humor in her delightful nonfiction debut (after Ten Years Taken and other novels). Lewis charms Christian readers with nostalgic memories of growing up in a South where “there’s sweet tea in every refrigerator and piping hot pies on grandma’s windowsill.” Other tales from her hometown of Brownsville, Tenn., include helping her grandfather at his small pharmacy and the sighting of an albino panther stalking her backyard (no one believed her and her mother at the time, though it was later reported that the exotic animal had escaped from its owner). Lewis is a gifted storyteller who relies on her faith in times of despair. She recalls mourning the death of her father when she was 11 and, more recently, the death of her mother. When Lewis decided to write about her grief, she realized, “Grief is a universal language... As I read comments on my blog posts, my pain was no longer mine. Theirs was no longer theirs. It was ours. And I knew I was called to point people to the great Comforter.” Through her lighthearted message, Lewis effectively communicates the value of finding joy in sorrow, forgiveness in flaws, and purpose in pain. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly