Sure, Ill Join Your Cult, Maria Bamford
Sure, Ill Join Your Cult, Maria Bamford
1 Rating(s)
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Sure, I'll Join Your Cult
A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere

Bestseller

Author: Maria Bamford

Narrator: Maria Bamford

Unabridged: 7 hr 40 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/05/2023

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

From “weird, scary, ingenious” (The New York Times) stand-up comedian Maria Bamford, an instant New York Times bestselling, brutally honest, and “laugh-out-loud funny” (Jennette McCurdy, #1 New York Times bestselling author) 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 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.

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).

About Maria Bamford

Maria Bamford is the star of The Maria Bamford ShowAsk My Mom, and Lady Dynamite. She was deemed Breakout Comedy Star at Just for Laughs, and her critically acclaimed work includes her stand-up specials Weakness Is the BrandOld Baby, and Maria Bamford: The Special, Special, Special!, as well as two Comedy Central Presents specials. Maria’s writing has been featured in The New York Times, LA Weekly, and more. She is the author of the audio original You Are (A Comedy) Special. Maria has contributed comedic voice-overs for Big Mouth, BoJack HorsemanAdventure TimeWord GirlKung Fu Panda, Legend of Korra, and Teenage Euthanasia. For her mental health advocacy, she’s been presented with The OCD Foundation’s Illumination Award and featured at the Psychotherapy Networker Symposium, The Chautauqua Institution, and the Saks Institute for Mental Health Law, Policy and Ethics Symposium. She’s not always right for these rooms, but she’s on time and pleasant. (From Maria: This was all in the third person. My apologies. If you need help, dial 911 or 988 or call Delta airlines Diamond line. Health care can be expensive and sometimes, super shitty. Go get yourself that shitty-ass help and tell me how it went!)


Reviews

Goodreads review by Brendan on April 30, 2023

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. If you disagree, well, I don't......more

Goodreads review by Ray on August 27, 2024

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 c......more

Goodreads review by Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️ on December 31, 2023

4 Stars To 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 co......more

Goodreads review by Wendy on May 07, 2023

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

Goodreads review by Richard on May 27, 2023

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 w......more


Quotes

"Stand-up comic Maria Bamford shows her sense of timing, audience, and humor as she narrates her memoir. Upbeat and whimsical, she begins by defining sounds that signal what’s coming: Brakes squealing, for example, heralds “creepy stuff.” She also warns listeners that her memoir will not follow a linear structure. Indeed, while pondering bouts of mental illness and her need to belong, Bamford continually takes detours that are filled with irreverent, laugh-worthy details; salty language; and tongue-in-cheek observations. All are delivered at breakneck speed as she discusses topics that range from self-help programs to Suzuki violin training. While sometimes distracting, the brisk nonstop humor buoys Bamford’s moments of candor in stories about her mother’s evangelical leanings and death. Bamford’s portraits of others are seamlessly integrated, and her witty transitions work well."