Jenny Lawson's Furiously Happy

Jenny Lawson’s “Koalas Are Full of Chlamydia” from her book Furiously Happy is a humorous read, one can predict that it would be just from the rather intriguing title. The name, like the writing style of the author, demands the readers’ attention, and compliments the fairly interesting account of her and her friend Laura’s adventures in Australia. The book is an overall enjoyable read because it connects to the readers by using informally descriptive language, hilarious conversations and outlandish trains of thought. Throughout the piece, the author uses first person and other kinds of informal language to describe her thoughts and experiences, making the piece non-academic, and perhaps more universally engaging to the readers. The reading immediately starts out with, “’So apparently I’m really leaving for the Australian outback tomorrow,’ I said to the storm trooper beside me” (Lawson 161). The content of that sentence itself invokes curiosity, but the fact that it is in first person, with little explanation as to why, forces the reader to be immersed in the character’s, or in this case the author’s point of view. She also, in multiple instances, directly interacts with the readers and makes them a tangible part of her writing by conversing with them, breaking the

How she addresses her everyday happenings and other situations are rather unexpected, giving her readers a fresh look at the world through someone else’s eyes. Lawson also said in the interview that, “This book is about my battle with mental illness, but, more importantly, it’s about celebrating the battles we win against life and b.s. and sometimes our very brains”. Her unique and honest responses to otherwise discomfiting situations makes “Koalas Are Full of Chlamydia” a stimulating and wholly thought–provoking