Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere

by Maria Bamford

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

This hilarious memoir blends the honesty and compassion of a serious story about mental health with the author's unique brand of absurd, laugh-out-loud humor.

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).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781982168568
Publisher:	Gallery Books
Publication date:	09/05/2023
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	100,963
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Maria Bamford is the star of The Maria Bamford Show, Ask 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 Brand, Old 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 Horseman, Adventure Time, Word Girl, Kung 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!)

Editorial Reviews

07/31/2023

Stand-up comedian Bamford catalogs all the “cults” she’s joined—from Debtors Anonymous to “Suzuki-method violin training”—in search of structure and community in her hilarious, eyebrow-raising debut memoir. “I’m not suicidal, but I’m not particularly psyched,” Bamford begins, teeing up for an honest account of her childhood OCD, early-adult recklessness, and eventual diagnosis with bipolar disorder, all of which compelled her to seek the organizing comforts of various 12-step programs. But “this is not going to have a clear chronicle of trauma, healing, victory,” Bamford writes. “It’s going to be more like a series of sudoku puzzles that I grow tired of trying to solve and a third of the way through start a new one, hoping it’s easier.” The anecdotes run the gamut from lighthearted (visiting Yellowstone’s Old Faithful with her father and sister as a child) to worrying (moving to New Zealand with an obviously gay clown she’d fallen for after a few dates), and chapters are punctuated with tongue-in-cheek recipes “that only take a minute of wavering focus” to prepare, such as “chip off the floor” and “peanut butter between pieces of cheese.” It’s all delivered with Bamford’s trademark blend of disarming intimacy and dark whimsy. The result is a consistently funny and occasionally heartbreaking glimpse into a unique comedic mind. Agent: Josh Krauss, Ginsburg Daniels Kallis. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

08/01/2023

The search for mental equilibrium and a sense of belonging has no roadmap, has an uncertain destination, and is frequently characterized by setbacks and painful discoveries. This memoir by comedian and actress Bamford (You Are (A Comedy) Special) describes her own journey. Bamford is a well-known presence on the comedy circuit, with her own Netflix series, Lady Dynamite. Her work, which has received a number of prestigious awards, frequently focuses on her own struggles with her mental health. This book describes Bamford's relationship with her family and her experiences with various self-help programs, some of which—Debtors Anonymous, for example—were beneficial. The author vividly and evocatively notes her various hospitalizations and problems with finding the correct balance of medications that enabled her to work. Despite the sometimes grim subject matter, the book shines with Bamford's brilliance, relentless humor, and insatiable instinct for survival. She obviously wants to help others survive too. VERDICT Raw and discomfiting, but completely compelling. This is an essential read for Bamford fans and will likely reassure those who are on their own journeys.—Penelope J.M. Klein

Library Journal

★ 2023-06-28
The star of Netflix’s Lady Dynamite examines her life in comedy, dealing with mental illness, and finding a way to belong.

Beginning with an anecdote about attending an event in her 20s with a friend that shifts from friendly to an aggressive sales pitch for a self-help seminar, comedian Bamford notes, “I am very fond of suddenly adopting a new set of ideals in order to receive welcome from any rigid group of weirdos. If these people wanted a piece of me so badly, I must have been okay. (I am not ok).” Throughout, the author plays delightful tribute to the For Dummies book series, using a stop-sign image and the comic sans font for material she dubs “the creepy stuff.” In a compelling, hilarious, sometimes-harrowing voice, Bamford chronicles her childhood, involvement with both recovery and self-improvement programs—including Suzuki violin lessons as a child and an introduction to Dale Carnegie’s “How To Win Friends and Influence People” seminars at age 11—and struggles with mental illness. Although the book works quite well as a memoir, the author also includes helpful tips on how best to succeed with 12-step programs (while poking fun at them at the same time), a critique of the effectiveness of treatment for mental health problems in America, and an amusing anecdote about how she dealt with her sudden and unexpected fame as the star of a series of commercials for Target (“a great character for progressives who shop at Target, because it’s darkly funny in a Portland-y kind of way”). Bamford creates an effective mix of introduction (or reintroduction) to a fascinating comedian, a guide to the self-help industry, and an encouragingly lighthearted, respectful assessment of mental health, reminding readers that they are not alone.

Laugh-out-loud funny, weird, and touching—a great example of what a celebrity memoir can bring to readers.

Kirkus Reviews

Bamford creates an effective mix of introduction (or reintroduction) to a fascinating comedian, a guide to the self-help industry, and an encouragingly lighthearted, respectful assessment of mental health, reminding readers that they are not alone. Laugh-out-loud funny, weird, and touching—a great example of what a celebrity memoir can bring to readers.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred)

“Sure, I'll Join Your Cult is a wry, blunt, service-y, sometimes cranky, and largely exuberant stroll through the modern self-help and support-group scene.”
—Shelf Awareness

“Maria Bamford’s writing is laugh-out-loud funny. Her brain is a national treasure.”
—Jennette McCurdy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of I’m Glad My Mom Died

“If Maria Bamford had a cult, I'd join it.”
—Rachel Bloom, author of I Want to be Where the Normal People Are

“Maria is the kind of comedian you watch and think, ‘I’ve gotta write more and I’ve gotta think deeper.’ I’m glad she’s in the world.”
—Patton Oswalt, New York Times bestselling author of Zombie Spaceship Wasteland and Silver Screen Fiend

“Maria Bamford is deeply funny. her understanding of the world and her place in it is so specific to her brain and the many beautiful, bizarre voices that live inside it. Read this book to better understand one of our most special minds.”
—Nick Kroll

“A brutal and honest look at battling mental health. Is it funny?...Of course...It’s Maria, but it’s also gut wrenching. Take Maria’s hand and walk with her through good times, bad times, and coocoo for coco puffs times.”
—Oscar Nuñez

“Maria Bamford is my absolute favorite comedian. Read this book NOW!”
—Tig Notaro, author of I’m Just a Person

“There’s an authenticity to [Bamford's] words that elevates them into something beyond the category of comedy memoir... Bamford has created a work destined to shine much-needed light on mental illness. Illuminating those serious moments with humor is her true triumph.”
—Washington Post

“In her signature oddball style, [Bamford] honestly and hilariously discusses all...while offering some weighty (yet somehow still funny) analysis of mental health stigma, our broken health care system, and those that take advantage of people in genuine need of help. Those who love Maria Bamford will love this, and those who don’t might by the end.”
—Booklist (starred review)

“[T]he book shines with Bamford’s brilliance, relentless humor, and insatiable instinct for survival ... Raw and discomfiting, but completely compelling. This is an essential read for Bamford fans.”
—Library Journal

“[H]ilarious, devastating, fascinating... Celebrated comedian Maria Bamford is a winsome and unapologetic tour guide through her own life, reflecting on her search for achievement, belonging and healing.”
—Bookpage

“[A] hilarious, eyebrow-raising debut memoir ... It’s all delivered with Bamford’s trademark blend of disarming intimacy and dark whimsy. The result is a consistently funny and occasionally heartbreaking glimpse into a unique comedic mind.”
—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

Maria Bamford’s writing is laugh-out-loud funny. Her brain is a national treasure.”

New York Times bestselling author Jennette McCurdy

Bamford puts herself on the frontline of her own existence—and, we are better off for it. If there’s anyone who can help us see the proverbial ‘lighter side of life,’ it’s Maria Bamford as she’s seen the darker side. We fully believe life through a comedian’s eyes is a fascinating world to visit.”

Barnes&Noble.com

Maria Bamford’s writing is laugh-out-loud funny. Her brain is a national treasure.”

#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennette McCurdy

★ 06/10/2024

In her riotous debut memoir, comedian and actor Bamford discusses her propensity toward 12-step programs, self-help books, the "For Dummies" series, and illegal parking. In a tone that is shockingly frank yet earnest, Bamford recounts her lifelong desire to belong, no matter the cost. Throughout this audiobook, narrated by Bamford herself, it's impossible not to marvel at her ability to share the most disturbing moments of her life with a frenetic and hilarious exuberance, all the while maintaining an undeniable gentleness. Unfiltered, frank discussions of suicide and eating disorders may make this a challenging title for some listeners. However, the memoir's same tendency toward total honesty provides a refuge for those alienated by disapproving attitudes toward mental health treatment. Not only is Bamford a skilled voice actor, but audio cues (or "sonic iconography") are peppered throughout to let listeners know when old comedic material is being recycled, a recipe is about to be shared, or a creepy passage lies ahead. Jaunty music ends each chapter, adding a note of ebullience. VERDICT Not only a must for Bamford enthusiasts but an inspired pick for mental-health memoir fans.—Ingrid Conley-Abrams

Library Journal - Audio

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. S.W. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

AUGUST 2023 - AudioFile

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. S.W. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

AUGUST 2023 - AudioFile