The Oatmeal

Matthew Inman

In How To Be Perfectly Unhappy, Inman explores the surprising benefits of forgetting about “happiness,” and embracing instead the meaningful activities that keep us busy and interested and fascinated.

How to Be Perfectly Unhappy

The The Oatmeal

Matthew Inman--Eisner Award-winning creator of The Oatmeal and #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You--serves yet another helping of thoughtful hilarity in this charming, illustrated gift book for anyone who is irked by the question: "Are you happy?" In How To Be Perfectly Unhappy, Inman explores the surprising benefits of forgetting about "happiness," and embracing instead the meaningful activities that keep us busy and interested and fascinated.

Deepika Ramesh

I trusted Inman to hide an uplifting book behind a curious title like this. In this super short book, Inman offers his definition for 'happiness'. He argues that happiness as a state of a mind is a painful spectrum, and that it can't be viewed through binary glasses. I loved that definition. Inman's colourful illustration on finding a meaning and suffering with it is delightful. He doesn't believe that happiness is just about smiling and believing in perfection, but feeling alive in one's own way leads to what is generally defined as happiness. I enjoyed his analogy between Pluto and happiness. A fun read.

Isabela H 

This book was pretty cute and silly, the comics were definitely the highlight rather than the message. It might just be the fact that the message is a common one these days, though I did appreciate what the book was trying to say

Carmen

Interesante el cómo define la felicidad.

Note: I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Matthew Inman and Andrews McMeel Publishing!

I love The Oatmeal comics. So when I saw a new graphic novel created by the wonderful Matthew Inman OF COURSE I requested it. 

And I was not disappointed in the slightest. 


  "...journeys require endpoints otherwise you're not Frodo, you're just a homeless guy wandering around with stolen jewelry"


Being happy is overrated and quite often unrealistic. This is Inman's discussion point, complete with rabid, eleven eyed bunnies, cats carrying anatomically sound hearts as balloons, and much expulsion of substances from both ends of the human form. 

The blurb describes "another helping of thoughtful hilarity" which just about sums it up. 

The book is thoughtful and personally I think his entire point is spot on. And you just can't help but be amused at the presentation of Inman's discussion.

How to Be Perfectly Unhappy

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