Misfit: Growing Up Awkward in the '80s

“You will always be the same person the bus driver was so happy to see on the first day of school.”

This book made me feel a little less alone. It gives you that feeling that everyone in the world is as confused, insecure, and anxious as you. But as Gary suggests, just say “I'll figure it out.” And then, you do.

If you're not familiar with comedian Gary Gulman, Google his routine about how the US states were assigned their two-letter abbreviations. It's one of the most hilarious six minutes of stand-up in comedy history. Gulman is also famous for his openness about his longtime struggle with major depression, most notably in an HBO special The Great Depresh.

Misfit isn't a full memoir; instead, it's Gulman's recollections of his life from kindergarten to high school graduation. He mines his frequently painful childhood for laughs, but you can easily see the dynamics that were in place to foster mental illness in an already sensitive kid. Unfortunately, some of the stories just aren't that interesting or insightful, and the book feels longer than 285 pages.

In between each chapter are short interludes describing the 11 months of 2017-18 when Gulman's illness was so severe that he had to move back in with his mother. I wish he had bridged the gap from 18 year old Gary, on his way to Boston College on a (short-lived) football scholarship to the 47 year old man who didn't have the energy to get out of bed. Maybe that's the next book? Anyway, I greatly admire Gulman for helping reduce the stigma of mental illness, even if this book was just a tad disappointing.