Call number
Genres
Publication
New York : Gallery Books, 2020.
Description
Solutions and Other Problems includes humorous stories from Allie Brosh's childhood; the adventures of her very bad animals; merciless dissection of her own character flaws; incisive essays on grief, loneliness, and powerlessness; as well as reflections on the absurdity of modern life.
Awards
Alex Award (2021)
NPR: Books We Love (2020)
Los Angeles Public Library Best of the Year (Non-Fiction — 2020)
Language
Original publication date
2020-09-22
ISBN
9781982156947
Similar in this library
User reviews
LibraryThing member bragan
The long awaited and much anticipated follow-up to Allie Brosh's Hyperbole and a Half. This one follows the same format, interspersing text and illustrations that feature Allie herself as a crudely drawn cartoon figure. As with the first one, there are depictions of mishaps from her childhood,
Overall, though, this book has a rather different, considerably heavier feel to it than the first one, I think. Clearly Brosh's existential crisis is not remotely over, because there's a strong theme throughout of the difficulty of knowing how to deal with the unfairness and meaningless absurdity of life and our powerlessness and incomprehension in the face of it all. Sometimes you can laugh about that. Sometimes you really, really can't. And in the end, all you can do is try to be your own friend and get through it all as best as you can. Which is a theme I very much appreciated.
I will say that I don't think that this ever made me laugh nearly as hard as the first book, nor did it affect me quite as deeply as her writings about depression there, maybe because I like to believe I've more or less come to terms with the meaningless absurdity of life already, myself. But, well, that's a really high bar, and it certainly did both affect me and make me laugh.
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incidents from her adulthood, tales of depry pets, and ponderings on her own dysfunction and weirdness. There's also a very serious chapter -- it's labeled "the serious part" -- in which she talks a bit about a very bad time in her life, in which she had to deal with scary medical problems and the death of her sister while already in the throes of what can only be called an existential crisis. Although even in that chapter, she demonstrates the ability to shake us out of the emotional depths with perfectly timed hits of charming, oddball silliness.Overall, though, this book has a rather different, considerably heavier feel to it than the first one, I think. Clearly Brosh's existential crisis is not remotely over, because there's a strong theme throughout of the difficulty of knowing how to deal with the unfairness and meaningless absurdity of life and our powerlessness and incomprehension in the face of it all. Sometimes you can laugh about that. Sometimes you really, really can't. And in the end, all you can do is try to be your own friend and get through it all as best as you can. Which is a theme I very much appreciated.
I will say that I don't think that this ever made me laugh nearly as hard as the first book, nor did it affect me quite as deeply as her writings about depression there, maybe because I like to believe I've more or less come to terms with the meaningless absurdity of life already, myself. But, well, that's a really high bar, and it certainly did both affect me and make me laugh.
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LibraryThing member foggidawn
After the publication of Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh basically stopped posting on her blog, which made me sad. I wondered, periodically, what might have happened in her life since then. With the publication of Solutions and Other Problems, I got an answer. Unfortunately, the answer is:
This is a hard read, I must say. There's some humor, but it's all mixed up in the unrelenting misery. Her first book (or the blog posts that made up most of the first book) often had me in tears of laughter, but this one elicited barely an audible chuckle. I'd recommend it for fans of Brosh's earlier work, with the caveat that the tone is even darker (and, certainly, Brosh has always employed dark and self-deprecating humor). It's all new material, with only one chapter posted as a teaser on her blog shortly before the book's release. On a technical note, I had trouble reading some of the text in the illustrations -- in some cases, the contrast was not high, and in others, the text was small enough to make reading difficult. I bought this book, and I wish I had gotten it from the library instead, because I can't see myself rereading it.
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tragedy and misery. I will not list all of it, since I suppose that would constitute spoilers for the book. But it hasn't been a happy time. This book consists of stories from Allie's recent life as well as from her childhood, copiously illustrated by drawings in her trademark style ("bad MS Paint").This is a hard read, I must say. There's some humor, but it's all mixed up in the unrelenting misery. Her first book (or the blog posts that made up most of the first book) often had me in tears of laughter, but this one elicited barely an audible chuckle. I'd recommend it for fans of Brosh's earlier work, with the caveat that the tone is even darker (and, certainly, Brosh has always employed dark and self-deprecating humor). It's all new material, with only one chapter posted as a teaser on her blog shortly before the book's release. On a technical note, I had trouble reading some of the text in the illustrations -- in some cases, the contrast was not high, and in others, the text was small enough to make reading difficult. I bought this book, and I wish I had gotten it from the library instead, because I can't see myself rereading it.
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LibraryThing member Marse
This follow-up to Allie Brosh's first graphic memoir was a rather depressing reading experience. It's not that her humor/sadness is less interesting, or that her drawings were less fun. It's that the turn her life takes is definitely a downer. While her first book showed us her depression and
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alienation, it still had a note of hopefulness. This one is much darker, and ends on an ambivalent note. Frankly, I'm amazed she was in any condition to finish this book and that alone shows she is stronger than her illness, but it is not especially fun to read. Show Less
LibraryThing member Lisa2013
I read a Kindle e-edition borrowed from the library due to the continuing pandemic and my branch library is not one of the branches that has opened for borrowing paper books.
I’ve been waiting for this second book for year. I loved the first book by this author/illustrator, [book:Hyperbole and a
This book was a lot more autobiographical stories, illustrated with cartoons and overall was a lot less amusing. There were some star funny stories, but there was more sadness than humor. Tragic stuff. That would have been fine with me as I enjoy that sort of narrative, even though I was reading it along with a heavy content children’s novel and expected to go to this book for some comic relief, which is did not provide. That’s not the reason I’m not giving this book 5 stars though and why I only liked it and did not love it.
I found it to be full of filler, a lot of filler, in places one drawing after another with very little text for them. The book was uneven as there were parts where I laughed out loud and parts where I felt emotionally involved, though the latter not as much as I would have expected. I think it was because what information there was superficial. Yes, that is [author:Allie Brosh|6984726]’s right but I wanted and needed more. I wanted a lot more about her sister and I wanted more about her too. As far as being uneven, it didn’t help that for me the book started out fairly strong but its last parts were weak.
I do love this line: “Having to be personally responsible for maintaining justice in the world is distressing. It makes it seem like maybe there’s something wrong at the Universal Fairness and Balance Department. Like maybe the higher-ups have lost control and they need help.”
While I feel a bit disappointed, especially given the extremely long wait, I’m glad I read this and I will read/view anything else by this author/illustrator. I guess for this collection I needed either more humor or more depth and details for the serious stories. I did like it though.
I’ve been waiting for this second book for year. I loved the first book by this author/illustrator, [book:Hyperbole and a
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Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened|17571564]. (I have gone to her blog and also thoroughly enjoyed it.) This book wasn’t exactly what I’d been expecting which was autobiographical, mostly hilarious, sometimes poignant cartoon stories. TThis book was a lot more autobiographical stories, illustrated with cartoons and overall was a lot less amusing. There were some star funny stories, but there was more sadness than humor. Tragic stuff. That would have been fine with me as I enjoy that sort of narrative, even though I was reading it along with a heavy content children’s novel and expected to go to this book for some comic relief, which is did not provide. That’s not the reason I’m not giving this book 5 stars though and why I only liked it and did not love it.
I found it to be full of filler, a lot of filler, in places one drawing after another with very little text for them. The book was uneven as there were parts where I laughed out loud and parts where I felt emotionally involved, though the latter not as much as I would have expected. I think it was because what information there was superficial. Yes, that is [author:Allie Brosh|6984726]’s right but I wanted and needed more. I wanted a lot more about her sister and I wanted more about her too. As far as being uneven, it didn’t help that for me the book started out fairly strong but its last parts were weak.
I do love this line: “Having to be personally responsible for maintaining justice in the world is distressing. It makes it seem like maybe there’s something wrong at the Universal Fairness and Balance Department. Like maybe the higher-ups have lost control and they need help.”
While I feel a bit disappointed, especially given the extremely long wait, I’m glad I read this and I will read/view anything else by this author/illustrator. I guess for this collection I needed either more humor or more depth and details for the serious stories. I did like it though.
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LibraryThing member sturlington
My reading has been way down this year (that memorable year 2020). Just finished Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh. If you're in a reading slump, I think this book will help. And if you are feeling lonely and isolated, it will help you feel less alone in that. The last story, "Friend,"
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really got me where I live. The two "Pile Dog" stories and "The Ugly Duckling 2" were hilarious, but I enjoyed the whole book. Show Less
LibraryThing member bell7
Using the same photoshop illustrations and blocks of texts to tell stories from her life as she did in Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh reflects on a variety of topics from her weird childhood obsession with a neighbor to more serious topics with a health scare and her sister's death.
For some
For some
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reason this one didn't work quite as well for me as the first one - I had some belly laughs at the beginning, gut punches in the middle, and then it just sort of... petered out for me. I'm not sure if it was my mood or the book, but I just didn't connect to the stories and had moments of feeling uncomfortably awkward at moments I thought she wanted me to laugh. Show Less
LibraryThing member sparemethecensor
I would give the edge to her first book, but this is excellent too.
LibraryThing member RidgewayGirl
If you haven't discovered the unique pleasures of Allie Brosh's unique view of the world, you're in for a treat.
She has a great understanding for both children and dogs, a willingness to be unsparingly honest and she's really, really funny.
Her latest book is a graphic collection of personal
Throughout, Brosh represents herself as a small, not quite human creature who wears hot pink and keeps her hair in a ponytail. Even in her essays about her life as an adult, she remains very small. It's an effective choice and it's remarkable how such a simply drawn character can display such a wide range of emotions. While some chapters packed more of a punch than others, all were excellent. If you're already familiar with [Hyperbole and a Half], you've probably already read this. And if you aren't, you are in for a treat.
She has a great understanding for both children and dogs, a willingness to be unsparingly honest and she's really, really funny.
Her latest book is a graphic collection of personal
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essays that range from childhood memories to some tragic events in her adult life to observations about dogs. Throughout, Brosh represents herself as a small, not quite human creature who wears hot pink and keeps her hair in a ponytail. Even in her essays about her life as an adult, she remains very small. It's an effective choice and it's remarkable how such a simply drawn character can display such a wide range of emotions. While some chapters packed more of a punch than others, all were excellent. If you're already familiar with [Hyperbole and a Half], you've probably already read this. And if you aren't, you are in for a treat.
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LibraryThing member Tytania
Very difficult to describe Allie Brosh if you've never seen her work. Take a look at the cover... that's her, the star of the show.
I'll open up to a random-to-me page, the exact middle of the book. It's a series of panels depicting her and her little sister during memorable childhood moments. No
I feel I'm not doing a very good job of talking it up. It's an amazing piece of work.
I'll open up to a random-to-me page, the exact middle of the book. It's a series of panels depicting her and her little sister during memorable childhood moments. No
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text. Allie's sister ended up dying by violent suicide, so it's heavy. That, plus some serious health problems or her own, plus a divorce leaving her living a very reclusive life, plus her basic sad nihilism, form the basis of the (lack of) story.I feel I'm not doing a very good job of talking it up. It's an amazing piece of work.
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LibraryThing member whatsmacksaid
This thing gave me a lot of emotions—frankly more than I was ready to deal with—and there was some hysterical laughter and I might have also cried a little, but basically it’s a really good read.
LibraryThing member KateHonig
I love Allie Brosh's work & humor and I was happy to wait for this next book, and it did not disappoint. A little less straight-out humor than her last book, and a lot more emotional depth.
My 4 year old daughter said she loved the cover because it looks like a "friendly frog/bunny who feels
My 4 year old daughter said she loved the cover because it looks like a "friendly frog/bunny who feels
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sad". Show Less
LibraryThing member atreic
So, I'm a huge hyperbole and a half fan. Which means I know Allie was commissioned to write a second book, and then got very depressed and the book took ages, but they clawed something together in the end anyway. This is exactly the book you would get given that. Where hyperbole and a half offered
And yet somehow it is darkly funny, and the pages keep turning. And maybe it makes us all feel a bit less like a pointless little weirdo alone. Even if we are.
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some sort of zany hope, this is a bit of an endless hole of bleakness. Stories of getting cancer. Stories of death of loved family members. Stories of suicide. Stories of divorce. Stories where the best warm fuzzy message she can manage is 'sometimes all you can really do is keep moving and hope that you end up somewhere that makes sense.'And yet somehow it is darkly funny, and the pages keep turning. And maybe it makes us all feel a bit less like a pointless little weirdo alone. Even if we are.
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LibraryThing member emquixotic
I enjoyed the artwork a lot and there were a lot of very fun stories as well as very poignant stories. What was a miss for me were some of her philosophical world views she tried to get across--I wish she would try writing essays because I think if she expanded on her ideas in essay format we would
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all be in for a real treat. Show Less
LibraryThing member rivkat
More disjointed and rambling than her first book, which she acknowledges and says is a reflection of the disjointedness and meaninglessness of life. Although she’s an engaging writer, and although what happened to her after her first book (serious health crises, both physical and mental) is
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affecting, I would probably stick with the first book. Show Less
LibraryThing member MontzaleeW
Another funny book!
Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh is so terrific! I loved the first book and this one is just as good! Laugh out loud funny in spots to deep heart warming in others. Loved the clever and hilarious cartoons graphics! The cartoons alone are quite a hoot!
Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh is so terrific! I loved the first book and this one is just as good! Laugh out loud funny in spots to deep heart warming in others. Loved the clever and hilarious cartoons graphics! The cartoons alone are quite a hoot!
LibraryThing member villemezbrown
I loved Hyperbole and a Half, but this follow-up stumbled too much for me.
I enjoyed the first 150 pages pretty well despite a long and useless (day)dream sequence, but then the blocks of teeny-tiny typeset text started multiplying in frequency and size during a nothing story about cross-country
After the touching tribute to her sister, the silly stories about pets seemed listless, the sequence about getting high and getting lost was actively annoying, and the rest of the book meandered until the last forty pages devolved to sheer unreadable nonsense.
Brosh is definitely a talent to watch, but this outing just did not succeed for me.
I enjoyed the first 150 pages pretty well despite a long and useless (day)dream sequence, but then the blocks of teeny-tiny typeset text started multiplying in frequency and size during a nothing story about cross-country
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skiing and arguments. More and more little words saying nothing much of anything. And then I started gritting my teeth every time those blocks came back throughout the rest of the books.After the touching tribute to her sister, the silly stories about pets seemed listless, the sequence about getting high and getting lost was actively annoying, and the rest of the book meandered until the last forty pages devolved to sheer unreadable nonsense.
Brosh is definitely a talent to watch, but this outing just did not succeed for me.
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LibraryThing member MickyFine
A new collection of graphic essays (I'm making up terms now) from Brosh recounting tales from her childhood as well as her more recent experiences. As with [Hyperbole and a Half] where Brosh didn't hesitate to mix her hysterical anecdotes alongside more serious material about her struggles with
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depression, the same is true here. Mixed in between tales that had me laughing so hard my abs hurt are reflections on the devastating events that have happened in the years between Brosh's last book and this one including divorce, major health scares, and the death of a family member. Expect plenty of her "bad Microsoft paint" drawings alongside her unique take on life. Fans of her previous writing will be delighted to dive into more. Show Less
LibraryThing member lauriebrown54
We waited a long time for Allie Brosh’s second book, but it was worth the wait. She has presented us with 514 full color, glossy pages that share her unique look at the world with us. After her first book, Brosh went into a period of major depression, adding that to her long standing ADD (and, I
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believe, anxiety). This may have been triggered by her sister’s violent suicide, as well as escaping from an abusive relationship. This volume doesn’t have the manic hilarity of her first book; it’s deeper and more thoughtful. The humor is still there, though- the book starts with how, as a toddler, she got stuck inside a five gallon bucket- multiple times- because she became obsessed with getting completely inside it. The art has become a little more sophisticated, although her depictions of herself are the stuff of nightmares (seriously, no one is jointed that way, but it WORKS). She pokes fun at her mental health issues, dogs, relationships, family, everything. All of this is new material, as she hasn’t updated her blog in… forever. As someone with depression and anxiety myself, I relate to a lot of the things that have happened to her. I brought the book home in the middle of the afternoon, and finished at 2 in the morning because I didn’t want to stop turning pages- all 514 of them. Read this book! Show Less
LibraryThing member Treebeard_404
This book is by turns hilarious and heartbreaking. I suppose it was more of the latter than I was prepared for, which is reflected in my rating. But I nonetheless encourage you to read it. I believe this is one of those books that I will be turning over in the back of my mind for quite some time.
LibraryThing member wishanem
Allie Brosh is an incomparable artist. She's like the depressed clown Pagliacci telling the joke about himself on stage in a way that is actually funny. I wish her all peace and happiness, and if she never writes again I'll be glad for what she's done. If she does write more books, though, I will
On this specific book:
I laughed loudly a few times, and chuckled a lot. Books almost never get me to do that.
I cried! Twice. That's even more unusual than the laughing. The sad bits in here are really very sad.
I read this book in two sittings, and when my memory of it has faded I look forward to reading it again.
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read all of them.On this specific book:
I laughed loudly a few times, and chuckled a lot. Books almost never get me to do that.
I cried! Twice. That's even more unusual than the laughing. The sad bits in here are really very sad.
I read this book in two sittings, and when my memory of it has faded I look forward to reading it again.
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LibraryThing member alanna1122
Allie Brosh is so smart and funny.
This book had a really strong, funny enjoyable first third and then it becomes a more serious. While I wish it could be more lighthearted, I can understand given her experiences of the past few years why it needs to be cathartic. Worth reading, but not easy or
This book had a really strong, funny enjoyable first third and then it becomes a more serious. While I wish it could be more lighthearted, I can understand given her experiences of the past few years why it needs to be cathartic. Worth reading, but not easy or
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fast. Show Less
LibraryThing member JulesJones
Back in 2013 Allie Brosh published a book compiling some of the posts on her very funny blog, capturing what it was like to be one of those Weird Kids and what the Weird Kid did as an alleged adult. There was supposed to be a sequel within a couple of years. Instead the blog went mostly dark, and
And yes, it is laugh out loud in most parts, from the silly stories like the strange case of the horse poop to the ruthless self-examination laying bare the weirdness that is daydreaming, and the things you would be very ashamed of should other people be able to see inside your head. There's a literal shaggy dog story, because the Simple Dog and the Helper Dog were followed in Brosh's life by the Pile Dog, who was a brown pile when lying down and bore a remarkable resemblance to an ambulatory shag pile rug when she stood up. Once again hyperbole is used to bring out the point of the underlying reality. It's mixed in with sadness, because that's what life's like; a mix of both. And it ends with a poignant story that demonstrates this. Brosh's life fell apart at some point after the first book came out, with her own divorce and the divorce of her parents, and for a period she lived alone with no companionship other than herself. As an act of self-preservation she learned how to be friends with herself, and this last section crystallises a theme that has run through both books - have compassion for yourself. The final page is full of hope and love for herself and for all the other people out there who feel like pointless little weirdos all alone.
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the sequel didn't appear until 2020. There was a reason for this, and that reason makes the middle section of the book much sadder and darker than the first one. Brosh was very ill with endometriosis and nearly died, the publicity tour for the first book was while she was recovering from surgery, and it took her so long to recover from all the strain that she didn't make it home for Christmas. Then her sister died on New Year's Eve. Although it isn't spelt out in the book, it's clear from the phrasing of one single-sentence paragraph that it was suicide. Most of the book is once again laugh out loud, but there were two pages in this section which made me weep out loud.And yes, it is laugh out loud in most parts, from the silly stories like the strange case of the horse poop to the ruthless self-examination laying bare the weirdness that is daydreaming, and the things you would be very ashamed of should other people be able to see inside your head. There's a literal shaggy dog story, because the Simple Dog and the Helper Dog were followed in Brosh's life by the Pile Dog, who was a brown pile when lying down and bore a remarkable resemblance to an ambulatory shag pile rug when she stood up. Once again hyperbole is used to bring out the point of the underlying reality. It's mixed in with sadness, because that's what life's like; a mix of both. And it ends with a poignant story that demonstrates this. Brosh's life fell apart at some point after the first book came out, with her own divorce and the divorce of her parents, and for a period she lived alone with no companionship other than herself. As an act of self-preservation she learned how to be friends with herself, and this last section crystallises a theme that has run through both books - have compassion for yourself. The final page is full of hope and love for herself and for all the other people out there who feel like pointless little weirdos all alone.
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LibraryThing member BibliophageOnCoffee
Worth the wait. Allie Brosh still knows how to hilariously depict the absurdity of life.
LibraryThing member beentsy
I loved this book. It's been a long time since Hyperbole and a Half, and I spent a lot of mental energy making sure I didn't build this up in my head to something impossible for the book to live up to. Was it the same as Brosh's previous book? No and yes. But none of us are the same as we were 7
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years ago, and that's okay. There were moments reading this that shone so bright in my brain when and times I laughed and laughed and scared the hell out of my cats. It was worth waiting for. Show Less
LibraryThing member TomDonaghey
Solutions And Other Problems (2020) by Allie Brosh. What a strange, strange book. I am not certain if this was an illustrated novel or an episodic biography. The book is in the form of a hip graphic novel mixed with plenty of ramblings from the writer on this purported version of her young life. It
I didn’t find the book funny, but again I didn’t find it not funny. Overall I found I was disturbed by it, a small part traumatized, and supremely unsure where I stood in relation to the darn thing. The book runs to over 500 pages with two to three times that number if illustrations, It is a fast read nonetheless as there are generally far more page portions dedicated to the comics and little to prose.
If this is Allie Brosh’s real life story, I feel bad for her decision to interpret the tenets of her life in this fashion, but if it works for her, okay. I have read that she suffers from severe depression (who doesn’t anymore) and this is a laudable coping method.
I have to say, overall, I liked the book. Don’t ask me why, but I did. Perhaps it is seeing the visualization of someone else’s struggle that brings a little light into my life.
Isn’t schadenfreude wonderful?
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is hard to keep that in mind when looking at the vision of “young Allie” and her self-depiction as a combo rabbit/fish being.I didn’t find the book funny, but again I didn’t find it not funny. Overall I found I was disturbed by it, a small part traumatized, and supremely unsure where I stood in relation to the darn thing. The book runs to over 500 pages with two to three times that number if illustrations, It is a fast read nonetheless as there are generally far more page portions dedicated to the comics and little to prose.
If this is Allie Brosh’s real life story, I feel bad for her decision to interpret the tenets of her life in this fashion, but if it works for her, okay. I have read that she suffers from severe depression (who doesn’t anymore) and this is a laudable coping method.
I have to say, overall, I liked the book. Don’t ask me why, but I did. Perhaps it is seeing the visualization of someone else’s struggle that brings a little light into my life.
Isn’t schadenfreude wonderful?
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