BOOK REVIEW - Easy Crafts for the Insane: A Mostly Funny Memoir of Mental Illness and Making Things
by Fran Hauser
Guest Editor
Kelly Williams Brown had a picture perfect life. She wrote the NYT bestseller Adulting, spoke at NASA, and had a beautiful wedding, all before turning 30!
And then, her life fell apart. For a perfect storm of reasons (including breaking three limbs in separate accidents, her father being diagnosed with cancer and her marriage collapsing) she went into a 700-day severe depression which culminated with a “rest cure” at an inpatient facility. Her way to get through this period was by, wait for it….. crafting!
“I cannot control the world and I often cannot control my own mind, but dang it, I can make you an extremely thoughtful embroidered gift.”
This is a story about how to make something when you’re capable of nothing, from creating tiny paper stars and nail polish dragon eggs to hand-lettering. These were all experiences that brought her joy and satisfaction and offered her a little bit of control when everything else was falling apart.
Instructions for these simple, accessible crafts are sprinkled throughout the book, making for an unusual combination of memoir and crafting tutorials (kind of like a chef’s memoir that include recipes).
The word “funny” is in the subtitle for good reason. Kelly starts the book with an apology for introducing the term “adulting” into the world. The irony is not lost on her that she should have her “act together” -- she literally wrote the book on “how to live as a grown-up in an often-screwed-up world”.
Kelly doesn’t hold back on what she went through during those 700 days...the pain that she endured and the fear that consumed her. In so many ways it was heart wrenching to read. Her humor (and the crafts!) provide some lightness as we root for Kelly to find a way out of the depression and back to herself again.
Fran Hauser is a bestselling author, startup investor and champion of women. For more of her book recommendations, follow @fransbookshelf on Instagram.
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