Maria Bamford

2.25 stars. i really wasn't into this at the beginning but her voice (both her actual voice and the writing voice) really grew on me as i went on. i don't know who she is so i wasn't influenced by her standup or shows or whatever people know her for. but i really like this way of looking at the choices she's made and the way she's accessed help as trying to join a group and do whatever they say (to a point) to "get better" in whatever way she's focusing on at the moment. the way the groups can be helpful but also awful, and cultlike. the underlying issues here are really interesting and by the end i was surprised to find that she handled this unusually but really well. and maybe relatably for someone trying to move through their own issues. i mean i'm sure her humor isn't for everyone but it feels like she's being really open and honest about so much, and weird dark humor is often how people handle hard things. i also really liked how often and how vehemently she discussed her privilege and what accessing health care looks like for someone without it (with it, too, but her focus really was on the less fortunate than her). honestly this kind of makes me want to check out her stuff.… (more)