Joyful Recollections of Trauma: A Hilariously Cathartic Memoir-in-Essays of Childhood Turmoil, Self Healing, and Finding Happiness

by Paul Scheer

upset.” It took me a while to realize that getting upset meant having any reaction at all. If nothing is a big deal, then any emotional response will seem out of place, and he never has to live with the discomfort of someone being upset.

I just knew this: I loved June unconditionally and I knew she felt the same. In our time together we stood taller beside each other in the darkest of times, and we always found joy in whatever we did. We were honest with each other but never mean, and I looked forward to every day with her. It took me like an hour to write that. How am I going to say that off the cuff?

“manifestation of novelty seeking, perfectionism, and boredom, on repeat.”