I’m Not as Well as I Thought I Was: The Sunday Times Bestseller

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Ruby Wax is public about her struggles with mental health, and so has been writing books to help others, and started Frazzled Cafes , which during Covid-19 is hosting online support meetings, and pre Covid-19 hosted in person meetings. Maybe it will again. These days, trying to stay sane in a completely chaotic world makes life incredibly difficult. For those readers who are deep in the darkness of mental illness, I hope my book makes you feel less alone. There are some hard truths in Ruby’s book, but you would have to have been a hermit in a cave not to have at least some awareness of the biggest issues. The main take away for me was the emphasis on the interconnectedness and interdependence of all life on earth, basically we’re all in this together whatever our species. Individual action and responsibility really is the key to dealing with issues, regardless of whether they’re local or global, and there are myriad ways for us all to do our bit to help.

The long sentences, long paragraphs, the very little use of comas and full stoped, made me a bit anxious, so I didn't enjoy that at all. The sense of humour got on the way of actual good information, and on top of that, along the book there are witty racist jokes sprinkle around that just made my eyes roll. I learned some amazing facts and found out about some amazing groups who I didn’t even know existed covering a wide range of concerns from building inclusive and caring communities, using mindfulness to build compassion, manage anger and improve communication, regenerative agriculture and gardening, through to how do we stop climate change and extinction. I think my favorite chapter was on businesses making a difference because it was nice to see familiar brand names taking part in environmental schemes. It basically gives you the green light to treat yourself to more Ben and Jerry's ice cream. I'm not a fiction writer. I can't fake it. I could say I rode into the sunset, but life isn't like that unless you're a cowboy. Truth is I'm not as well as I thought I was. I adored interviewing Ruby: she has such a fizzing, uniquely vibrant and clever way of thinking about things. And I've wanted her on the podcast for ages because she does such important work' - Elizabeth DayThe final section of the book is called ‘To the Future with Love’ in which she summarises the good news for each of the topics covered in her book. Her hope is that we will remember the’ feelings of interconnnectedness and caring for each other and … keep them going’ when the pandemic is over.

Ruby's here to show you that behind the clouds, the sun still shines. So, do you want the good news? I really like Ruby Wax and - to be honest - felt like I needed to read some good news in 2020, so this seemed like a good book for me right now.

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She begins with writing about herself and sections about her own story are interspersed between the ‘Bad News’ and the ‘Good News’ throughout the book. In each section she gives a brief history of the topic, along with the story of her own experiences and then looks at examples of how things are improving. Not all of it was new to me, but I did learn a lot, as the book is simply crammed with information. Ruby Wax wears her heart on her sleeve, from her ongoing dedicated work around mental health and mindfulness to how we can learn to live together and save the planet.