God Said, Ha!: A Memoir [Paperback]

Julia Sweeney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 1998

1995 was, for Julia Sweeney, a truly horrible year. She got a divorce (amicable), bought a small bungalow in Hollywood, and looked forward to a life that said, "Here dwells a happily single young woman!" But then the ax fell. Her younger brother Mike was diagnosed with terminal cancer and moved in with her. Her parents came to be with Mike--and moved in with her. Suddenly her tiny bungalow for one was filled to the rafters with Sweeneys. Here she was sleeping on her pull-out sofa bed while her father walked around, his Walkman on all day and her mother marveled at Julia's lack of such staples as stroganoff mixes. Every day was spent bringing Mike to and from chemotherapy, every evening watching "Chicago Hope" or "E.R." Julia was now on seriously intimate terms with the people she had spent half a lifetime growing up away from.Just weeks before Mike died, Julia was diagnosed with a rare form of cervical cancer--what Mike called her "sympathy cancer"--and within days of burying her brother, she underwent a radical hysterectomy, beginning her own journey through "the International House of Cancer."  From these Job-like travails, Julia has written a remarkably funny and touching memoir about a family in extremis that manages to persevere with humor, grace, and love.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A truly horrible story is told very well in this memoir of family tragedy and recovery from life- threatening cancer. After leaving Saturday Night Live, comedienne Julia Sweeney was newly divorced and looking forward to a new life in Los Angeles. But her optimism was shattered when she learned that her brother had been diagnosed with cancer. He moved in with her, and before long Sweeney found out that she was suffering from a rare form of cervical cancer. The story of Sweeney, her brother, and her parents (whose moving in with her gave odd comic relief to all the health problems) is a moving tale, tragedy leavened with moments of good humor and uplifting insight. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

YA?Sweeney, formerly Pat of Saturday Night Live, relates her experiences in coming to terms with her younger brother Mike's death from lymphatic cancer, and her own brush with cervical cancer. Building on her one-person autobiographical show in Los Angeles and on Broadway, the author has put her spoken words into print and created a sad but never depressing account of one disastrous year in her life. Fresh from a recent divorce and in her early 30s, she planned on moving into a small bungalow in L.A. and creating a haven all her own. Suddenly, instead of a sanctuary she found herself sharing the space with her parents and assorted friends and relatives as they nursed Michael through his last months of life. In 34 short chapters, each headed by a small photograph, Sweeney talks about the "worst year" in her life by concentrating on funny episodes that gave her the strength to deal with these events. She first looks at her parents' flaws and eventually values their strengths. YAs will find her courage at handling adversity a model to follow in their own lives when sometimes laughter and tears are so closely related they seem inseparable.?Dottie Kraft, formerly at Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (May 4, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553379232
• ISBN-13: 978-0553379235
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #458,430 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Therapeutic and Funny Too..., May 6, 2000

By 

Adam Roberts - See all my reviews

This review is from: God Said Ha! [VHS] (VHS Tape)

There's two types of humor, in my opinion. There's surface humor: that's slapstick, the Farrely brothers, Jim Carrey (most of the time), Airplane!, and Carrottop. Then there's deeper humor, that can be funny on the surface, but has something deeper beneath it: The Cohen Brothers, Being John Malkovich, Catch-22, George Carlin...you get the idea.

Julia Sweeny's one-woman-show-turned-movie (produced by Quentin Tarantino) is that second type of humor; deeper, and funny in a way that not only makes you smile on the outside but (pardon the cheesiness) also smile on the inside. This show/movie, "God Said Ha!", is basically the story of how her brother got cancer (lymphoma) and moved in with her, so she could take care of him. Pretty soon after, their parents move in with them, and Julia Sweeny does a great job of immitating her mother in such a way that we laugh, but also recognize the truth in her recreation.

Some of what Julia discusses is terribly upsetting; like when her brother has to have a spiget-like thing installed in his head so they can get the medicine directly into his cranium. But her brother retains his humor throughout this terrible experience, and after the doctor tells him that everyone who gets the-spiget thing in their head really loves it, he goes around the house saying, "I absolutely LOVE my (i forget what its called!)." (It's a lot of funnier when Julia tells it).

Recently, my mom's really good friend Stephanie had to have a tumor the size of a honeydew removed. I told my mom to tell Stephanie to rent this movie, because it's a lesson in how to use humor to get through life's most awful situations. So if you have a few dollars to spare, or just need some cheering up, make "God Said Ha!" your next movie purchase.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved the stage show, had to get the book, November 30, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: God Said, Ha!: A Memoir (Paperback)

Since I've had cancer, lots of people give me books on the topic. It's not often I actually read one all the way through, and the only one I really LOVED was "Bald in the Land of Big Hair" by Joni Rodgers, because it's really hilarious and not about cancer so much as it's about the rollercoaster of life. This book is a close second to "Bald" -- funny and able to be really cool about life and death issues. I couldn't stand that Pat skit on SNL, but Julia is a wonderful writer!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars God Said Ha!, March 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: God Said Ha! [VHS] (VHS Tape)

As an Oncology Nurse I was surprised to find myself laughing out loud to the point of tears. Having been in the places where Ms. Sweeney explores her experiences, she gave me a whole new appreciation for what we expect our clients to do. Everything she said happens. The world from the practitioner is one way, but it's seeing the story through both her brothers and then Ms. Sweeney's own journey which made me realize some of our shortcomings and how we also excel. I love working in Oncology ... that sounds strange I'm sure, especially when you hear that I'm a pediatric specialist. Hearing Ms. Sweeney's story put back my belief in all that we do to help and what we expect our people to live through. Yes, it's mostly a hellish ride, but there are those moments when laughter is just the only response. I admire Ms. Sweeney's courage, I love her humour, and appreciate that she was able to take such serious events and share them in her own style so that we, the audience can be with her through this rollercoaster ride of emotions. This movie is for the cancer survivor, the lovers of those who have fought the battle, and those friends who never knew what to say when all you had to do was simply be there. ENJOY!