Hide & Seek: How I Laughed at Depression, Conquered My Fears and Found Happiness [Paperback]

Wendy Aron (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008

Hilarious and refreshingly honest, this chronicle of a year-long journey of self-exploration and self-help offers solace and solidarity to the myriad sufferers of clinical depression and anxiety disorders. A far cry from the typical self-help manual, this wry and subversive account is leavened with a healthy dose of humble pie and a keen sense of the absurd. As the author navigates a series of self-help classes designed to raise her self-esteem, make her more assertive, help her find a man, lose weight, channel her creativity, and get her "energy centers" realigned, the reader will be moved and inspired by her pluck. Tackling important issues like familial dysfunction, letting go of blame and resentment, and battling negative thinking, this memoir shows it's possible to recover one's self worth without losing one's sense of humor.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

In her efforts to subdue raging depression, TV and stage writer Aron tried to no avail virtually every mainstream and alternative remedy. Her adventures among the lunatic fringe are laugh-out-loud funny. In the end, Aron gets her life together by dismissing all of the "miracle cures" and discovering herself. Anyone who has overcome recurring bouts with the blues will relish this comic self-help tale.—Lynne Maxwell
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Aron draws on her training as a screenwriter and her experience as a television sitcom writer to tell a hysterically funny account of one woman’s quest for happiness. Having battled depression in her twenties, Aron finds that being forced to do the same in her forties is downright, well . . . depressing—even to the point of longing for the good ol’ days when psychological problems forced her to be hospitalized. But this time she realizes that she can’t rely totally on her beloved therapist but must devise a method to improve herself. Her “master plan” for fixing everything from her relationships with her mother and with men to her weight and health goes awry in multiple ways, all of which she recounts with endearing self-deprecating humor. Among the missteps are a self-help class (in which the instructor preaches that posture is the key to happiness) and a try at speed dating (where one date wept for his dead wife). In the end, Aron finds a “new plan,” one that involves acceptance, forgiveness, and gratitude. This engrossing, thoroughly entertaining memoir offers both a delightfully ironic view of the self-help industry and, at the same time, an inspiring personal story of recovery that will resonate with women of all ages and situations. --Mary Frances Wilkens

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Kunati Inc. (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1601641583
• ISBN-13: 978-1601641588
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #706,036 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm probably the most neurotic person you'll ever meet this side of Woody Allen (I don't care to judge his personal life,only his early movies.) Besides screaming in public, I quell my anxiety and depression by writing. I have been fortunate enough to land assignments in The New York Times and Newsweek, as well as many other newspapers and magazines around the country. I've also written for the hit sitcom Family Ties, as well as for the stage in New York City. I encourage everyone to find an outlet that satisfies the mind and heart and prevents screaming in public.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's all my mother's fault!, September 3, 2008

By 

Kaye "avid reader" (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hide & Seek: How I Laughed at Depression, Conquered My Fears and Found Happiness (Paperback)

Tracing her problems back to her non supportive family, the author embarks on a year long journey to close her 'misery gap'and help her anxiety and depression. While taking a series of self help classes, esteem building seminars, and creativity courses,she discovers that she is not alone in her feelings and that life is all a matter of perception. Along the way she also finds time to try speed dating,personal relationship counseling and weight watchers meetings. Aromatherapy and assertiveness training round out the search and add to the growth process. If this is not enough to contend with, there is her mother and the 'High Priestess of Marketing' at work. These chapters will have you laughing out loud. Although this is a work of non-fiction, it does not read like it. Ms. Aron treats a serious subject with a fresh perspective and her writing is incredibly witty and humorous. Definitely a recommended read! The bibliography includes ten sources for more information about mental health. There is also an extensive list of web sites and organizations that can help.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A journey worth reading, September 7, 2008

By 

Dr. Eva (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hide & Seek: How I Laughed at Depression, Conquered My Fears and Found Happiness (Paperback)

Finally- an inspiring and uplifting story told straight from the heart of a true depressive. Wendy Aron successfully describes the irrational thought processes that take hold of the depressive's mind while accurately detailing the way in which she came to challenge these destructive thoughts and behaviors. With her therapist as her anchor, Ms Aron embarked upon a one-year self-help journey to battle weight loss, low self-esteem, and anxiety to boot. Her humorous woes are chronicled through the myriad of classes that she attends and the realizations that arise from her experiences make the read all the more worthwhile! As a clinical psychologist I found this book both useful and entertaining.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life's Difficulties Don't Have To Be Taken So Seriously, September 25, 2008

By 

Bradford A. Cook "Faye Cook - Book Worm" (Munfordville, Kentucky) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hide & Seek: How I Laughed at Depression, Conquered My Fears and Found Happiness (Paperback)

We are all faced with problems and difficulties throughout our life. When we can cope with them through humor, we not only help ourselves but others. Wendy Aron has given us humor and also encouragement as we deal with our own issues. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to find a way not to take their problems so seriously. While depression is definitely a serious matter, isn't it so much better to laugh than to cry? Two thumbs up, Wendy.