Customer Reviews

I'd Rather Laugh: How to Be Happy Even When Life Has Other Plans for You

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Your Happiness Is There For Good. This is a powerful life altering book in the disguise of a humorous bitter sweet story of a Jewish woman from Queens. I loved it! Linda tells of how she works with many people who you would think are happy because of all their wealth, power and material possessions, but that is not necessarily the case. Wealth, power and material possessions are great to have but having satisfaction, loving relationships and fun is even more rewarding. I found her writing style to be easy to follow and not too philosophical where I could attain the self realization she writes of. I feel I have gained a friendship through reading Linda's book, one which I look forward to visiting with from time to time.

I liked where Linda writes "Express all your feelings, sorrow and joy and everything in between. Repressing them makes you numb." To fight or to try and change them just doesn't work. Another wonderful book that came to mind for me is called "Working On Yourself Doesn't Work" by Ariel and Shya Kane. Linda and the Kanes both write of how simple non judgmental noticing of how you are will transform your life. Where you live life directly as a true expression of yourself.

I also appreciated Linda's avocation of having lots of fun in your life. I rented two of the movies mentioned in her book and like reading Linda's book I cried, laughed and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I highly recommend buying and reading both "Working On Yourself Doesn't Work" by the Kanes and "I'd Rather Laugh" by Linda Richman.

i just finished reading this and i'm exhausted from laughing and crying. lindas wit and wisdom have lifted my own spirits. i just loved this book.. shes funny, smart, witty and has lived through what most of us have lived through and much more. she seems to be able to talk to you as you would to a best friend.. i admire her strength, vulnerability and courage but most of all i loved her honestly. she exposes a heart that has been broken and repaired many times.. her life lessons are a real inspiration. i recommend this book to all of those who have suffered losses of any kind. people who have lost anyone can relate to this book. anyone who has lost a dream will relate to this.. we all hope our lives turn out a certain way and when it doesn't we're disappointed... this book shows us how to return to joy and laughter with some practical help.. nothing airy fairy here. i thank linda for writing this book .

I would recommend this book to anyone who has gone through (or is going through) the hardships of life and still has not found their way out. Linda has a wonderful and funny way of helping us with almost everything that life brings us.

She has been to hell and back and she can still laugh. She had me in tears and also laughing so hard, I thought my sides would split. But most of all, she made me think about how I live my life and how I handle all the problems that come my way. It's more than just a self-help book, it's her life story and it's one very good read.

Do yourself a big favor today. Buy the book. You will laugh and cry, but you will also learn so much about yourself too.

Linda Richman has been through so much. It's painful to read about some of the tragedies she's endured, but uplifting to see how they've made her a stronger person. Her advice is excellent, her writing is engaging, and the help she gives in dealing with adversity has made me a stronger person. I am now able to use the tools she writes about in her book in my own life. Before I read this book, I did not know how to deal with the pain of some of the things that have happened to me. Linda has shown me how to have courage, humor and strength, and I truly believe that reading her book saved me from going over the edge.

Linda Richman saved my life. I was depressed after losing a family member of my own. I would spend my days mulling my mistakes and regrets overe and over again in my head. I was unable to get out of the spirral of negative and self ptiful thought. then a friend gave me Linda's book which I (begrudgingly) read and found that not only couldn't I put it down but it made me laugh and then cry with recoginition and then with releif. I can't imagine what would've happened had I not been given that book. Linda, if you're out there...THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!

Like Linda I've experienced the loss of a child-two in fact, in a car accident. I've arrived at a point where I too can laugh but I am enjoying the journey much more with Linda. This book is the perfect reality check for just how well you're doing and how you can try a little harder. It's for everyone, not just those who have experienced a tragedy. My advice-"Get this book, Read this book, Share this book." Thank you Linda, it's been great reading your thoughts, advice, and sharing your humor.

I've never really understood the appeal of "inspirational" books, which are often trite and sacharin. However, I'D RATHER LAUGH by Linda Richman truly deserves such categorization. This book is a gift. My mother died nearly five years ago and Linda gave me the freedom to feel joy and pain simultaneously -- to both mourn and let go -- in a healthy way. Her book is worth reading for her "pity party" directives alone! That such simple and profound wisdom can grow out of such intense pain and hardship should give hope to anyone who is suffering from the disorientation of overwhelming grief. When tragedy strikes, people always write "I wish that mere words could ease your suffering..." They can. Thanks to Linda.

Earlier reviews led me to believe I was in for a laugh riot that would change my life. And I was really looking forward to this book because I was also agoraphobic for a long time and figured it would be neat to read about someone else's insights about that.

I ended up with some mixed feelings about the book. Didn't love it, didn't hate it, but about 3/4 of the way through, I could easily have put it down and not thought about it anymore. I didn't find it funny, the nearly random chronology (where anedotes are often told twice, with different details) bugged me, and although I sympathized with Linda's problems, I also found them hard to relate to and a bit "much" after a while-- such as her "inability" to write a check because of money phobias (so she has a bookkeeper take care of that pesky issue for her).

It did all start to feel self-absorbed, and in several spots, she admits to being nasty to people, having temper tantrums, or purposely trying to wreck their days. She also seems to go through "stages"-- she's a Jew, she's a New Age devotee, she's baptized, she's a celestial bearer of wondrous love... to me, there's a difference between searching and just randomly radically changing your beliefs every few weeks. Again, these sorts of things came across flaky to me and made it hard for me to relate.

But there is good here. A few nuggets that rang true for me. The Sad Sammy/Happy Sammy chapter-- while fairly out of place-- had some smart insights. The "fun is better than no fun" pep talk toward the end, too. So what it comes down to is that it's a memoir with a bit of self-help thrown in. I wish there had been more of it, because what's there is not bad at all.

I'D RATHER LAUGH is a self-help book without the trappings of torture necessary to be labeled as part of the genre. Instead, Linda Richman encourages laughter as the best medicine when tragedy strikes as will happen to everyone at some time in their life. Ms. Richman provides amusing anecdotes (her mother at Bingo reminds me of my mother-in-law who recently passed away). Other reactions to anguish that Ms. Richman has done are similar to what many people have done to pass time and simply cope with negative punches. Cleaning and reorganizing things are a way of life for the depressed during a depressing moment.

This book is worth reading not just when "life has other plans for you", but in everyday situations. Ms. Richman swears by humor to make it through the darkest day. I fully agree. When my mother-in-law died, her three sons, who still love her dearly, told amusing tales about her antics. Those jocular moments were not disrespectful, but a way of remembering a cherished person who is missed but will always be fondly thought of.

Harriet Klausner

This book deserves more than five stars for its ability to convey life-saving advice from experience that everyone will respect.

Every life will be touched with pain. Whenever that occurs, I'd Rather Laugh is probably the best source of advice you will find.

I'd Rather Laugh is remarkably good on how to overcome overwhelming personal pain. Although the libraries and book stores are filed with such books, rarely do their authors come to the subject from having survived tidal waves of pain. Ms. Richman brings just that perspective. As a result, you can believe her and act on what she tells you. That's as much as anyone can do for another person in pain. The rest is up to the suffering person.

Ms. Richman's life has had more than its share of downs as compared to ups. Her father was killed when she was eight, and her mother refused to ever tell her what had happened to him. He just went away, was all she was told. This made her pain and confusion worse and caused them to fester for many years. Her mother's reaction to this loss was to stop taking good care of her two daughters. Her mother was soon suffering from mental illness. "All my childhood I wished my mother had died instead of father." Imagine the guilt Ms. Richman must have felt about that feeling!

To get out of the house, Ms. Richman married at 19. Her mother was soon hospitalized for her mental problems. Her husband turned out to be a gambling addict who lost all of the family's money. During those years, she became a recluse -- never leaving her apartment for 11 years. The panic attacks were so extreme, she couldn't touch the doorknob to the apartment. She baby sat everyone's children in the building so they would run errands for her, like taking her children to the pediatrician and getting groceries.

The ultimate blow came after she divorced. He older son was killed in a traffic accident when he was 29. The severe pain of this was worse than all the other losses combined.

My heart was literally in pain for this poor woman as I read the book. But I came away more impressed with her courage than with her pain. The way she has kept fighting back is wonderful.

How did she do it?

First, she wanted to overcome the pain. She assures us that the pain never goes away, you just integrate into your life in a new way.

Second, she found that intensifying the pain could eventually help her find it ridiculous and cause her to laugh. The laughter was like an analgesic for her soul. Eventually, she found more ways to laugh.

Third, she began helping other people. Her methods seem to work for them, too.

At the end of the book, she outlines what works best . . . mostly ways to shift your mood by changing your surroundings, associations, and focus.

There is a very nice foreword to the book from her friend, Rosie O'Donnell, which puts Ms. Richman in context. She is a truly outrageous person and a great friend to have. In the process, you realize that it's okay to give yourself permission to be outrageous. It's like taking off a straitjacket that allows you to move your emotions and your soul again.

Ms. Richman is a comic genius. If the subject weren't so sad, her one-liners would have you following in the aisles.

I plan to follow up on some of her advice, even though I'm not in pain. I think it will be a lot of fun to drive around with my "plastic-glasses-eyebrows-nose-mustache" mask on with a big cigar dangling from my mouth . . . and wait for the unsuspecting to see me at a stop light.

Seriously, "any idiot can be happy when things go right." Even if you are not in emotional pain, I suggest you read this book to prepare yourself for when you are. Also, be generous with sharing this book with those who are suffering now. That will be its best use.

May your life be filled with much good health, happiness, peace, and prosperity . . . even after you suffer a painful loss!