Anxietyland - by Gemma Correll (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

In the tradition of Allie Brosh and Roz Chast, award-winning popular cartoonist, writer, and illustrator Gemma Correll's humorous and poignant graphic memoir about her lifelong struggle with severe anxiety.

Gemma brings readers into the surreal world of Anxietyland, an amusement park in her own mind. In pages packed with humor and pathos she captures the experience of mental illness--including severe anxiety, agoraphobia, depression, panic attacks, and disassociation--which can take her to a frightening and darkly funny world that "feels like a place apart from 'real' life."

With humor that is both gentle and precise, and accompanied by her trademark illustrations, Gemma approaches mental illness in a uniquely imaginative and approachable way. And in the ultimate sleight of hand, she's written a charming and moving book about anxiety that won't make you feel anxious.

Review Quotes

"In Anxietyland, Gemma Cornell takes us on a roller coaster ride through a life accompanied by two faithful and relentless companions: anxiety and depression. While you are strapped into your seat and jolted forward through the narrative, as you listen to Gemma guide you through her story with disarming honesty, deep emotion, and a sense of humor, you can identify with what it feels like to be trapped in your own body. A brave and relatable narrative that allows readers gain deeper insight into their own emotional rollercoasters, and into what it means to live with mental illness." --Nora Krug, author of BELONGING, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award

"I laughed, I teared up, I teared up from laughing, and I thought, other people have these thoughts, too?! Correll captures the essence of anxiety in a sharp, relatable, and warm way. She illustrates just how sneaky and consuming anxiety can be (in both the mind and the body), and how the true practice isn't trying to make the anxiety disappear, but to create a relationship with it--and all the discomfort and uncertainty that it brings. A wise, comforting read!" --Meg Josephson, New York Times bestselling author of ARE YOU MAD AT ME?

"A poignant memoir about the struggle of living with anxiety. Heartbreaking and perfectly funny at the same time, ANXIETYLAND showcases Gemma Correll's tremendous gifts as an artist and the fortitude that has carried her through anxietyland and beyond." --Felicia Day, New York Times bestselling author of YOU'RE NEVER WEIRD ON THE INTERNET (ALMOST)

"Gemma Correll's Anxietyland is a deeply felt and surprisingly funny book about what it's like to live with the feeling that disaster not just could, but probably will happen at any second. Inhabitants of Anxietyland will relate, and so will everyone else. A great book!" --Roz Chast, #1 New York Times bestselling author of CAN'T WE TALK ABOUT SOMETHING MORE PLEASANT?

"Equal parts hysterical, heartbreaking and hopeful. A beautifully illustrated example of the power of sharing authentic stories of mental health." --Jenny Lawson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of FURIOUSLY HAPPY

"Dealing with a mental health condition is no laughing matter. But British illustrator Gemma Correll is channeling her depression and anxiety into her art--and the results are hilarious." --Elyse Wanshel, The Huffington Post


"Feeling anxious? A bit panicky? Fear not -- cartoonist and self-proclaimed World Champion Overthinker Gemma Correll is here to help you laugh about it." --NPR

"Gemma Correll is the cartoonist that captures our times." --Forbes