Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?
Score Modern
What it's about
Jeanette Winterson was adopted as a baby by a Pentecostal couple in a northern English mill town. Her mother was fierce, strange and often cruel, locking her out of the house overnight and believing the world was about to end. At sixteen, Jeanette fell in love with a girl, and was told to leave. Decades later, after a breakdown, she went looking for her birth mother.
Why it's worth reading
The Guardian named it one of the best books of the 21st century. It's funny, angry and wise about love, books and survival.
You'll love it if you liked
Educated: A Memoir
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
The Glass CastleGood to know
It retells the story of her novel Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, this time as memoir. The second half deals with her breakdown and suicide attempt.
By the numbers
- Readers46 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics51 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller35 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #186 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #689 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1301 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story, Moving
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Quick answers
Is Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? worth reading?
Yes. The Guardian named it one of the best books of the 21st century. It ranks #1,301 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 69.9 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? about?
Jeanette Winterson was adopted as a baby by a Pentecostal couple in a northern English mill town. Her mother was fierce, strange and often cruel, locking her out of the house overnight and believing the world was about to end. At sixteen, Jeanette fell in love with a girl, and was told to leave. Decades later, after a breakdown, she went looking for her birth mother.
How long does it take to read Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal??
About 6 hours (242 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal??
If you liked it, try Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel or The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.