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

The self-described "typical Jewish girl from Long Island" and the most popular speaker at the world-renowned Canyon Ranch Spa presents a tears and laughter guidebook to help readers withstand life's hard knocks. Richman--the basis of the Saturday Night Live "Coffee Talk" character developed by her son-in-law, Mike Myers--makes it her mission to get everyone to shake off the blues and make their way back into the world. Read more Continue reading Read less AMAZON.COM REVIEW
Remember "Coffee Talk," the Saturday Night Live skit with the Barbara Streisand-loving, constantly verklempt character portrayed by Mike Myers, who encouraged listeners to "talk amongst themselves"? Linda Richman was the inspiration for her. (Myers is her son-in-law; a sharp sense of humor apparently runs in the family.) Like the "Coffee Talk" lady, Richman teaches people how to handle suffering through laughter. She's so good at it that she teaches a seminar on the topic at the posh Canyon Ranch Health Resort in Arizona. But she speaks from some harrowing experiences. Several friends and relatives have battled cancer. Her 29-year-old son died in a car crash. Her depressed, institutionalized mother died a few days later after falling into a coma (her final words to her daughter: "Linda, you got fat") . In case you're thinking, "Sheesh, how depressing, who wants to read about that stuff?" think again. Her friend Rosie O'Donnell, who wrote the foreword, raves about "Linda-isms." Richman is a modern-day Norman Cousins, but she talks like your best friend--a very witty, resilient friend--offering an inspiring tribute to the power of humor. (Or is it denial?) Heck, what difference does it make, when Richman's "pity party" has you laughing and crying so hard simultaneously?

FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Best known as the mother-in-law of comedian Mike Myers and the inspiration for his "Coffee Talk" character on Saturday Night Live, Richman plays it for real in this rambling autobiographical summary of her spiritual journey (through psychotherapy, psychics and a trip to the Holy Land) after she was unhinged by the death of her son, Jordan, at age 29, in a car accident. Richman has had more than her share of hard knocks: her father died when she was eight and her husband had a gambling habit, leading her to become an agoraphobic, unable to leave her home for 11 years. Delivered in a flat, New York tone, Richman, now a lecturer at the posh Canyon Ranch spa (and prone to name-dropping) , stresses the importance of making time for fun in one's life ("Fun is better than no fun") . However, she also emphasizes that it's important to accept and embrace the bad. When sadness becomes overwhelming, Richman recommends a two-day, in-bed "pity party." Practical, poignant and funny, this selection leaves listeners feeling as though they have spent an afternoon with a bossy, albeit well-meaning friend. Simultaneous release with the Warner hardcover (Forecasts, Jan. 1) . Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

FROM LIBRARY JOURNAL
Richman, mother-in-law of comedian Mike Myers and lecturer at the Canyon Ranch spa in Arizona, comes across as an acquaintance you can only take in small doses. She has indeed had a tough life: she lost her father at age eight and her mother to hospitalization shortly thereafter; her husband was a compulsive gambler, and her son died in a car accident. However, after a few chapters, it starts to sound as if she is making excuses for her own behavior. The writing is disjointed, rambling, and raging, and it reads as if she wrote this for a personal cleansing, relieving and reliving her shock and anger. Despite the title, the emotions are still near the surface and raw. All in all, she has three ideas worth investigating: a pity party, where you allow yourself to grieve; the skill of "catastrophizing"; and listening to your own "red flags" of impending depression. "Do you need a book to tell you this?" she asks. This reader says no. However, she'll be a hit on talk shows, and therefore public libraries will get requests.
-DSusan E. Burdick, MLS, Reading, PA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. FROM AUDIOFILE
The author lost her father as a child, was raised by a powerfully dysfunctional mother, escaped from a vacuous marriage, and lost her only son to a car accident. Along the way, she was confined to her apartment for 11 years with phobias. After coaxing herself back into the real world and absorbing many motivational tapes and lectures, she became, you guessed it, an inspirational speaker. The resulting book, smoothly abridged in this audio, will urge you to cry when you need to, and to use laughter and trust in yourself when tragedies pile up. The inspiration here is good, though the tragedies may pile up on the listener. T.W. AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright AudioFile, Portland, Maine Read more Continue reading Read less