It's Okay to Laugh: (Crying is Cool Too)

Written by Nora McInerny Purmort

Narrated by Nora McInerny Purmort

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

“Thank you for the perfect blend of nostalgia-drenched humor, wit, and heartbreak, Nora.” — Mandy Moore

Joining the ranks of Let’s Pretend This Never Happened and Carry On, Warrior, a fierce, hysterically funny memoir that reminds us that comedy equals tragedy plus time.

Twentysomething Nora McInerny Purmort bounced from boyfriend to boyfriend and job to job. Then she met Aaron, a charismatic art director and her kindred spirit. They made mix tapes (and pancakes) into the wee hours of the morning. They finished each other's sentences. They just knew. When Aaron was diagnosed with a rare brain cancer, they refused to let it limit their love. They got engaged on Aaron's hospital bed and married after his first surgery. They had a baby when he was on chemo. They shared an amazing summer filled with happiness and laughter. A few months later, Aaron died in Nora's arms in another hospital bed. His wildly creative obituary, which they wrote together, touched the world.

Now, Nora shares hysterical, moving, and painfully honest stories about her journey with Aaron. It's OK to Laugh explores universal themes of love, marriage, work, (single) motherhood, and depression through her refreshingly frank viewpoint. A love letter to life, in all of its messy glory, and what it's like to still be kickin', It's OK to Laugh is like a long chat with a close friend over a cup of coffee (or chardonnay).

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: May 24, 2016
• ISBN: 9780062471246

Nora McInerny Purmort

Nora McInerny Purmort  was voted Most Humorous by the Annunciation Catholic School Class of 1998. It was mostly downhill after that, but she did get to spend three glorious years married to Aaron Joseph Purmort (aka Spider-Man). Her work has appeared on TIME, Cosmopolitan.com, Elle.com, the Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, Slate, and in the Star Tribune. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her son, Ralph. They really like it there.

Reviews for It's Okay to Laugh

[Shannon Mahler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've read her books out of order, so staying again that Nora is my new fave author..I've finished all of the books and essays, will be listening to all her podcasts and interviews next.
Unflinchingly vulnerable, crushed, hilarious, touching beyond. She's so brave and REAL. Widowhood, parenthood, loss, love, relationships, LIFE. She's the real deal. Nora, I HOPE you read these. You're the best!
P.S. My son just finished a 3 show run of The Chronicles of Narnia.?✌️??

[Shannon Karoglou · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lovely book! So inspiring. It leaves you with the feeling of wanting to do better, be better! And I just want to tell Nora, you go girl!!! You're amazing and I pray I am one day wise enough to find the great love of my life as you did. Not settle for some guy who treats me "alright" and sometimes calls. I'll carry a piece of you and Aaron in my heart forever ??

[kimmeyer-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I think No Happy Endings was better than this one, but It's Okay to Laugh is still worth picking up.

[cygnoir_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found this book through the author's podcast, "Terrible, Thanks for Asking," which I would recommend to anyone who wants to sob uncontrollably while driving home from work. Or, you know, to anyone who wants to hear how other humans deal with unfathomable tragedy.

This memoir is charming, and sad, and silly, and about all of the things that you'd expect from the host after listening to five minutes of her podcast. It's good, and I liked it, and I don't know if I would want you to read it unless you, like me, are already pretty comfortable thinking about death.

[gennac-606910 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"So, you do what needs to be done. You get through it. The way Britney got through 2007 and made it a distant memory and an Internet meme; the way Reese Witherspoon got through her divorce with Ryan Phillippe when he was super hot and now you're, like, Ryan who? The way Jackie Kennedy got through picking up pieces of her husband's brain and then married a Greek bajillionaire. The way Beyonce got through the dismantling of Destiny's Child and emerged as Beyonce. The way Khaleesi emerged from the fire and became the Mother of Dragons."

Nora McInerny Purmort speaks to my soul. She also makes me cry a lot. It's Okay to Laugh is a memoir about loss and grief and what happens when someone loses their baby, father, and husband all in quick succession, but it's mostly a story of being okay with not being sure what it means to be an adult. Her story is devastating, but it's also messy and hilarious, much like life. Purmort bitches a lot about pyramid schemes, shares the horrors of navigating Tinder as a recent widow, and reminds us that no one's life is as perfect as their Instagram feed makes it look. It's Okay to Laugh is a love letter to strong marriages and passionate lives that reads more like a series of candid essays than a traditional memoir. Rich and heartbreaking and wonderful.