Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere

Written by Maria Bamford

Narrated by Maria Bamford

From “weird, scary, ingenious” (The New York Times) stand-up comedian Maria Bamford, an instant New York Times bestselling, brutally honest, and “laugh-out-loud funny” (Jennette McCurdy, #1 New York Times bestselling author) memoir about show business, mental health, and the comfort of rigid belief systems—from Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, to Richard Simmons, to 12-step programs.

Maria Bamford is a comedian’s comedian (an outsider among outsiders) and has forever fought to find a place to belong. From struggling with an eating disorder as a child of the 1980s, to navigating a career in the arts (and medical debt and psychiatric institutionalization), she has tried just about every method possible to not only be a part of the world, but to want to be a part of it.

In Bamford’s “trademark blend of disarming intimacy and dark whimsy” (Publishers Weekly), Sure, I’ll Join Your Cultbrings us on a quest to participate in something. With sincerity and transparency, she recounts every anonymous fellowship she has joined (including but not limited to: Debtors Anonymous, Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, and Overeaters Anonymous), every hypomanic episode (from worrying about selling out under capitalism to enforcing union rules on her Netflix TV show set to protect her health), and every easy 1-to-3-step recipe for fudge in between.

Packed with “Bamford’s brilliance, relentless humor, and insatiable instinct for survival (Library Journal), this memoir explores what it means to keep going, and to be a member of society (or any group she’s invited to) despite not being very good at it. In turn, she hopes to transform isolating experiences into comedy that will make you feel less alone (without turning into a cult following).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Sep 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9781797162065

Maria Bamford

Maria Bamford is the star of The Maria Bamford Show, Ask My Mom, and Lady Dynamite. She was deemed Breakout Comedy Star at Just for Laughs, and her critically acclaimed work includes her stand-up specials Weakness Is the Brand, Old Baby, and Maria Bamford: The Special, Special, Special!, as well as two Comedy Central Presents specials. Maria’s writing has been featured in The New York Times, LA Weekly, and more. She is the author of the audio original You Are (A Comedy) Special. Maria has contributed comedic voice-overs for Big Mouth, BoJack Horseman, Adventure Time, Word Girl, Kung Fu Panda, Legend of Korra, and Teenage Euthanasia. For her mental health advocacy, she’s been presented with The OCD Foundation’s Illumination Award and featured at the Psychotherapy Networker Symposium, The Chautauqua Institution, and the Saks Institute for Mental Health Law, Policy and Ethics Symposium. She’s not always right for these rooms, but she’s on time and pleasant. (From Maria: This was all in the third person. My apologies. If you need help, dial 911 or 988 or call Delta airlines Diamond line. Health care can be expensive and sometimes, super shitty. Go get yourself that shitty-ass help and tell me how it went!)

Reviews for Sure, I'll Join Your Cult

[Nick Payne · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Maria is a genius voice of authenticity, humor, and wisdom.
Her vulnerable expressions of what neurodivergence and mental illness feel like experientially really put the reader in the shoes of someone living with these conditions. Thank you, Maria for this inconspicuously brilliant window into your life!

[Matthew Zane Harper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A must read for those experiencing mental challenges, or for those with loved ones experiencing mental challenges.

[DIANE SHIPLEY · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A very funny, very moving reflection on family, money, success, mental illness and the struggle to find somewhere to belong, with the bonus of Maria Bamford’s incredible comic timing and brilliant impressions. Hopeful, honest, original and empathetic, this audiobook is a delight.

[amberlphelps · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Authentic and raw with little breaks of levity that evens out the more difficult parts. Thank you, Maria, for this life story.

[Michele Grover · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love you and I loved your book. I hope you write another one. I’m so proud of you all that you have done. I am a recovering addict/mental illness freak and love all the laughs you put into that whole deal. Thank you thank you for what you have given to the world!!!!!❤️

[dvc2ttgxcc · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Oh gosh, I tried to listen to the audiobook book on three different occasions. - just could not listen to the narration. Too bad, seems like a good story.

[jenn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Refreshing honesty. I’m thrilled Maria put my frustrations about mental “healthcare” into words and made me laugh in the process. Plus, I’m a recovering “cult member” and had a great laugh at how those groups were described. Hilarious.

[Pkerrigan1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The Reader is not listenable. Could not get past her over enthusiastic voice.

[Baron Sekiya · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Where is the accompanying PDF often referenced in the audiobook?