Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened

Nonfiction | Graphic Novel/Book | Adult | Published in 2013

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-7

Chapters 8-11

Chapters 12-18

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Index of Terms

Adult/Adulting

Throughout the book, Brosh shares that she experiences issues with the life skills she sees as central to being a fully functional, successful adult. However, her mental health and mental illness make “adulting” difficult—she often struggles with basic life tasks like errands and cleaning. The concepts of adult and adulting reoccur often in the chapters where Brosh explores shame, motivation, and willpower.

Helper Dog

The “helper dog” is how Brosh refers to her second dog, whom she adopted to act as a helper for her “simple dog.” The helper dog is a German Shepherd mix who had lived at the shelter for a long time. She hates all other dogs and whines when she does not understand what’s happening.

Simple Dog

The “simple dog” is what Brosh calls her dog who may have an intellectual disability or be on the lefthand side of the intellectual bell curve compared to other dogs. Simple dog appears as a happy, loving dog with patches of black and white fur.

Motivation

Motivation recurs throughout the book in the context of both “adulting” and in Brosh’s ability to perform life tasks. Brosh describes motivation as her self-imposed will to take action toward the completion of a task. Motivation reward-and-punishment systems, as well as the complex cognitive framework within which they operate, undergird many of the chapters on mental health, being an adult, and life challenges.