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  • I'm Just Happy to Be Here: A Memoir of Renegade Mothering

  • Written by: Janelle Hanchett
  • Narrated by: Janelle Hanchett
  • Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (26 ratings)

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I'm Just Happy to Be Here: A Memoir of Renegade Mothering

Written by: Janelle Hanchett
Narrated by: Janelle Hanchett
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Publisher's Summary

"A refreshingly raw, contrasting perspective on the foolproof idea of motherhood." (POPSUGAR)

"By turns painful and funny...A searingly candid memoir." (Kirkus)

"Far from your cookie-cutter story of addiction...[I'm Just Happy to Be Here] describes Hanchett's journey to recovery and sobriety in imperfect and unconventional ways." (Bustle)

In this unflinching and wickedly funny memoir, Janelle Hanchett tells the story of finding her way home. And then, actually staying there. Drawing us into the wild, heartbreaking mind of the addict, Hanchett carries us from motherhood at 21 with a man she'd known three months to cubicles and whiskey-laden domesticity, from judging meth addicts in rehab to therapists who "seem to pull diagnoses out of large, expensive hats."

With warmth, wit, and searing B.S. detectors turned mostly toward herself, Hanchett invites us to laugh when we probably shouldn't and to rejoice at the unconventional redemption she finds in desperation and in a misfit mentor who forces her to see the truth of herself. A story of ego and forced humility, of fierce honesty and jagged love, of the kind of failure that forces us to re-create our lives, Hanchett writes with rare candor, scorching the "sanctity of motherhood," and leaving beauty in the ashes.

©2018 Janelle Hanchett (P)2018 Hachette Audio

What the critics say

"Hanchett offers a startling account of her struggles with alcohol and drug addiction in this raw and riveting memoir....Readers will cheer Hanchett toward her triumphant recovery." (Publishers Weekly)

"By turns painful and funny, [I'm Just Happy to Be Here] explores the pressures of modern motherhood while chronicling one woman's journey toward acceptance of her own limitations and imperfections. A searingly candid memoir." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Janelle Hanchett presents motherhood as we seldom see it: with irreverent humor, brazen honesty, deep love and loss. Her story is about finding peace right in the mess of motherhood, and that's what makes it wonderful." (Jill Smokler, New York Times best-selling author of Confessions of a Scary Mommy)

What listeners say about I'm Just Happy to Be Here: A Memoir of Renegade Mothering

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Excellent

I thought is was an excellent. Honest, sad, beautiful, uncomfortable *and* comforting. I can't speak highly enough of it. I have been a big fan of the author for years, and this book did not disappoint. I don't think I've ever felt more seen and understood, and like someone else has the same sort of brain

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Great read/ listen

Such a wonderful and honest book. Thank you Janelle for being so brave, in both your life and your writing.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Emotional Story

I hope Janelle continues to have a beautiful life. Thank you for sharing your story. I'm sure it is going to help many.

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Might have been better with a different reader?

This book is dark and raw, which I respect but the prose itself is a little over the top and can be difficult to listen to.

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