How to Be Happy: a Memoir of Love, Sex and Teenage Confusion

March 1, 2017
Australian playwright Burton charts the ups and downs of his anxious adolescence and early 20s in this hilariously candid debut memoir.Diagnosed with clinical depression on and off since he was a young child, Burton enters high school determined to make friends, fit in, and get noticed by girls. The young white man finds his niche in drama class, where his talent for acting manifests itself as his alter ego, Crazy Drama Dave, the hyperactive and perennially involved young man that his new friends come to know. At home, he is withdrawn and exhausted with the effort of keeping up this facade while struggling to understand his emerging sexuality and identity. By the time he enters university to study theater, he decides to put a swift end to his confusion about his sexual orientation and adopts a new persona: Gay Dave. Eventually, his avoidance of his mental health issues catches up with him in heartbreaking ways, and he is forced to come to terms with his own unhappiness. Burton's descriptions of his anxiety and depression are tangibly poignant, giving authentic voice to those struggling with similar issues. His tone morphs fluidly from compulsively funny to devastating from one moment to the next, and his uproarious wit shines throughout. A heartfelt, accessible book that strives to break down the stigmas surrounding mental illness with remarkable humor and honesty. (Memoir. 15-adult)

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April 1, 2017
Gr 9 Up-To know that one can help ease symptoms of clinical depression by eating healthy foods, exercising, getting enough sun and fresh air, and being more social is of very little use. Like most who have depression, Burton's adolescent self was unable to take the first steps toward these beneficial habits. He couldn't work out how to be comfortable just letting things come to him over time and through experience. Through the course of this memoir, Burton retraces the myriad identities he assumed over his teen years: nerdy Dave, crazy drama Dave, gay Dave, relationship-obsessed Dave, and full-blown dysfunctional depressed Dave. Life experience, as for most teens, brought awkwardness and heartache. Luckily, Burton was not one to hide from the world. His willingness to take chances awakened his interest in the theater, taught him the value of friendship, and gave him an appreciation for the difficult task his parents had raising him and his younger twin brothers, both of whom have Asperger's syndrome. True to the subtitle, Burton is frank but sensitive about how he came to understand sex and his sexuality. VERDICT Recommended for libraries where fans of Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower are looking for more stories about teenage angst.-Denise Kim, Bronx High School of Science, NY

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 8, 2015
‘I think we all know how to make ourselves happier, it’s just getting there that’s the trouble.’ David Burton’s memoir, a frank look at the path to happiness via adolescence, was the winner of the 2014 Text Prize. David’s narrative voice is instantly likeable—‘I’ve already lied to you’, he writes—and one that will get readers immediately on side. There are moments where the reflective tone makes Burton seem removed from his experience, but for the most part the narrative feels immediate and authentic. As a child and teenager, David is surrounded by unhappiness, but fails (at first) to recognise it in himself. His memoir charts the way his experience with depression shapes his identity. His story delivers some devastating truth bombs. Sexuality is hard. Identity is hard. Love is hard. School is hard. People, many of them, aren’t coping. His journey will be familiar to most, if not because of their own experience but because of the experience of those around them. This book shines a much-needed light back through the tunnel. It is a call-out to teenagers still struggling to find their way. How to Be Happy says ‘here’s the path I took, hope it helps’.

Bec Kavanagh is a Melbourne writer and reviewer and the schools coordinator for the Stella Prize