Laugh It Up!

November 6, 2017
Payne, better known as the Chewbacca Mom, shares how she learned to experience joy in this inspiring memoir. Payne shot to international fame almost overnight in May 2016 after posting a video of herself laughing uncontrollably in a Chewbacca mask, but the unfettered happiness captured in the video was, she writes, a long time coming. She grew up poor, was sexually assaulted as a teenager, attempted suicide, has struggled to remain committed to her marriage, and has battled with health and body image issues. But rather than be dragged down by her traumas, she says she has chosen to embrace joy as a daily choice. Joy, she writes, evicts shame and always tells the truth. “Shame is a big, nasty, bully, y’all,” she writes following a disastrous sexual experience in college. “In a rare moment of clarity I knew I needed to release it’s grip over my thoughts and actions, but had no clue how.” Payne then returns to the teachings of her upbringing and gradually comes back to Jesus Christ. But while Payne is open about her past troubles and discovery of joy in religion, the book feels improbably light, with facts relayed but little insight offered. Those who laughed along with Payne in her video will enjoy getting to know more about her. .