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

Janelle Hanchett

May 2018 · Sold by Hachette Books

About this ebook

"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.

Ratings and reviews

Janelle Hanchett's words are poetry and the way that she weaves her story together is absolute artistry. I haven't read a book like her's before - her story is deep, passionate and relatable. While the back cover gives the overarching story of "the addict mother not redeemed by her children" it is much more. Janelle creates her richness with multiple substories that she seamlessly connects through the story of her life. I have been a long time reader of her blog Renegade Mothering and so expected more of the same when I picked up her book. I was wrong to assume. While her voice and transparency into who she is as a woman carries over from her blog to her book but her book is on a different level. Funny and pointed in parts, intense and thought provoking in others. I connected with her and found myself nodding, crying and laughing, riveted through the entire thing. I challenge any human living life NOT to find yourself somewhere in this book. Well done Ms. Hanchett.

A beautifully written, at times heartbreaking tale of addiction and motherhood. Spilling good advice on how to move forward when you feel stuck. Addicted or not.

About the author

Janelle Hanchett created the website "Renegade Mothering" in 2011 because she needed to know if the rest of the mothering world was crazy or she was. Writing after her kids went to bed and while she was supposed to be working, Janelle attracted an audience of hundreds of thousands of readers. She holds a BA in English from University of California at Davis and an MA in English literature from Sacramento State. She lives in northern California with her four children and husband, Mac, who thinks "getting dressed up" means shaving his forearm tattoo.