If I Don't Laugh, I'll Cry
How Death, Debt, and Comedy Led to a Life of Faith, Farming, and Forgetting What I Came into This Room For
- History & Biography
- Publisher: Nelson Books (Thomas Nelson)
- Published: 2024
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Publisher's Description
In this laugh-out-loud and heartfelt memoir, writer, speaker, and podcaster Molly Stillman shares her unforgettable story of losing her mother, squandering an unexpected quarter-of-a-million-dollar inheritance in less than two years, attempting to launch a career in comedy but ending up on a farm instead, and finding faith, hope, and joy in the middle of it all. Molly Stillman has lived the type of life that when shared, people stop in their tracks and ask, "Wait, what happened?" Molly's mother, Lynda Van Devanter Buckley served as an Army nurse during the Vietnam War and wrote the bestselling memoir, Home Before Morning. When Molly was seventeen, Lynda passed away after an eight-year battle with an autoimmune disorder due to her exposure to Agent Orange. Four years later, Molly turned twenty-one and unexpectedly inherited a quarter of a million dollars from her mother's estranged family's estate. Through "retail therapy" and a long series of grossly irresponsible financial decisions, Molly found herself broke with over $36,000 in credit card debt less than two years later. Shame, guilt, and embarrassment set in. With aspirations of a career in comedy, Molly used humor to mask the pain and brokenness she felt, believing that if she looked joyful and put together on the outside, it would eventually be true on the inside. Instead, she spent the next few years depressed, lonely, and feeling alienated from those closest to her. But an unlikely call with a compassionate credit counselor, meeting the spreadsheet-loving man who eventually became her husband, and a surprising visit to a church started her on a path that changed everything. If I Don't Laugh, I'll Cry will bring readers into the tension of feeling both joy and grief and show them that every broken, messed up story has a purpose, and it's possible to gain everything if they're willing to surrender it all to Jesus.
Endorsements (10)
“Being human is hard, and what we suffer on this side of heaven is often unbearable and unbelievable. Molly adds levity to our shared human experiences and offers comforting and practical insight. You’ll want to get a copy of this book for everyone you know and love.”
“I wept my way through the final chapter of Molly’s book and laughed at its ending. Her story is a story for each of us: one of soul-jarring tragedy, bone-headed mistakes, aimless wandering—and the grace of a God whose relentless love meets us in the midst of it all. I hope you will read it and find that same grace and love waiting for you.”
“If I Don’t Laugh, I’ll Cry showcases Molly’s humor and authenticity as she tells her amazing story of tears and triumph. . . . Her story of how God’s grace gave her a life of freedom and love is one that everyone can relate to and will draw hope from. I can’t wait for the world to read it!”
“Living up to its title, If I Don’t Laugh, I’ll Cry is equal parts comedy, tragedy, coming of age, and coming to faith, all brilliantly bound up into one. . . . If you are looking for real hope and resilience to guide you through life’s hardest trials, this book is also for you.”
“If I Don’t Laugh, I’ll Cry is for the girl who has been told that she’s ‘too much’ or the seeker who isn’t sure that she will ever be ‘Christian enough’ for God to love. You have always been worthy. And Molly Stillman wants to make sure you know it.”
“This book will definitely make you laugh a little, see yourself in Molly’s honest words, and leave you inspired to live a full life that honors God. I read it in one sitting and highly recommend it!”
“Usually a memoir like this is written from old age, but Molly has lived one thousand lifetimes in her three decades and remembers so many delightful and haunting details that you’ll be turning pages faster and faster to find out what happens.”
“Molly’s unique ability to blend humor with heartfelt storytelling makes this memoir a delightful and inspiring read for anyone looking to find hope and purpose amid life’s challenges.”
“Molly has written with such vulnerability and tenderness that anyone who reads this book will be assured that they are not alone. If you begin reading the book in tears, you will finish it with laughter and a glimmer of joy. This book is a true gift!”
“For all of us who have lived hard parts of our story, both by the things that have happened to us and the things we brought on ourselves, this is the anthem we’ve been waiting for—a permission slip to laugh again, to live again, and to finally forgive ourselves for taking the long way around.”
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