Ask a Bookseller: ‘Solutions and Other Problems’

This week, Ask a Bookseller called closer to home, with a recommendation from Charlie Aldrich of Buffalo Books & Coffee in Buffalo, Minn. He recommended “Solutions and Other Problems,” written and illustrated by Allie Brosh. Aldrich refers to the book as a comic; publisher Simon & Schuster refers to the book as “comedic, autobiographical, and illustrated essays.” Regardless of the label, Brosh's illustrated stories describe her antics, growing up as a self-described "weirdo." Aldrich calls the book "laugh-out-loud funny," intermixed with sudden swerves to more serious topics. As in her first book, Brosh explores her depression and anxiety, while not losing sight of her humor.“It’s simultaneously hilarious and very revealing about the human psyche," says Aldrich.Brosh gained a following through her website, “Hyperbole and a Half,” and her New York Times best-selling book of the same title. "Solutions and Other Problems," arrived on the scene seven years later, in 2020, to similar acclaim.