The Emotionary: A Dictionary of Words That Don't Exist for Feelings That Do

by Eden Sher, Julia Wertz (Illustrator)

Overview

A dictionary of words that don't exist for feelings that do written by The Middle actress Eden Sher and illustrated by acclaimed graphic novelist Julia Wertz.

“A must-read for bad, good and just plain complicated days.” —Oprah.com

All her life, Eden Sher has suffered from dyscommunicatia (n. the inability to articulate a feeling through words.). Then, one day, she decided that, whenever she had an emotion for which she had no word, she would make one up.

The result of this is The Emotionary, which lives at the intersection of incredibly funny and very useful. Chock full of words you always wanted/never knew you needed, often accompanied by illustrations of hilarious and all-too-familiar situations, The Emotionary will be a cherished tool for you or the world-class feelings-haver in your life.
 
At long last, all your complicated feelings can be put into words, so you can recognize them for what they are, speak their names aloud, and move on. Finally!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780448493848
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	10/24/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	198,680
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.00(h) x 0.51(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Eden Sher is an actress best known for her role as Sue Heck on the nationally syndicated TV series The Middle. Eden has been nominated for a Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series four times, winning in 2013. She is also the voice of Star on the animated series Star vs. The Forces of Evil. The Emotionary is her first book.

Julia Wertz has published five graphic novels, including Drinking at the Movies and The Infinite Wait, and does monthly history comics for The New Yorker and Harper's Magazine.

Editorial Reviews

"Perfect for when that one word just falls flat."
—Justine Magazine 

“Hilarious and therapeutic.”
—The New York Observer

"For emotionally 'idiovated' readers, this is a wry reminder that they aren’t the only ones who feel that way."
—Publishers Weekly

"For all those whose frustration at being unable to name a particular emotion has ever overtaken the emotion they are unable to name, this clever lexicon is here to provide relief. Situated somewhere between Urban Dictionary and a beginner's guide to anxiety and introversion, the book highlights the importance of emotional literacy but stops short of addressing emotional competence, relying instead on the audience's developed sense of irony to understand the validity of the newly named feelings while also managing to recognize any unhealthy emotional practices." 
—Kirkus Reviews 

From the Publisher

10/03/2016
Sher, best known for her role as middle child Sue Heck on the sitcom The Middle, debuts with a mordant assemblage of more than 150 portmanteau words, designed to alleviate “dyscommunicatia,” aka “the inability to articulate an emotion through words.” Definitions, pronunciations, and root words (“name + amnesia” creates “namenesia,” “forgetting someone’s name literally one second after they’ve introduced themselves”) accompany each word. Wertz (Museum of Mistakes) fleshes out several words’ meanings in b&w comics, starring herself and Sher, that aren’t afraid to get a little grisly: blood, guts, and disembodied limbs go flying after an “irredependent” Sher collapses under the weight of a heavy box, having refused Wertz’s assistance. Sher freely admits that the collection is born out of her own neuroses and communication struggles, and most chapters deal in recognizable moments of self-doubt, social anxiety, and introversion; a final chapter explores “fleeting moments of happiness,” including feeling relievedly “cancelated” when plans fall through. For emotionally “idiovated” readers, this is a wry reminder that they aren’t the only ones who feel that way. Ages 12–up. Author’s agent: Erin Malone, William Morris Endeavor. Illustrator’s agent: Michelle Brower, Folio Literary Management. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

2016-07-20
Words, emotions, and two irreverent senses of humor collide in Sher and Wertz’s (Drinking at the Movies, 2015, etc.) debut book for teens.For all those whose frustration at being unable to name a particular emotion has ever overtaken the emotion they are unable to name, this clever lexicon is here to provide relief. In a witty if occasionally inelegant alignment of form and function, the author’s collection of imaginative portmanteaus (and one acronym), such as “irredependent” (irrational + independent) and “castrapolate” (catastrophe + extrapolate), pay homage to the complexity of feelings. Meanwhile, with humor just this side of ribald, Wertz’s comic-strip illustrations demonstrate that, while emotional complexity can elude definition, it is just as universal to the human condition as birth, death, and forgetting people’s names as soon as they’ve introduced themselves (“namenesia”). Situated somewhere between Urban Dictionary and a beginner’s guide to anxiety and introversion, the book highlights the importance of emotional literacy but stops short of addressing emotional competence, relying instead on the audience’s developed sense of irony to understand the validity of the newly named feelings while also managing to recognize any unhealthy emotional practices. Emotionally beleaguered teen and adult readers who overlook the book’s juvenile packaging will find both clarity and camaraderie in its definitions. (Nonfiction. 15 & up)

Kirkus Reviews