How to Laugh in Ironic Amusement During Your Existential Crisis

In his first-ever published book of memes – combined with modern poetry that jumps off the page – popular poet and meme artist James McCrae challenges readers with a question: What if the unknown, instead of being something to fear, was actually a catalyst for transformation, a portal to a greater known? We live in strange times. Information (both real and fake) is coming to us at a rapid pace, technology and social media are turning people into algorithmic data, COVID has altered the fabric of society, and the U.S. Pentagon has disclosed the existence of UFOs. It feels like the whole world is struggling to make sense of what exactly is going on. How to Laugh in Ironic Amusement During Your Existential Crisis is a timely (and often hilarious) collection of poetry + memes that meets readers where they are today – in a fast-changing world that is equal parts surreal, isolating, and confusing. It’s also a book about hope, a book that cracks a joke in the middle of an existential crisis, a book that reaches out to touch readers with moments of shared humanity. The lesson: sometimes what seems like a breakdown is actually a breakthrough. When we transmute the old self in the fire of change, we lose only the illusions we have been taught; what remains is the radiance of the true self, finally seen. Written with conversational candor and an ironic sense of humor (and sprinkled with delightful illustrations and memes), this book is a playful and inspirational artifact about being human in strange times.