Erica’s Experience

Title: Me vs Brain

Author: Hayley Morris

Genre: Memoir/Essays

Page Count: 284

Publication Date: February 8, 2023

Interested? Buy Me vs Brain here

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Review

I feel like I’ve hit a bit of a reading lottery lately and Me vs. Brain has continued that streak. The author of this title, Hayley Morris, is a comedian on TikTok and Instagram who talks candidly about the inner workings of the female brain and body. I’ve followed her rather religiously for the last few years, so when I saw she had written a book I knew I needed to read it.

Similar to Sam Irby’s Quietly Hostile, Me vs Brain is not afraid of being downright honest about the less glamorous parts of being an anxious woman. While Quietly Hostile had its moments of relatability, Me vs. Brain felt like someone had cut open my head and laid it out on a platter for the whole world to read. I’m chalking this up to Hayley and I being the same age, #1993orbust. The more I read, the more I saw glimpses of myself. From being horrifically bad at sports and a slow reader, to not knowing the best way to successfully order a lactose-free beverage at a café—I’ve honestly never felt more seen by a book in my life.

I laughed hysterically in public on multiple occasions and insisted on reading my husband whole chapters against his will—social anxieties be damned. A hilarious and transparent collection of stories about being a woman in the 21st century, this book also touches on the darker sides of life. The final chapters dive deep into Hayley’s father’s untimely death in 2021, after his Pick’s Disease diagnosis at the age of 60.

I loved Hayley and her ability to be herself far before opening this book, but now I’m an even bigger fan. I had a terrible time trying to narrow down my favorite sections, but I’ve finally decided these were my top five chapters from Me vs Brain:

1. How to Cover Up a Fart

The number of euphemisms for “fart” that Haley comes up with for this chapter alone is true artisanship. My personal favorites are ‘bottom burp’ and ‘backdoor breeze’.

2. Brain vs The Salon

Turn to page 75 (the hardcover edition) and read the section titled “Getting Waxed” right now. You’ll thank me.

3. Me vs Hormones

I was brought up in a house where PMS was often thought to be a synonym for overly emotional. To have someone explain the horrors of the hormonal battle I face every month in a succinct 7-page chapter is utterly satisfying.

4. Buying a Coffee

Dear God, the amount of times I have ordered a latte with oat milk, only to be assaulted by the aftermath of cow’s milk an hour later is unreasonable. You are not alone Hayley, I promise.

5. Dad vs Brain

I will never understand the true heartbreak Hayley and her family went through during her father’s battle with Pick’s Disease (an extremely rare form of early-onset dementia). However, as someone who has lost a grandmother to dementia, the trauma in this chapter was truly relatable. While the closing dose of mortality and grief was unexpected in an otherwise comical read, this chapter held a quote I found the most dear:

When you’re confronted with someone with dementia, you’re mourning the loss of them while they are still alive. The person you once knew is fading into the background while their shell stays in place. Their shell holds all of your memories, everything factual, while their personality is different in every way.

pg. 250, “Me vs Brain” by Hayley Morris

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To all of my millennial girlies dealing with intrusive thoughts, self-doubt, and untimely queefing, you need to get your hands on this book right now. It’s magic. And maybe, just maybe, it might make you feel a little bit better about being truly and authentically yourself.

You can purchase Me vs Brain here.