It Gets Worse by Shane Dawson

Title: It Gets Worse: A Collection of Essays
Author: Shane Dawson
Format: Paperback, 256 pages, autographed.
Pub. Date: July 19th 2016
Source: c2e2 / Anderson Books


Book Description:

New York Times bestselling author Shane Dawson returns with another highly entertaining and uproariously funny essay collection, chronicling a mix of real life moments both extraordinary and mortifying, yet always full of heart.

Shane Dawson shared some of his best and worst experiences in I Hate Myselfie, the critically acclaimed book that secured his place as a gifted humorist and keen observer of millennial culture. Fans felt as though they knew him after devouring the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Los Angeles Times, and Wall Street Journal bestseller. They were right… almost.

In this new collection of original personal essays, Shane goes even deeper, sharing never-before-revealed stories from his life, giving readers a no-holds-barred look at moments both bizarre and relatable, from cult-like Christian after-school activities, dressing in drag, and losing his virginity, to hiring a psychic, clashes with celebrities, and coming to terms with his bisexuality. Every step of the way, Shane maintains his signature brand of humor, proving that even the toughest breaks can be funny when you learn to laugh at yourself.

This is Let's Pretend This Never Happened and Running With Scissors for the millennial generation: an inspiring, intelligent, and brutally honest collection of true stories by a YouTube sensation-turned one of the freshest new voices out there.

Review:

★★★★

This was just the book I needed after my reading slump. Seriously, it's been like a year since I was an active reader. When I saw a signed copy of this at the Anderson's Book booth at C2E2, I couldn't resist.

I'm a big fan of Shane Dawson's YouTube channel, and I wasn't disappointed in this book at all. His dark sense of humor, his passion for film, and his voice are all clear in this collection of essays.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much emotion was in this book. I really related to his struggles. A lot of his stories come from his time as a (self-professed) poor fat kid. I was a poor fat kid, so I really understand the things he talked about like "chub rub" and terrible plus sized Goodwill clothes. I also really related to his discussions about his coming to terms with his bisexuality. I identify that way myself, and it's fairly uncommon to read books where it comes up (other than erotica). It's nice knowing sometimes that you're not alone. Like him, I didn't come out until my 20s, and I struggled for a really long time.

I've been watching his YouTube channel for years, and I feel like this book made me learn more about the guy behind the channel. I couldn't help but to read the whole book in his tone, and it made the funny parts even more hilarious, and the sad parts even more heartfelt.

I liked that each essay was prefaced with a piece of art done by a fan, and a little bio about the artist. I thought this was a really nice way of incorporating his fans into the book, and it was interesting to see everyone's art style, and how the piece related to the topic of the chapter

There were parts where I laughed my ass off- like when he accidentally ended up in Mexico, or when he started to delve into the world of online hookups. There were parts where I even teared up, like in the last essay when his mom wrote about how proud she was of the man he's become, or when he hired a medium to talk to a deceased relative.

Overall, I'd say if you're familiar with Shane Dawson and are a fan, pick up this book. If you're new to him, you'll still enjoy it, but be warned that it's full of, shall we say, blue humor. Lots of sex jokes and swearing. For me, this is a plus. For others, maybe not so much. It's also worth mentioning that I have not read his first book "I Hate Myselfie". I didn't feel like I was missing anything without it.