Author: Connor Franta
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir
Source: Simon & Schuster Australia
Goodreads
In this intimate memoir of life beyond the camera, Connor Franta shares the lessons he has learned on his journey from small-town boy to Internet sensation so far. Here, Connor offers a look at his Midwestern upbringing as one of four children in the home and one of five in the classroom; his struggles with identity, body image, and sexuality in his teen years; and his decision to finally pursue his creative and artistic passions in his early twenties, setting up his thrilling career as a YouTube personality, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and tastemaker.Review by Nara
Exploring his past with insight and humor, his present with humility, and his future with hope, Connor reveals his private struggles while providing heartfelt words of wisdom for young adults. His words will resonate with anyone coming of age in the digital era, but at the core is a timeless message for people of all ages: don't be afraid to be yourself and to go after what you truly want.
This full-color collection includes photography and childhood clippings provided by Connor and is a must-have for anyone inspired by his journey.
Something you should know about me before I get into this review is that I don't really read memoirs. I guess it's not that I don't like them or anything like that, it's more that I haven't really found too many people whose memoirs I've actually wanted to read. But when I heard that Connor Franta was going to be releasing a short little book, I knew I had to get my hands on it.
Scattered throughout the book are photos of Connor (mostly from his childhood- so cute haha) and also photos that Connor has taken (and with his interest in photography, dayum some of them are absolutely fantastic). I have to admit that perhaps the book is a little cliched in its motivational messages and thoughts on creativity, but it wasn't cliched in a way that was bad. He relates his messages back to his own personal experiences, making them interesting to read despite them being pretty obvious.
The thing is though, I'm not 100% sure that I'd recommend this book to you unless you're a fan of Connor's Youtube channel. Connor's personality really shines through the pages of the book, but if you're not already familiar with him as a Youtuber, you might not enjoy the little anecdotes and confessions and pieces of advice as much as someone who is already a fan. Although to be fair, I've not watched too many of his videos myself (only really started watching after his coming out video...I have a strange fascination with coming out videos haha).
So yes, I would recommend that you check out his Youtube channel before reading the book. Or perhaps if you're a bit of a memoir newbie, like me, it's a pretty good one to go for.
Incredible
RatingsOverall: 9/10
Writing: 4/5
Cover: 5/5
