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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
if you’re looking for practical, in the moment, basic self help this book is very helpful.
biased as a long time fan, but would love to see a collection of personal essays or short stories written by Dan.
biased as a long time fan, but would love to see a collection of personal essays or short stories written by Dan.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt
Well written, very all-encompassing and definitely has the potential to be genuinely helpful (I think, for me).
2.5 stars. I think.
I didn't do enough research before getting this from the library, and as a result I thought it was a collection of poetry and essays. It's not; it's a nonfiction book about the basics of mental health. Which is fine too. I tried to not let this misconception affect my reading experience.
I'm going to start with the good first. I really liked the design and formatting of this book. From the title to the chapter headings to the pages of important quotes, it was all very aesthetically pleasing and fitting for the book's topics. I also have to give Dan a whole lot of credit for putting this together, and putting his life out there in the public. He has a large online audience and a lot of influence, and raising awareness of mental health issues has the potential to save lives. It couldn't have been easy essentially growing up in front of a camera, and for that, I give him some serious credit.
On the other hand, I do sort of wish this had been a collection of poetry, essays, and words. This book wasn't very original or unique, and Dan didn't really talk about his own experiences super often. When he did, it was a lot of references to past videos, which is understandable. There's nothing really wrong with that, but in the grand scheme of things, the majority of readers who might potentially pick up this book won't know who he is or his background. This book is targeting a very niche audience: fans of Dan who have known him for years. The information inside is perfectly fine, and I found a couple of things that I resonated with, but as a whole most of it was information I could find online. I found myself skimming parts because some of it is stuff that I have been told multiple times. It's also pretty basic information - which is what he said it would be in the introduction - so it's probably best for teenagers or anybody else who doesn't know as much about their mental health.
I didn't do enough research before getting this from the library, and as a result I thought it was a collection of poetry and essays. It's not; it's a nonfiction book about the basics of mental health. Which is fine too. I tried to not let this misconception affect my reading experience.
I'm going to start with the good first. I really liked the design and formatting of this book. From the title to the chapter headings to the pages of important quotes, it was all very aesthetically pleasing and fitting for the book's topics. I also have to give Dan a whole lot of credit for putting this together, and putting his life out there in the public. He has a large online audience and a lot of influence, and raising awareness of mental health issues has the potential to save lives. It couldn't have been easy essentially growing up in front of a camera, and for that, I give him some serious credit.
On the other hand, I do sort of wish this had been a collection of poetry, essays, and words. This book wasn't very original or unique, and Dan didn't really talk about his own experiences super often. When he did, it was a lot of references to past videos, which is understandable. There's nothing really wrong with that, but in the grand scheme of things, the majority of readers who might potentially pick up this book won't know who he is or his background. This book is targeting a very niche audience: fans of Dan who have known him for years. The information inside is perfectly fine, and I found a couple of things that I resonated with, but as a whole most of it was information I could find online. I found myself skimming parts because some of it is stuff that I have been told multiple times. It's also pretty basic information - which is what he said it would be in the introduction - so it's probably best for teenagers or anybody else who doesn't know as much about their mental health.
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
nothing particularly new but still a beneficial read while still being entertaining
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
this has to be prefaced by the fact that ive been a fan of dan for 10 years, as i think someone who isnt a fan or hasnt heard of him would have a much different impression of this book. while i found his jokes to be on brand, they took away from the tone and purpose of the book, making it nearly impossible to be completely accessible to someone who doesnt have an awareness of dan’s humour. that really stood out to me the most. if i wasnt a fan, they would feel so odd and awkward to me. it just really limits the audience for this, which is unfortunate. however, most of the anecdotes worked really well and added that level of personality that served the book.
now to get to the content as a whole. as someone who has been on a mental health journey for over a decade now, and has seen counsellors of all kinds since i was 6 years old, nothing in this was new or revolutionary. i mean, i didn’t expect it to be - dan is a youtuber, not a mental health expert or psychologist (though im glad the book was made in consultation with doctors and experts in the field, which contributes to the fact that this is very general knowledge honestly). but that said, having it all in one place, written accessibly and well, is a benefit! that comes with more drawbacks, because those books already exist (and dont have dan’s face on them and are written by experts). all that to say, this was enjoyable but it applies to a very narrow main audience - fans of dan who are new to or only somewhat familiar with mental health support, mainly cbt, or young people who are most likely fans of dan. and of course, fans of dan in general regardless of need or familiarity with mental health support (like me!). id also have liked for this to touch upon the capitalistic aspects of mental health, which was glossed over for the most part, likely because dan is an affluent white man in the uk.
without a doubt, dan worked hard on this and did a great job; destigmatizing conversations around mental health is so important and needed. it just sucks that its so limiting in the style of humour, in the cover design, and in the vastness of the content. ultimately, i enjoyed this from the standpoint of a fan and as someone who enjoys having a one-stop-shop kind of book to refer to it as needed (god knows my notes from therapy over the years are spread across several notebooks, loose sheets of paper, and filed away in hidden corners of my brain). i would recommend people aged 11 to 18 read this, or people unfamiliar with mental health support as a whole who need a cheap and accessible way to have everything in one place and enjoy sardonic humour. and of course, fans of dan.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Mental illness
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide
Minor: Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt