A review by sophiaistari
Family Don't End with Blood: Cast and Fans on How Supernatural Has Changed Lives by Lynn S. Zubernis

3.0

"Family don´t end with blood" is a book that I owned for roughly four years but never actually read. I bought it because there was Supernatural written on it, featuring essays of Jensen and Jared themselves. It acually is a collection of essays written by cast and fans alike and aspires to give a rare look into the positive impact this series has had on their viewers lifes. Unfortunately I was not able to identify with any of the stories of the fans chosen to write about their lifechanging encounter with the Supernatural-Fandom. Maybe that is because they were all middleaged women with children and families while I myself discovered Supernatural during my Teenage-years, struggling with comparable mental issues but in a totally diffrent way. Also a lot of the essays were repetitive, written in such a similar tone that they were melting together.

I would have wished for more representation since the SPNFamily does not end with blood AND also does not end on the borders of the USA (I myself am from Germany). The Fandom is also not limited to those lucky enough to have met the cast or visit conventions three times a year. Unfortunately it sounded a lot like conventions are everything SPNFamily is about. Also I find it really questionable how all of the fans featured seem to put Misha, Jensen and mostly Jared on a pedestal and make them responsible for their mental health, as much as emotionally manipulating them into being concerned about their well-being...
Don´t get me wrong, I love the show and the actors. Supernatural had and still has a huge impact on my life, but this book did nothing for me.
The chapters written by cast and crew were wonderful though!