A review by booksgurrsandpurrs
You Gotta Be You: How to Embrace This Messy Life and Step Into Who You Really Are by Brandon Kyle Goodman

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

 Brandon K. Goodman, a non-binary, black, queer, actor, writer, and activist, reflects on how society has shaped who he should be rather than who they actually are. To constructively dismantle the gap between the "self" society has crafted and who the authentic "self" is, Goodman traverses through a non-linear timeline to identify moments in their life that defined them. To understand the present and future, one must excavate the past. Peppered throughout are epiphanies and self-help tips that are written so naturally as a reflection from Goodman's experiences they resonate, feel less didactic, and more in line with embracing community.