“It Gets Worse” by Shane Dawson book review
I don’t know why I am so compelled to write this, but I am.
I have been watching Shane for a long, LONG time. Like, he had bag of blood attached to his body still, he was wearing his “porn set” sweater (dark purple/red, covered in weird white stains), and Shanaynay was reviewing Carl’s Jr. because every other YouTuber had gotten a promotion from them but Shane. Yes, it’s been a long time, it’s been one of the funniest, craziest, weirdest journeys I’ve been on. Who would have thought that I’d be so invested in the life of someone I’ve never met? Someone who lives behind a camera in Hollywood? I’m not the type who follows celebrities and knows about their life, because frankly I don’t care. Their just rich people, who make things that entertain us. I care about what new phone comes out and its “revolutions” that will change our life, or what new Linux distro came out this week, or some awesome new way to cook an egg (my interests are weird). But Shane...there’s just something about the way he connects with his audience that I admire, and it’s kept me following him all this time.
Anyway, I just finished reading Shane’s second book, “It Gets Worse”, and it really struck a chord with me. Hearing all the stories he’s told in his videos, feeling like I’ve grown to know him quite a bit, the stories in this book were different. They were (mostly) completely new, they exposed a side that Shane doesn’t show, and it really let us get to know Shane as an actual person. The final chapter being written by Teresa, his mom, really reinforced the whole point of this book: you never stop going through hell, but you can look forward to what the future holds. Her infectious, infallible sense of “there’s better times ahead” have stuck with Shane, and in turn, his audience.
When I first started watching Shane, I was in a dark place. Mentally completely unstable, depressed, suicidal, and wanting to disappear from the world. His humor immediately hit me, made me finally actually laugh, and see that the world has good people in it. I was sucked in, and there was no going back. In “It Gets Worse”, Shane talks about his “terrible shirts.” Well, I owned one of them, and was even in a montage of fans he showed wearing his shirts. I would still have it, had someone not stolen it from the laundromat (not kidding…). I was inspired by his drive, by his sheer willpower, and even though he was in a lot of pain (both physically and emotionally), he never let that stop him. He inspired me to start vlogging, to make content, and work more on myself. I had a vlogging channel where I talked about my life, how boring it was, and how in this country it made me invisible. I then went on to product reviews: toys, electronics, anything really. It made me think a lot about how hard it would be to make that my life, my job, to depend on it completely for everything, and it made me appreciate Shane even more for that. His videos helped me out of my darkness.
Reading through “It Gets Worse”, I feel like I wasn’t alone in that dark time. Knowing exactly what Shane was going through, as fucked up as it was, showed I was never alone. None of us are alone in our fights, we just make ourselves lonely. We alienate ourselves from our friends, family, and anyone who would actually care about us. We create this dark world where we think no one is walking with us, supporting us, but everyone is there, just in the shadows. Life is hard, it sucks, it really can make you want to die, but you’re never alone. Shane really showed me this, through his videos and his books.
This book was different than “I Hate Myselfie” in that those were stories we all kind of knew, just with more details. Sure, it was an amazing book, but “It Gets Worse” was deeper, kinder, softer, rougher, harsh, more puke filled, and showed more love than the first. It hit a chord with me that hasn’t been hit in a while, one that needed to be struck. I’ve hit a wall lately where nothing seems to go right, and it’s really gotten me down, but this book….it’s lit a fire that is spreading. When I came to the end, after Teresa’s chapter, I felt empty. Not a bad empty, but like I had just finished a binge on Netflix and don’t know what to do next (I’m sure Shane understands that feeling haha). I wanted more stories, I wanted to know more about his life, I wanted an entire book from Teresa about her life…..That’s not saying I’m disappointed in “It Gets Worse” at all, in fact, it’s the exact opposite. I was so engrossed in it that I flew through it. I couldn’t put it down, and enjoyed it more than I probably should have.
Shane says he didn’t have a ghostwriter, and you can tell. The words are his own, they’re his style, and their words his audience will immediately connect with. And for that, I have to thank him. He made this authentic, raw, real, and pure. For anyone who’s been a fan of his, for any period of time, you need to read this book. This book has made me feel things I haven’t in a while, including motivation, passion, and a spark of life.
To Shane: you are an amazing person, who’s worked so hard for all this success, and deserves it all and more. Your passion for your fans, your passion for creating, your drive, your determination...they’re awe inspiring. Don’t ever let the haters get to you. Your fans way outnumber your critics.
To Teresa: you have raised an amazing son, despite the odds. You never lost sight of his future, you never gave up on him, and you never let him feel unloved. He’s lucky to have you as his mother, and his fan base knows this. And someday, I can’t wait to write a review of your book.
To his fans: don’t ever give up on him. Read this book, and know that it’ll show you a side you haven’t seen. I encourage you all to go for your dreams, to not feel like you’re stuck, and to know that even though you’re just one person, you have an entire fanbase that’s with you.