It Gets Worse: A Collection of Essays - Shane Dawson

Hi, my name is Shane Dawson, and I'm here to tell you that it gets worse. It really does. The problems you have as a kid will seem ridiculous when you get older because bigger and worse problems will come along. But you will learn to deal with them easier as you grow up, or like me, you'll just stop giving a shit. So yes, it gets worse, but you know what gets better? Your tolerance for bullshit.

I can't say I hate the It Gets Better project, but I definitely find it to be more problematic than helpful. Yes, it's true, things can change, but the project often leads to a sense of expectation that things will change on their own, while also giving young people the idea that being young is inevitably horrible and they should simply expect to be bombarded by homophobia, transphobia, physical violence, and feelings of inferiority. Now, this book isn't specifically a response to It Gets Better, but it certainly speaks to the need for a change in how we think about being young and how we need to be active in our own and others' lives to bring about the Better.

I used to be a kid who was terrified to admit that he liked boys, and here I was a guy who had been just about to have sex with a guy he met online. As creepy as it sounds, I was proud of myself.

As with any collection, some essays are better and/or more relevant than others, and some are more gratuitous than others, but they're all quite poignant. Dawson truly pours himself onto the page in these essays, whether in terms of the the humour, the self-deprecation, or the raw and emotionally complex moments he shares. He's not one to shy away from the gritty, the possibly offensive, or the NSFW content! I found myself laughing and feeling uncomfortable and overall enjoying myself throughout Dawson's discussions of his life up until this point.

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