Publishing Date: June 13, 2017
Publisher: Ballantine Books / Random House Publishing Group
Pages: 208
Non-Fiction/Personal Memoir
Self-Help & Humor
The Premise from the Publisher: "From Internet sensation Anna Akana comes a candid and poignant collection of essays about love, loss, and chasing adulthood. Anna opens up about her own struggles with poor self-esteem and reveals both the highs and lows of coming-of-age. She offers fresh, funny, hard-won advice for young women on everything from self-care to money to sex, and she is refreshingly straightforward about the realities of dating, female friendship, and the hustle required to make your dreams come true. This is Anna’s story, but, as she says, it belongs just as much to Kristina and to every other girl who must learn that growing up can be hard to do. Witty and real, Anna breaks things down in a way only a big sister can" (Ballantine Books / Random House Publishing Group).
My overall thoughts and review: I have been a subscriber of Anna's for quite some time now. I remember when I first found one of her videos, I immediately was in awe because I related so much to what she was talking about and also, I was obsessed with BlackMilk leggings back then (which was constantly featured in her videos). She was honest and incredibly candid with her content and I really admired that she did not beat around the bush, regardless of the subject matter. I also began to really enjoy her shorts that she produced (also girl was featured in ANT-MAN! YAAS!). Anna spoke about her sister, Kristina's suicide quite early on in her videos and I really loved that she was a strong advocate for mental health and suicide prevention. She spoke honestly about how this affected not only her, but also her family. We also learn as the reader that this shapes her career choice and her decision to go into comedy and stand-up. When I found out that she was coming out with a book, I knew I had to get it. I opted for the audiobook version since Anna narrates it herself and it was definitely a nice treat. This book is Anna giving a series of "lessons" to her younger sister in which she talks about her past, growing up, life in the industry, and lessons on love, self-care, and more. I feel like Anna differentiates herself from other youtubers by saying she is a digital influencer which I definitely feel is a lot more accurate in this case. She works across many platforms and through her book, she definitely encourages her readers to get out there and try, in terms of your aspirations. It was inspiring to hear her words but she also speaks about failure and how that can be a good thing. She was talking about reading things over multiple times before signing, and I just related so much to this. I was beating myself up a lot over things I made mistakes with, but looking back after many years of self-reflection, I can now see my experiences as blessings in disguise because life has a way of working out. Lastly, one more point I want to touch on is: Anna speaks openly about seeing a therapist too which I really appreciated because I've attended therapy for many years, and I honestly feel like it is something that has changed my life dramatically. She is an advocate for self-love and self-care and there should be more of that in digital influencer books. She also acknowledges that she does come from a position of privilege. Overall, I really enjoyed this book by Anna. She has a way of conveying things in a way that is incredibly relatable but also that reflects her down to earth personality. She has a wide range of stories and even if you don't know about her, I highly recommend picking it up. She talks about so many things that can be applied to every day life, regardless of what stage you are at in your life. Definitely one of my favorite memoirs with the perfect dash of humor laced with it.
My rating of the book: ✮✮✮✮ (4/5 stars)
Available for purchase at:
Chapters/Indigo, Audible, Kobo Books, Amazon and Book Depository (Free Worldwide Shipping)
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