Book Review: A Work In Progress

In this intimate memoir of life beyond the camera, Connor Franta shares the lessons he has learned on his journey from small-town boy to Internet sensation so far.

Here, Connor offers a look at his Midwestern upbringing as one of four children in the home and one of five in the classroom; his struggles with identity, body image, and sexuality in his teen years; and his decision to finally pursue his creative and artistic passions in his early twenties, setting up his thrilling career as a YouTube personality, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and tastemaker.

Exploring his past with insight and humor, his present with humility, and his future with hope, Connor reveals his private struggles while providing heartfelt words of wisdom for young adults. His words will resonate with anyone coming of age in the digital era, but at the core is a timeless message for people of all ages: don’t be afraid to be yourself and to go after what you truly want.

This full-color collection includes photography and childhood clippings provided by Connor and is a must-have for anyone inspired by his journey.

First line of the book: “I’m six years old.” 

Title: A Work In Progress
Author: Connor Franta
My Edition: A paperback published by Atria/Keyword Press in 2015, with 212 pages.
Age: Young Adult (13+)
Genres: Non Fiction, Autobiography, Memoir, Biography, GLBT, Contemporary, Young Adult.

WHY THIS BOOK
I bought this book based entirely on its cover. I had no idea what it was about, I didn’t even have time to read on the back, I just bought it. And I was not disappointed.

CONTENT

You know that feeling when you find a book that just inspires you so damn much, and you feel like you can accomplish anything if you just put enough work into it? Well, that was the feeling I had throughout this entire memoir.

First of all, he’s this funny, adorable and extremely likable guy. If he was a fictional character in a world where he liked girls, he would obviously be the dream-guy. Seriously.He talks about his childhood, and how it was like growing up in a small town. He talks about how it’s like to start high school, and how intensely scary it is. He talks about how it’s like to feel the “pressure” to fit in, and how he overcame that when he realized that he was good enough. He gives advice to people based on his experiences, he talks about the fact that we are bad at seeing how incredible we are on our own. It’s a beautiful book and I recommend you go buy it right now, not only for the content of words, but on the content of pictures as well. They’re absolutely beautiful.

WRITING

The writing style is amazing, like I didn’t get bored in this book at all. Which is like a once in a lifetime experience. was like lying in bed not wanting to put the book down. Like how does that even happen when you’re reading a memoir? To be honest, I actually bought the book because it was beautiful on the outside, I had no idea how beautiful it was going to be on the inside. The guy is obviously well reflected, he’s gone through a great deal, and he has some good pointers on how you can ‘success’ at being a teenager in today’s society. And as I said, the writing style IS amazing. I laughed. I rarely laugh while reading books, but I laughed. Like seriously I started following him on youtube because of this book. And I’m going to binge watch him because he’s amazing!

ALL OVER

I love it, I love it, I love it. It’s amazing to read a book and feel so inspired. I feel like I could read this over and over again, and I know I will.

COVER

I just love the cover, especially the fact that it’s a negative cut makes it so much more beautiful!

Favorite quote: “Forget about self-image and self-judgment. It’s about self-love, and no one teaches you that at school. No one teaches you that if you accept and love yourself, nothing and no one can touch you. This is the only face and body you’re ever going to get, so be comfortable and happy in it. Own it. Own every aspect of who you are and present it to the world with the utmost pride.”