Note to Self

By Connor Franta

In his New York Times bestselling memoir, A Work in Progress, Connor Franta shared his journey from small-town Midwestern boy to full-fledged Internet sensation. Exploring his past with humor and astounding insight, Connor reminded his fans of why they first fell in love with him on YouTube—and revealed to newcomers how he relates to his millions of dedicated followers.

Now, two years later, Connor is ready to bring to light a side of himself he’s rarely shown on or off camera. In this diary-like look at his life since A Work In Progress, Connor talks about his battles with clinical depression, social anxiety, self-love, and acceptance; his desire to maintain an authentic self in a world that values shares and likes over true connections; his struggles with love and loss; and his renewed efforts to be in the moment—with others and himself.

Told through short essays, letters to his past and future selves, poetry, and original photography, Note to Self is a raw, in-the-moment look at the fascinating interior life of a young creator turning inward in order to move forward.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia
• Release date: Apr 18, 2017
• ISBN: 9781925533699

Connor Franta

Connor Franta is a young entrepreneur, content creator, author, and humanitarian who uses his expansive social platform to advocate for and spotlight the LGBTQ+ community. He is the New York Times bestselling author of A Work in Progress and Note to Self, the CEO of companies Common Culture and Heard Well, and has amassed nearly half a billion views on YouTube. His public speaking engagements have put him on the same stages as Prince Harry, Naomi Campbell, and Hillary Clinton. He has worked with brands such as Samsung, Calvin Klein, Audible, Google, Nike, and many more.

Reviews for Note to Self

[kiddboyblue · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This piece of art left me in a daze. An emotional daze. I wont lie and say I was a little worried leading up to this books release. Originally when Connor announced it on his youtube channel I was extremely excited. I am a huge fan of his, and appreciate his aesthetic. I think he is an extremely artistic, and visual person, and I am drawn to that incredibly. However, lately (leading up to the release) his material he was producing felt extremely self promoting, and had very little artistic value to me. It seemed more and more every video or post or tweet, or whatever was about, "Hey go buy my book," instead of adding to the narrative. So, naturally I became a little less excited with each passing week.However, despite all that, this book left me stunned and speechless. It was, to put it plainly, beautiful. The word seems inadequate, yet, I fail to find another word to give it justice.This piece, unlike his first memoir, felt raw and uninhibited. He says in his forward that his first work was what he wanted people to see, and this work was what he was truly feeling in the moment, and it was SO evident and so wonderful. I connected with him on so many things, and felt a closeness to the work that I haven't felt in awhile. His prose about heartbreak and depression especially, stuck with me. He wrote about both with such truth and vulnerability that I couldn't help but fall in love. He opened up in these pages in a way that was completely unexpected and probably very difficult to do. I think that opening ourselves up in such a raw way, and simply sharing our truths, for what they are in the moment we are feeling them, is powerful, and important and beautiful.The addition of Connor's poetry and photography only helped to create what I consider truly a piece of art, that this memoir is.Simply, wonderful.Also, totally random side note, I am now the FIRST person to review BOTH of his books here on Librarything!! It feels pretty great!

[dawnlovesbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

this book is a mixture of a journal, poetry and photography brought to you by Connor Franta. Connor is a young gay man that deals with heart break and depression through his writing and observations. If you are into that whole poetry thing right now (the princess saves herself, milk and honey, etc..), you will like this book. Lovely photographs. a few of my fave excerpts: "I'll keep moving forward because standing still is not an option. You don't find your happy places in life without putting one foot in front of the other.""sometimes the quiet ones are yelling on the inside.""I desire to be the single pink door on a street filled only with tones painted unmemorable.""I don't think people find themselves until their lost only then does their journey begin."

[jessika.c · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In his second memoir Connor Franta lets his audience into some insights of his life. Through short personal essays and poems he describes hope, heartbreak, and life. I don’t think I’ve related to another fellow millennial for a while now. I’ve never been a part of the selfie culture or vlogging business basically social media adept in general. I knew of Franta because of his ties to another YouTuber I watched on and off many years ago but his name stuck with me as one of the many YouTubers that “came out” in close succession almost four years ago, if I’m not mistaken. But he’s actually a pretty good writer. I didn't read his first autobiography, assuming that's what it was, so all I know is the now that he described.There’s something universal about a first love and the heartbreak that comes with it. It’s always unexpected and no matter how hard or how little you try to make it work it's just as heartbreaking when it ends. Then there’s a matter of personal identity, who are you when you end it? I was personally touched by Franta’s struggles with depression. It just happens and sometimes giving yourself a pep talk is only going to make it worse by the anxiety that creeps up with it. It was really refreshing to read about someone else’s experience with seeing a therapist because it really does help. Someone who has no personal ties with you and can extract thoughts that you need to let out can be a relief whereas when a personal family member tries to do the same they can end up rejecting those wayward thoughts.The poems were a nice attempt at being deep but they weren't very memorable.