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    I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves
    I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves
    I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves
    Audiobook4 hours

    I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves

    Written by Ryan O'Connell

    Narrated by Ryan O'Connell

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    NOW a NETFLIX series entitled Special from Executive Producer JIM PARSONS starring RYAN O‘CONNELL as himself.

    From the beloved blogger turned voice of an online generation, an unforgettable and hilarious memoir-meets-manifesto exploring what it means to be a millennial gay man living with cerebral palsy, which VICE calls “a younger, gay version of Mary Karr's Lit.”

    People are obsessed with Ryan O’Connell’s blogs. With tens of thousands reading his pieces on Thought Catalog and Vice, watching his videos on YouTube, and hanging on to each and every #dark tweet, Ryan has established himself as a unique young voice who’s not afraid to dole out some real talk. He’s that candid, snarky friend you consult when you fear you’re spending too much time falling down virtual k-holes stalking your ex on Facebook or when you’ve made the all-too-common mistake of befriending a psycho while wasted at last night’s party and need to find a way to get rid of them the next morning. But Ryan didn’t always have the answers to these modern-day dilemmas. Growing up gay and disabled with cerebral palsy, he constantly felt like he was one step behind everybody else. Then the rude curveball known as your twenties happened and things got even more confusing.

    Ryan spent years as a Millennial cliché: he had dead-end internships; dabbled in unemployment; worked in his pajamas as a blogger; communicated mostly via text; looked for love online; spent hundreds on “necessary” items, like candles, while claiming to have no money; and even descended into aimless pill-popping. But through extensive trial and error, Ryan eventually figured out how to take his life from bleak to chic and began limping towards adulthood.

    Sharp and entertaining, I’m Special will educate twentysomethings (or other adolescents-at-heart) on what NOT to do if they ever want to become happy fully functioning grown-ups with a 401k and a dog.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateJul 28, 2015
    ISBN9781442395954
    Author

    Ryan O'Connell

    Ryan O’Connell is the Emmy-nominated creator, writer, and star of Netflix’s Special, which is based on his memoir, I’m Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves. He’s also written for other TV shows like Will & Grace, Awkward, and Peacock’s Queer as Folk revival, which he also stars in. He lives, laughs, and loves in Los Angeles with his partner, Jonathan Parks-Ramage. 

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    Reviews for I'm Special

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    • 2/5
      An autobiography of a thirty something year old gay writer with cerebral palsy. The first third of the book were a struggle to get through but after the author talks about getting his first full time job, things start to flow more smoothly and get a bit more interesting. For his job, he says he writes a lot of viral, filler articles that don't say much. It certainly shows in this book as there are a decent number of filler chapters that, although mildly interesting, don't seem to serve much purpose. The takeaways I got from reading this was many Millennials grow up being constantly praised and validated by their parents and people around them. Unfortunately, many then aren't able to find their self worth themselves and then turn to drugs, both legal and illegal, putting up a false image online, etc. Apparently it's a bit harder for a gay guy who isn't prime meat because it's hard to find someone who is internally stable who wants a committed and intimate relationship. Even if they do find one, many people self destruct the relationship because of their own insecurities. Overall, I would say this book was worth to read if you want to get in the mind of a gay guy growing up and find out how things work in the gay community.