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Me Being Me Is Exactly as Insane as You Being You
by
A heartfelt, humorous story of a teen boy’s impulsive road trip after the shock of his lifetime—told entirely in lists!
Darren hasn't had an easy year.
There was his parents’ divorce, which just so happened to come at the same time his older brother Nate left for college and his longtime best friend moved away. And of course there’s the whole not having a girlfriend thing.
...more
Darren hasn't had an easy year.
There was his parents’ divorce, which just so happened to come at the same time his older brother Nate left for college and his longtime best friend moved away. And of course there’s the whole not having a girlfriend thing.
...more
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Hardcover, 656 pages
Published
March 24th 2015
by Simon Pulse
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Start your review of Me Being Me Is Exactly as Insane as You Being You

I decided to DNF this book when I realised how I had read 150 pages… that could have been shorten to 15. Really.
I was waiting for the moment when Darren was going to visit his brother, Nate, at his college with his father. So I waited… and waited… and waited some more, but the moment never came and I unfortunately ran out of patience and interest for the book.
It’s actually not a ‘‘bad’’ book. Honestly speaking, I quite liked the main character and every other character in the story interacting ...more
I was waiting for the moment when Darren was going to visit his brother, Nate, at his college with his father. So I waited… and waited… and waited some more, but the moment never came and I unfortunately ran out of patience and interest for the book.
It’s actually not a ‘‘bad’’ book. Honestly speaking, I quite liked the main character and every other character in the story interacting ...more

DNF @ 43%
Rating - 0.25 stars
I tried. I honestly tried. Two people told me this book was really bad and at first I thought that it was okay until I got to certain page and I just couldn't read anymore. It physically hurt to read this book.
I hate dnfing books but sadly I have to do it to this one.
This is the one and only book that had made me want to gag in the middle of class. I don't even know what it was but I'm not going finish reading it because I rather not have the urge to gag again while ...more
Rating - 0.25 stars
I tried. I honestly tried. Two people told me this book was really bad and at first I thought that it was okay until I got to certain page and I just couldn't read anymore. It physically hurt to read this book.
I hate dnfing books but sadly I have to do it to this one.
This is the one and only book that had made me want to gag in the middle of class. I don't even know what it was but I'm not going finish reading it because I rather not have the urge to gag again while ...more

.25/5
You know what, I've "finished" reading this. IT. IS. DREADFUL. Ugh. My mind can't handle the complete terribleness that exists within the pages of this book. I made it to page 359 and stopped. I waited for it to make an impression on me. The concept was unique enough, but I have had enough. ENOUGH.
You know what, I've "finished" reading this. IT. IS. DREADFUL. Ugh. My mind can't handle the complete terribleness that exists within the pages of this book. I made it to page 359 and stopped. I waited for it to make an impression on me. The concept was unique enough, but I have had enough. ENOUGH.

A+ idea, C- execution
The main problem was that there were too many lists that had nothing to do with the story. Only one or two developments in the story were actually interesting. 80% of the book was exposition, telling random stuff about the characters' pasts that were mostly not entertaining or funny.
Also, the romance in the story was kind of horrible. The girl was completely flat and made no sense, and the main character idolized her strange behavior and built her up so much in his mind in ...more
The main problem was that there were too many lists that had nothing to do with the story. Only one or two developments in the story were actually interesting. 80% of the book was exposition, telling random stuff about the characters' pasts that were mostly not entertaining or funny.
Also, the romance in the story was kind of horrible. The girl was completely flat and made no sense, and the main character idolized her strange behavior and built her up so much in his mind in ...more

This review appears on Happy Indulgence. Check it out for more reviews!
Me Being Me Is Exactly as Insane as You Being You is a story told entirely in lists. Lists about Darren's family, his thought processes, the music he plays, the lunch that he eats, what he tells his therapist...you get the idea. For those of you who love to digest everything in neat, categorical, bite-sized lists, this book would be for you. But for those of you who want to just get to the point of it all, without being told ...more
Me Being Me Is Exactly as Insane as You Being You is a story told entirely in lists. Lists about Darren's family, his thought processes, the music he plays, the lunch that he eats, what he tells his therapist...you get the idea. For those of you who love to digest everything in neat, categorical, bite-sized lists, this book would be for you. But for those of you who want to just get to the point of it all, without being told ...more

I loved the concept of a story told entirely in list format, but I'd say 1/4 of the lists were pointless, and it felt a bit too...whiney? Darren's dad comes out as gay and he doesn't deal with it very well, and meanwhile he's falling in love with a girl called Zoey, who he's known all of two days. I can't believe I read over 600 pages, and didn't feel like I got a story out of it. Hm.

5 reasons why it may or may not be a good idea to write (or read) a novel composed entirely of lists:
1. For the sheer novelty of it.
2. Because, amidst the sheer volume of young-adult literature being produced these days, it is a creative use of form that might make a book stand out (much like Jeff Kinney's blending of cartoon and novel in his Diary of a Wimpy Kid series (and in the million copycat series spawned by DoaWK))
3. It can, at times, be a downright clever way to tell a story.
4. It can, ...more
1. For the sheer novelty of it.
2. Because, amidst the sheer volume of young-adult literature being produced these days, it is a creative use of form that might make a book stand out (much like Jeff Kinney's blending of cartoon and novel in his Diary of a Wimpy Kid series (and in the million copycat series spawned by DoaWK))
3. It can, at times, be a downright clever way to tell a story.
4. It can, ...more

May 18, 2015
Kelly (Diva Booknerd)
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
simon-schuster
http://www.divabooknerd.com/2015/06/t...
Me Being Me Is Exactly as Insane as You Being You is a storyline made entirely of lists, in which Darren seems to find solace as a coping mechanism. The ass has just fallen out of his world, he's depressed, latches onto girls hoping for a girlfriend and dreams of his own band, I suspect in the hope to find said girlfriend. His mother would rather throw herself into her work than spend time with her family, and his divorced father has just dropped a doozy ...more
Me Being Me Is Exactly as Insane as You Being You is a storyline made entirely of lists, in which Darren seems to find solace as a coping mechanism. The ass has just fallen out of his world, he's depressed, latches onto girls hoping for a girlfriend and dreams of his own band, I suspect in the hope to find said girlfriend. His mother would rather throw herself into her work than spend time with her family, and his divorced father has just dropped a doozy ...more

While the concept of writing an entire book in list form sounds good in theory, unfortunately the execution of it wasn't the best. I just feel like a lot of the chapters were completely redundant, both in terms of not adding any information about the plot, and also not really doing anything in terms of entertainment. I'm not going to lie, I skipped reading some of the lists e.g. a list of all the band members in Darren's high school jazz band (I mean, really, a list of 10+ names isn't going to
...more

3 Perfectly valid reasons why you should read Me Being Me:
1) The Format
It’s written in list form, which I absolutely loved. (And obviously inspired the style of this review!) It made reading Me Being Me such a breeze, and made it super easy to slip in and out of the book, although I found myself struggling to put the book down with the promise of “just one more list” all too alluring! The lists are a nice mixture of short and sweet and chunkier points, and these really helped with the pacing of ...more
1) The Format
It’s written in list form, which I absolutely loved. (And obviously inspired the style of this review!) It made reading Me Being Me such a breeze, and made it super easy to slip in and out of the book, although I found myself struggling to put the book down with the promise of “just one more list” all too alluring! The lists are a nice mixture of short and sweet and chunkier points, and these really helped with the pacing of ...more

Dear Mr. Hasak-Lowy,
As much fun as it was to read a novel in lists (which were rather entertainingly titled some of the time), it's kind of disgusting to see another potentially-good-author fall down the pit of What Authors Wrongly Believe Belongs in YA Literature. It's not just your book but I think have finally gotten 150% fed up with this whole all-teenagers-have-sex-and-do-drugs-and-swear-and-are-stupid-in-general thing. Sure, some teenagers have beer parties and get each other pregnant and ...more
As much fun as it was to read a novel in lists (which were rather entertainingly titled some of the time), it's kind of disgusting to see another potentially-good-author fall down the pit of What Authors Wrongly Believe Belongs in YA Literature. It's not just your book but I think have finally gotten 150% fed up with this whole all-teenagers-have-sex-and-do-drugs-and-swear-and-are-stupid-in-general thing. Sure, some teenagers have beer parties and get each other pregnant and ...more

GOOOOOOOOOOOOD
my expectations were very high about this book, but, is very very bad, and i'm sorry for that, but this is trash - with that words.
the pages 're very extensive and the illustrations don't help. This book is a mess.
really this book didn't make sense to me, and the author don't know how write the chapters, is like a children book, and this is not my type of books.
waste of paper.
my expectations were very high about this book, but, is very very bad, and i'm sorry for that, but this is trash - with that words.
the pages 're very extensive and the illustrations don't help. This book is a mess.
really this book didn't make sense to me, and the author don't know how write the chapters, is like a children book, and this is not my type of books.
waste of paper.


Having not bought a book for myself for what seems like an age, I felt moving house was a good enough celebration and an opportunity to browse around a brand new Waterstones (at least new to me)! I haven’t been keeping up with Booktube or blogs recently, mostly due to the new job and moving, so I wasn’t sure what I wanted but I knew I wanted it to be something I’d never heard of before. Honestly, I was in that store for an hour before deciding what to get but I saw this cover paired with the
...more

15 year-old Darren Jacobs is grappling with:
1) his parents' recent divorce
2) his father's coming out as gay
3) his body image
4) his sexual feelings
5) his confused emotions about at least 2 girls
6) the way that his parents suddenly seem like different people
7) the way that his parents have lives that don't necessarily have him at the center
8) general weirdness
Darren has a lot on his emotional plate, and being a fairly typical 15 year old boy, he is not really emotionally equipped to deal with it ...more
1) his parents' recent divorce
2) his father's coming out as gay
3) his body image
4) his sexual feelings
5) his confused emotions about at least 2 girls
6) the way that his parents suddenly seem like different people
7) the way that his parents have lives that don't necessarily have him at the center
8) general weirdness
Darren has a lot on his emotional plate, and being a fairly typical 15 year old boy, he is not really emotionally equipped to deal with it ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

Todd Hasak-Lowy's debut YA novel is simply a must read. With it's unique approach of telling a story entirely using lists, it tells the story of Darren Jacobs and his struggles in dealing with his parent's divorce, as well as his somewhat-of-a-douchebag brother, and his longing for someone he hardly knows. Although the idea of using lists can become a little much at times (I've had to go back and read what the list was even relating to a few times) I completely recommend this book to anyone. I
...more

I had high hopes for this book - a story told in lists? I love lists! It's an interesting concept and I applaud Hasak-Lowy for trying this format. Unfortunately, there were many lists that just didn't add to the book and other lists that just went on and on. The book easily could have been half the length! So much potential for the storyline and the format - it just fell short of my expectations. I would suggest it as an interesting read. It probably would be better enjoyed in small chunks - for
...more

Mar 20, 2015
Terri (Le Book Chronicles)
rated it
liked it
Shelves:
sent-for-review,
read-as-an-ebook
I was provided with this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
I really enjoyed this book overall. Such a unique writing style and it covers some really important themes that is not often seen in YA books. It was humorous without taking away from the main storyline, and had just the right amount of feels. Would definitely recommend. Full review on my blog.
I really enjoyed this book overall. Such a unique writing style and it covers some really important themes that is not often seen in YA books. It was humorous without taking away from the main storyline, and had just the right amount of feels. Would definitely recommend. Full review on my blog.

This review can also be found on A Thousand Lives Lived, check it out for more!
*3.5 star rating*
When reading the summary for this one, I'll admit that I never expected for that to happen. By 'that,' I mean the shocker which Darren's dad spilled out at 6 AM with a chocolate donut in his hand. I never even made some sort of prediction or anything like that. Todd Hasak-Lowy presents readers with an unique way to reveal pride and a kind of LGBTQ concept revolving around being a teenager. Me Being ...more
*3.5 star rating*
When reading the summary for this one, I'll admit that I never expected for that to happen. By 'that,' I mean the shocker which Darren's dad spilled out at 6 AM with a chocolate donut in his hand. I never even made some sort of prediction or anything like that. Todd Hasak-Lowy presents readers with an unique way to reveal pride and a kind of LGBTQ concept revolving around being a teenager. Me Being ...more

The story was very well thought out, and it was a topic/storyline that I had never read before, so props to Hasak-Lowy for that. The characters seemed like real, plausible people- even if I hated most of them. Darren, the main character, would be a jerk, and I would hate him- and then he would turn around and seem pathetic and pitiful and then I would almost feel sorry for him and forgive him. In the end, I don't think that he deserved the happy ending, given how he treated his parents
...more

Darren Jacobs isn’t having a particularly great year. He’s a slightly over-weight almost-sixteen-year-old who lives with his workaholic divorced mother (his father moved out about two years ago). His older, significantly cooler, brother Nate goes to school at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Todd Hasak-Lowy’s YA novel Me Being Me Is Exactly As Insane As You Being You is comprised completely of lists. That’s right, lists. For example: 5 Contributions Darren’s Dad Makes to This Morning’s ...more
Todd Hasak-Lowy’s YA novel Me Being Me Is Exactly As Insane As You Being You is comprised completely of lists. That’s right, lists. For example: 5 Contributions Darren’s Dad Makes to This Morning’s ...more

I really enjoyed the dry humor and I loved the characters, but honestly, the story was dragged out so much I ended up putting the book down a few times—it was moving THAT slow. After the first 100 pages or so, I started wondering if something was even going to happen, but once you push yourself to keep going, you get used to it, I guess.
So, yeah... the list concept seemed interesting at first glance, but it probably would have been a better book if it was written normally and didn't take like 50 ...more
So, yeah... the list concept seemed interesting at first glance, but it probably would have been a better book if it was written normally and didn't take like 50 ...more

I wanted to like a this book. I really did. But there were just so many flaws. If I am given a 1.5 inch thick book that's 600+ pages, I want full descriptions and a detailed plot. With this book, I got a rushed plot in the last quarter of the book. I was left with many brushed over explanations that made no sense. The ending felt so rushed. The whole plot following Darren and Zoey is neglected for about 500 pages only to return in the last five pages of the book. I'm sorry but this book is
...more
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Around the Year i...: Me Being Me is Exactly as Insane as You Being You, by Todd Hasak-Lowy | 1 | 17 | Sep 25, 2016 11:59AM |
VERY SHORT BIO:
My name is Todd, and I’ve been writing books for about fifteen years. I started writing books for adults, but now I write books for kids and teenagers, too. My most recent book is a middle-grade novel called 33 MINUTES. I’ve also published a short story collection THE TASK OF THIS TRANSLATOR and the novel CAPTIVES. In addition to writing fiction, I teach creative writing. I live in ...more
My name is Todd, and I’ve been writing books for about fifteen years. I started writing books for adults, but now I write books for kids and teenagers, too. My most recent book is a middle-grade novel called 33 MINUTES. I’ve also published a short story collection THE TASK OF THIS TRANSLATOR and the novel CAPTIVES. In addition to writing fiction, I teach creative writing. I live in ...more
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“we cannot escape the things we must face.”
—
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“I know i barely talk and pretty much act like I'm not here, but I'm totally here and have a million things to say, and me being me is exactly as insane as you being you.”
—
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